Food and Diet that can help us for healthy Living

Food and diet is an important thing for maintaining our health, diet refers to the type of food a person eats, while food refers to anything a person eats or drinks. Any person's diet can be healthy or unhealthy depending on their food type. Healthy diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Eating a healthy balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health and can help you feel better. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Balance diet protects you against many diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated fats are essential for healthy diet. Dieting and healthy eating are two different things, dieting is associated with the desire of losing weight and is the conscious control or limitation of food. Eating healthy is the concept of being more careful about the food you consume.

Categories of Foods:

Foods are categorized in different groups, foods are grouped together because they provide similar amount of key-nutrients. For example the key-nutrients of milk, yogurt, cheese and alternative groups are source of calcium and proteins, while the fruit group is a good source of vitamins. Vegetables, grains, protein foods, fruits and dairy are the major food groups. Healthy diet should contain these major food groups, a large portion of a human’s diet should contain fruits and vegetables.

Food Groups:

·         Fat

·         Dairy

·         Protein

·         Starchy food

·         Fruits and vegetables

Fat:

Fats are biological molecules also known as oils and lipids, fats are present in proteins, carbohydrates and dairy products. Some fats in our diet is essential but most of us eat too much fats. Plant-based oil like vegetables and olive oil are rich in unsaturated fat, so these oils can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart diseases. Food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar includes chocolate, cakes, biscuits, snacks and soft drinks tends to have a lots of calories with little nutritional value so we don’t need these as part of a healthy balanced diet. If you want to include these kind of foods in your diet, do it less often and in small amounts.

Dairy:

Dairy and dairy alternatives are very good sources of protein and vitamins. Dairy products also contains calcium which helps keep our bones healthy and strong. Semi-skimmed, skimmed and low fat milk all contains less fat than full-fat milk, but still give you protein, vitamins and calcium. Some dairy products like cheese and yogurts can be high in salt sugar or fat (especially saturated fat) so these dairy products may cause many diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases, so be careful about the products you choose. Dairy-free milk alternatives include nut and soya milks, if you choose dairy-free milk then go for unsweetened varieties which have been fortified with calcium.

Protein:

Proteins are the basis of body structures such as skin and hairs, proteins are needed for the body to function properly. Beans, peas and lentils contains protein and are a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and also low in fat. Fish is also a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals. White fish includes fish like haddock, Cooley, cod, plaice and hake are low in fat, contains important vitamins and minerals and a great alternative to meat. Eggs and meat are also a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Meat is one of the main source of vitamin B12 (an important vitamin) which is only found in food from animals like meat and milk.

Starchy food:

Starchy foods like potatoes, bread, pasta, cereals and rice are a good source of energy and also contain essential fiber such as calcium, iron and vitamins. Starchy foods contain less than half the calories of fat, by adding butter, oil, spreads, jam or cheese increases the amount of calories in starchy food. Wholegrain foods like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole oats, wholegrain breakfast cereals, whole meal bread and chapatti usually have more fiber and nutrients. They take longer to digest so they can help you feel full for longer.

Fruits and vegetables:

Fruits and vegetables contain important vitamins and minerals to prevent our body from diseases. Fruits and vegetables also contain fiber which can decrease our cholesterol and help in digestion. Fruits and vegetables are low in fat, salt and sugar so they are great for bulking out meals and making you feel full without adding too many calories. There are many varieties of fruits and vegetables available and many ways to prepare, cook and serve. Diet high in fruit and vegetables can help protect us against cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.

Categories of Diet:

Diet is the process of maintaining the weight by food and drink. Healthy diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Eating a healthy balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health and can help you feel better but all diets are not considered healthy some diets are also unhealthy. Here are a few categories of diets:

·         Fad diet

·         Detox diet

·         Nordic diet

Fad diet:

Fad diet is one that promises fast weight loss or radically-improved health without a scientific basis. Fad diets often cut out entire foods or food groups and can involve miracle pills, shakes, or supplements. What most fad diets have in common is that they encourage you to cut down on the amount of energy that you take in. But due to their nature, ‘quick-fix diets’ aren’t sustainable and once stopped most people find themselves back where they started. Any diet that excludes key food groups are overly restrictive and will raise the risk of nutrient deficiencies without careful planning to overcome this.
The safety of fad diets over the long-term is unknown. Because they can be highly restrictive and often cut out key food groups. A fad diet means you’re at risk of missing out on important protective nutrients that are needed for good health. For that reason they are especially unsuitable for certain people, children and teenagers, athletes and highly-active people, those with diabetes and people with a history of eating disorders should all steer clear of fad diets.

Detox diet:

Detox diets are generally short-term dietary interventions designed to eliminate toxins from our body. A typical detox diet involves a period of fasting followed by a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Sometimes a detox also includes herbs, teas, supplements, and colon cleanses or enemas. These diets also claim to help improve your immune system, digestion, energy levels, and aide in weight loss. Detox diets encourage you to eat natural foods and involve lots of water and veggies, all stuff that we know is good for us.

Detox diets and cleanses are extremely popular and considered to be the best way to jumpstart weight loss, get back on a healthy diet plan and reset metabolism. Although our everyday use of the word ‘detox’ is often associated with promises of rapid weight loss, luscious hair, skin and nails, boundless energy, reduced cellulite and an enhanced immune system. Our body has an in-built detoxification process that works around the clock to manage and remove substances like pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals and compounds like alcohol.

Nordic diet:

Nordic diet contains plenty of fruit, berries, green vegetables, root vegetables and wholegrain products made from oats, barley and rye. Rapeseed oil is the principal source of fat, along with fish, lean meat and low fat dairy products that are also included in the dietary recommendations. Nordic diet should be low in salt, saturated fat and added sugar. Compared with traditional Swedish food, a Nordic diet is slightly richer in proteins and carbohydrates and lower in fat. Nordic diet is healthy and encourages a slew of nutritious foods. In fact it's difficult to find any downsides to this diet. Fish is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for both your heart and brain health. The food eaten on a Nordic diet is mostly a wide variety of plant-based foods which are high in protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. The health benefits of the Nordic diet include weight loss, reduced inflammation, lower blood pressure, reduced risk of health conditions such as diabetes and heart problems. Nordic diet is low in saturated fats and focuses on healthy fat such as canola oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.

Conclusion:

Food and diet both are most important for human health. Food supplies energy for working of human body and diet is also necessary to maintain our body weight and moreover our health because extra calories and fats in our body disturb our system. Proteins, fats, starchy foods, fruits and vegetables are types of food and Nordic diet, detox diet and fad diet are types of diet. Balance diet protects you against many diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated fats are essential for healthy diet. Dieting and healthy eating are two different things, dieting is associated with the desire of losing weight and is the conscious control or limitation of food.