alissa| My Online Diary,♥

Friday 14 March 2014

Healthy, not thin

WHEN people go on a diet, the reason is always to lose weight. They seldom think about whether the diet they choose will also result in making them healthy. They will look for diet plans that promise quick results, as it is easier. Unfortunately, many of them are unhealthy as they over-emphasise only one type of food and exclude others. Over time, this can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Sime Darby Healthcare Dietetics and Food Services manager Nurul Aziah Musa says most people do not understand the impact of choosing the wrong diet. While you will lose weight, in the long run, this will affect your health.
For example, the long-term practice of high protein low carbohydrate diet, which is very popular currently, has been found to cause a number of health problems such as kidney failure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, kidney stones, cancer and unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis).

“That is the reason doctors and dietitians do not approve of such an extreme diet. Of course in the short term, you will lose weight. But if you continue on the diet plan, you will face health issues as your body is not getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy.

“Diet should always about losing weight and being healthy. You cannot only focus on one without the other. Even when someone is thin, it does not mean that he or she is healthy.”

She says before a person goes on a diet, he or she needs to understand calories — what is it, where does it come from and how much is needed in a day. The calories you need is based on your age, gender, weight and height— once you know these details you are able to know how much calories you need to lose in a day.

In order to lose 0.5 to 1kg in a week, a person need to cut 500 calories a day. This can be achieved by changing habits. For example, one teaspoon of oil has 45 calories, so reduce to about 10 teaspoons in a day and you have reduced your intake by 500 calories, says Nurul Aziah.

“If you do this constantly, with exercise, you will lose weight. It is easy and simple. When you go on a diet, it does not mean you have to avoid all foods. You still can have nasi lemak or fast food. We never say you can’t have oil, salt or sugar in your diet. But know your limitations, don’t eat it every day. The key word here is eat in moderation and control your impulses to overeat. Then, get involved in physical activities.”

“Of course if you have health problems like hypertension or diabetes, your diet will have to be different. Also, you need to change your diet as you age. Because your metabolic rate decreases as you get older, you can’t be eating the way you did when you were younger.”

THERE IS ONLY GOOD AND BAD DIET

She says some people turn to fad diets because they get frustrated when they are not losing weight— even after eating right and doing exercise.

“You should not give up. You may not lose weight but when you do a body fat assessment, you will find the percentage has reduced because the fat has turned into muscle. That is what we want and when you don’t have excessive body fat anymore, it means you are healthy.”

Nurul Aziah says the best advice when it comes to choosing what to eat is to follow the food pyramid. From that, you will know which type of food that you need to eat more and which you need less.

“We need carbohydrate, protein, fats, fruits and vegetables in our diet. Some people who are on high protein diet, they don’t eat vegetables and fruits at all. Unless they are taking supplements, where will they be getting the vitamins their body need?

“There is no good or bad food. There is only good or bad diet. A good diet is balanced meals and exercise which will result in you losing weight and becoming healthy. A bad diet is one promising quick results and yet causes you health problems later. Weight management is about controlling your eating habit and exercise. So empower yourself with the right knowledge, and you will achieve your desired results.”

A balanced meal should have servings of protein, carbohydrate, vegetables and fruits.