First Steps to Develop a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is not just about meeting nutritional needs. A balanced diet is very personal because it relates to the likes and dislikes of foods, and is adapted to your lifestyle. "Is having a good or bad diet?". This is a common question that gets asked quite often and I often don't know what to answer. Some of us use the term 'diet' so often that the word diet has almost lost its meaning.
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| First Steps to Develop a Balanced Diet |
In fact, we all go on a diet every day. We each have our own eating habits and eating patterns which is actually what is meant by a 'diet'. Sometimes we use the term diet as a term for ways to eat that reduce the number of calories. So often we say "On a diet". Whereas the term diet refers to the menu or composition of the food consumed.
What Makes a Diet Good Or Bad?
Of course there are the terms 'good diet' and 'bad diet'. As is known, there are people who choose food carefully and eat healthy foods, on the other hand there are also those who like to eat fast food and soda. If you want to lose weight, then you are on a diet. When viewed in general, diet to lose weight is certainly very good. But it depends on how it is applied so that it can support weight loss.
If you can consistently run a diet to lose weight with a balanced menu and refer to healthy weight loss, of course the diet can be categorized as a 'good diet'. However, if you have an unbalanced diet, you don't follow every rule in the diet, and have very low calories with the aim of losing weight fast, then this diet can be said to be in the category of 'bad diet'.
The best diet is the diet that suits you
The benchmark for a successful diet is the concept you can live every day. The diet must provide the nutrients needed by the body. The diet should also consist of foods you like so you can enjoy them. The diet you choose must also match your lifestyle. The diet pattern can still be applied during holidays. In my opinion, the easiest way to start a diet is to look at the basic principles first, then choose the one that suits your diet until you finally find a fit and find a way to apply it every day.
Designing a Healthy Diet From Scratch
In my opinion, compiling a menu is the same as building a house. You start off with a solid foundation, a mutually supportive structure, then add personal details as a finishing touch that will give the impression that the diet you're on describes you.
When you build a house from scratch, you will of course design a budget. You know how much it will cost to build it, to how long it will take for the house to be completed. The same thing when you design a diet. The first thing you need to know is how many calories are needed to support daily activities. The calories needed by each individual are certainly different, this is determined by body composition and daily activity. You can't plan what to eat on a menu until you have an idea of how many calories you need each day to support your goals. Whether the target is to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight.
Now, just like your home, your diet also needs a solid foundation. Ideally, the core of your diet should consist of protein, healthy carbohydrates (from vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and grains), and healthy fats.
Most healthy people have the same daily dietary guidelines, they even use the 'raw ingredients' to build a real diet structure. The next development step is to create a separator, such as a house that has a different room but is still taken into account because it supports the structure of the house. So when designing a diet, you need to do the same. Your goal is to separate calories from food sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fat according to your needs.
In most cases, half the calories come from carbohydrates. The other half, or even less than half, is divided between protein and fat. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats that you eat contain vitamins and minerals needed by the body, and support the structure of your diet to be more balanced, just like the walls in the house.
Personalize Your Diet For Long Term Success
Now the fun part. Once the basic structure is established, you need to decorate your home and adapt it to your personality. The same goes for your diet. Personalize your diet by choosing the type of food you like, adjust it to your lifestyle, and of course the cost. Make sure everything matches the nutritional targets you want to achieve.
Personalization is the key to success. For example, kale is very popular today. But if kale makes you choke when consumed, you should choose other green vegetables instead. There is nothing special about kale, which actually contains the same nutrients as other leafy greens. What matters is the overall quality of the menu. With so many healthy food choices, there is no reason to lack healthy foods to choose from.
Your house will certainly not be 'good' if you feel uncomfortable every time you step into the house, because the house does not reflect who you are. It's the same with a 'good' diet. Diets are good for you because they meet your nutritional needs and you feel happier when you eat them. Once you feel comfortable with what you eat, indirectly your weight will adjust accordingly.