Weight changes come down to calories — no matter how you fill them — but cholesterol, blood sugars, blood pressure and overall health are affected by the quality of your diet.
You can lose weight eating fast food everyday, but internally, your body isn’t tolerating your diet as well. A healthy diet is composed of:
Lean proteins (including plant proteins such as beans, nuts and grains)
Whole grains
Plenty of vegetables
Whole fruits
Low fat dairy
Following MyPlate guidelines can help you build meals that are well balanced, nutritious and filling. Not every component is required at every meal, but consider the composition of your meals and try to use components that were missed at later meals or snacks.
Surveys show that most Americans eat a plethora of protein foods and grains, but are deficient on nutrient rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, dairy and oils.
More than half of the population is meeting or exceeding total grain and total protein food recommendations, but are not meeting the recommendations for seafood, legumes or beans, and whole grains.
Look at incorporating more of these foods into your meals to improve the quality of your diet.
What are effective diets for weight management?
MyPlate, the Mediterranean diet, and the DASH diet are the only scientifically proven eating patterns to be beneficial to overall health and all focus on similar ideas.
Fad diets such as ketogenic, cabbage soup, paleo and zone diet may be beneficial to weight loss — due to calorie restriction — but there is no long-term evidence to suggest they are beneficial to overall health. And these diets are often very restrictive and hard to stick to, meaning the results won't last.
Life is about enjoying it, and that means having some cake without breaking your diet. All foods can be incorporated into a healthy diet.
What diet is right for me?
The biggest thing you can do for your overall health is start making changes whether that’s eating less, skipping dessert more often or incorporating more exercise.
Some starters that may help are:
Use calorie trackers to actually see your intake — and show to your medical provider
Pick more vegetables and less grains or proteins
Start an exercise program — at least 150 minutes/week is recommended
If you would like medical guidance for choosing the right diet and managing weight loss, request an appointment with our providers today.