Right Diets within Calorie Needs
Dieting is a big no-no to lose those extra calories that’s keeping you worried. Instead go for the right diets within calorie needs and make healthy eating a pattern in your day to day life. Dieting may have its short term results but how long can you be determined enough to carry it out. Include healthy food; drink a lot of water, and work out regularly to get back in shape.
Calories determine the total energy that is supplied by carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in food. The energy supplied by food is needed for vital body functions. If calories consumed are more than the number of calories used by the body in the form of energy, it results in excess weight. To keep weight in check and a healthy living, you need to have a balance between your calorie consumption and the calories used by burning them through work outs.
Different people have different calorie needs depending on their gender and physical activity. A professional athlete’s calorie requirement differs from that of a weight lifter and an occasional jogger, how long and how often one work out does and size and weight matters too. But a general set of guidelines will be of use for all of them.
The National Academy of Sciences makes the following daily calorie recommendations:
- About 1,600 calories for sedentary women and some older adults.
- About 2,200 calories for most children, teenage girls, active women, and many sedentary men.
- About 2,800 calories for teenage boys, many active men, and some very active women.
The luxury of fast food joints, pre-packaged foods, and soft drinks influence our food choices. These kinds of food intakes are possibly high in fat and calories. Greater portions of food servings also increase caloric consumption. It’s important to check labels before buying processed food. Carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories per gram, while fats add up to 9 calories per gram. Food choices and food preparation affect the amount of calories we consume.
Right Diet
Consume enough amounts of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and 21/2 cups of vegetables per day are suggested for a 2,000-calorie intake, with higher or lower amounts depending on the calorie level.
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables each day, do not stick to just one group of fruits or veggies. Select dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables a number of times a week.
Consume 3 or more ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day, with the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain products. In general, make sure to include half the grains from whole grains.
Consume 3 cups per day of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products.
Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep Trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of unsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Restrict intake of fats and oils high in saturated / trans fatty acids. So folks eat right, work out and burn those extra calories.