How to Lose Weight Healthy Diet Without Harming Health
Definition
What is a healthy diet?
Most people often think that a diet is a diet that reduces the portion and type of food. Therefore, some of you may think that the diet only needs to be followed by those who want to be thin.
In fact, it is true that the main key to losing weight is having a healthy diet or diet. Even so, this weight loss program is not as easy as it sounds.
Wrong strategy can actually backfire for body weight. That is why, guidelines for a healthy diet to reduce weight need to be applied.
How much food do you need to eat?
Apart from losing weight, a healthy diet provides the right amount of energy for the body. Energy balance will occur when the calories taken from food are the same as the calories burned by the body.
Everyone needs calorie intake for the body to function properly, from thinking to breathing. This means that you need to design a diet that suits your individual calorie needs.
Consuming more calories than your body needs in one day can lead to weight gain. This is because the extra calories you get are stored as fat and not used up.
Eating habit
How to change eating habits in a healthy diet?
Diet is not just avoiding certain foods or drinks. You also need to start eating habits in order to successfully stick to a healthy diet for weight loss.
Here are some things to consider when you are on a diet to lose weight.
1. Calculate calorie needs
Before starting to design a food menu, the first step to a healthy and safe diet for the body is to identify calorie needs. Everyone has different calorie needs based on various factors, from age to health conditions.
For example, obese people will have different calorie needs from healthy people who want to lose weight. By getting the right number of calories from food and drink, the body gets the energy it needs.
As a result, body functions will run normally, from thinking, pumping blood, to breathing. So, before designing a diet to maintain weight, first identify the calorie needs so that the body continues to function properly.
2. Adjust the portion of the meal
When you want to go on a diet, it doesn’t mean you have to avoid various types of food. The reason is, all types of food are still needed by the body, it’s just that you need to manage your meal portions properly.
A healthy and safe diet does not have to cut food portions to a minimum. The main key to this diet is to eat according to daily calorie needs so that the body functions properly.
Ideally, you can divide the plate into 4 sections consisting of:
- One-fourth for meat or protein source,
- a quarter for carbohydrates, and
- the rest for green and colorful vegetables.
In essence, you need to adjust the portion of your meal according to the principle of balanced nutrition. Don’t forget to avoid fatty or high sugar foods at dinner so that your weight doesn’t increase dramatically.
3. Create a regular eating schedule
Some of you may think that skipping meals can lead to rapid weight loss. In fact, this is simply not true.
Every mealtime is important in having a healthy diet. Skipping meals actually makes the body easily hungry, blood sugar fluctuates dramatically, and stress. You are still advised to eat 3 times a day by paying attention to the portion of your meal.
If you want to eat less, you can divide 3 large meals into 6 smaller meals throughout the day. The key, you still need to avoid foods high in fat and high in calories.
In addition, make sure you don’t skip breakfast with foods high in protein and fiber. This aims to make the body feel full longer until lunch time arrives.
4. Chew food slowly
It is no secret that eating slowly is part of a habit that is needed in a healthy diet. Although not always successful, this method can make you feel full faster. Why is that?
Reporting from Harvard Health, experts report that a full stomach is part of a person’s eating satisfaction factor after eating. This satiety factor is also triggered by the brain. The reason is, the brain also requires a series of signals from digestive hormones secreted by the digestive tract.
You see, eating too fast just doesn’t give the body enough time to send out these hormonal signals. As a result, you may continue to eat because your stomach is not satisfied.
5. Eat until you are not hungry
Apart from chewing slowly, try to eat until you don’t feel hungry. These healthy diet tips aim so that the body does not have excess energy which will later be stored as fat. As a result, the weight came back up
Therefore, start listening to feelings of hunger and eating when these physical cues occur. If it is not convincing, try to eat a large portion of the morning and reduce the portion gradually until dinner.
At first it might be difficult. However, this way of losing weight is much safer when you can adjust over time.
Healthy Food Options
What types of healthy foods should be consumed in this diet?
A healthy diet is inseparable from nutritious food. Here are a number of food choices that can support your weight loss program.
1. Fruits and vegetables
One type of food that needs to be consumed during a diet are fruits and vegetables. Fresh vegetables and fruit need to be eaten together with other staple foods in order to get a balanced nutrition.
Not only that, a diet rich in these two foods can also reduce the risk of various chronic diseases. How not, fruits and vegetables contain nutrients the body needs, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
There are also types of fruits and vegetables that are good for weight loss including:
- Apple,
- banana,
- blueberries or grapes,
- carrot,
- broccoli, or
- paprika.
2. Whole grain
Wheat is a source of complex carbohydrates that contain fiber which is good for the body. These seeds contain various main vitamins and minerals that also help the body feel full and maintain weight.
Some dietitians recommend including whole grains in the diet of a healthy diet that is being lived. This is because this fiber source is rich in B vitamins, iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium.
In addition to making your stomach feel full longer, you also get complete nutrition from whole grains. Some types of foods that contain whole grains include:
- Brown rice,
- buckwheat,
- oatmeal (oatmeal),
- popcorn, and
- whole grain bread or pasta.
3. Lean protein
Not only carbohydrates, protein is also the main source of energy that the body needs. However, too much protein, especially those high in fat, can harm health, including obesity.
Reporting from the WHO, reducing the amount of total fat intake to less than 30 percent helps prevent unhealthy weight gain.
Therefore, another alternative to meet these nutritional needs is to consume protein without or low fat, such as:
- fish,
- white meat,
- egg or egg white,
- Tofu,
- peas, and
- milk and low-fat dairy products.
4. Reducing sugar and salt
When undergoing a diet to lose weight, you must also be aware of the consumption of salt, sugar and oil. Reducing these three components is an effective way to reduce body weight. Why is that?
Foods high in sugar, salt, oil and fat are usually high in calories. This means that these three things are not good for health. The reason is, high-calorie foods can trigger drastic weight gain and the risk of various diseases.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health recommends limiting the portion of sugar, salt and fat through the G4G1L5 prinisi, namely:
- sugar 4 tbsp / day
- salt 1 tsp / day
- fat 5 tbsp / day
You can also replace sugar or sweetened sugar with low-calorie sweeteners. This aims to control blood sugar levels so they don’t spike suddenly.
5. Choose low-calorie snacks
Even though you are doing a healthy diet program, it does not mean that you are prohibited from doing so snacking. However, of course you are advised to choose healthy snacks, such as those containing low calories and low sugar.
Therefore, always check the nutritional value label printed on the snack packaging before buying. Pay close attention to the sugar, fat and calorie content in these snacks.
There are also low-calorie snack options that you can consume in the middle of a diet, including:
- coconut chips,
- boiled eggs,
- fruits, such as apples,
- greek yogurt and berries,
- fruit juice,
- smoothies which is rich in protein,
- edamame, and
- other low calorie foods.
Basically, there are many other things that need to be considered when having a healthy diet to lose weight. This is because the diet design will be different depending on body weight, BMI, and the condition of each person.
That is why, try to consult with a nutritionist or dietitian to plan a healthy diet. That way, you can maintain your ideal body weight and avoid the risk of various diseases.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
6 Tips for Healthy Friends who are undergoing a diet program. (2018). Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from http://p2ptm.kemkes.go.id/infographic-p2ptm/obesitas/6-tips-untuk-sobat-sehat-yang-sedang-menjalani-program-diet
Improving Your Eating Habits. (2020). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/eating_habits.html
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Healthy Eating Plate. (2011). Harvard University. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight. (2020). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/fruits_vegetables.html
What Foods Can You Eat to Lose Weight ?. (2020). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-eat-still-lose-weight/
Whole grains: Hearty options for a healthy diet. (2020). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/whole-grains/art-20047826
MacDonald, A. (2010). Why eating slowly may help you feel full faster. Harvard Health. Retrieved 3 March 2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605
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