Diet charts have proven to be an indispensable tool for health and fitness amateurs and veterans alike. You may have only just realized how big a toll your eating habits have taken on your mental health, or you have recently begun to ponder the idea of hitting the gym for weight loss and getting in shape. Irrespective of your health and fitness goals, a diet chart can do you wonders.
The importance of a healthy diet cannot be emphasized enough, especially in this chaotic age of speed and urgency. It is unbelievably common to see people turn to junk food and other vices after having gone through a significant amount of stress.
If you are reading this, it means that you have decided to take a serious look at your eating habits and follow a balanced diet.
Understanding Weight Loss
At a fundamental level, weight loss and gain heavily depend on the consumption and burning of calories. Weight loss happens when you consume fewer calories than you burn.
To ensure consistent weight loss, you need to make sure that you consume within your calorie limit and burn a specified number of calories. You can use a calorie calculator to plan your weight loss systematically.
Of course, it is imperative to understand that you need to get your calories from a variety of healthy sources. After all, consuming junk foods within your calorie limit that are typically high-calorie foods and devoid of essential nutrients will lead to other health problems.
To ensure weight healthy weight loss, you ought to make sure you follow a balanced diet. This is where the need for a diet chart comes into play.
What makes a good Diet Chart?
The terms’ Diet chart’, ‘Diet plan,’ and so forth are often misunderstood. Contrary to popular belief, completely cutting out fats and carbohydrates and sticking to salads does not make for a viable diet chart for weight loss.
A diet chart comprises of a multitude of vital nutrients. Let us take a look at them.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a critical class of nutrients and are the body’s primary source of energy. Legitimate diet charts recommend that they constitute half of your daily calorie consumption. Keep in mind that you ought to select the right kinds of carbs.
Simple carbs like bread, biscuits, and white rice are known to contain too much sugar. However, complex carbs come with a significant amount of fiber and essential nutrients.
Complex carbs like Brown rice, millets such as Ragi, and Oats have proven to be one of the best options for weight control as they leave you feeling full for a reasonable amount of time.
Protein
Indian vegetarian diets generally do not contain enough protein. Proteins are one of the most important classes of nutrients, given how they help the body build and repair tissues, muscles, cartilage, and skin.
A high protein meal ought to have a permanent place on your diet chart, seeing how it helps you build muscles and burn calories, thereby accelerating the process of weight loss. Proteins should account for approximately 30% of your diet.
While meats like chicken, fish, beef, and so forth are generally known as the best sources of protein, vegetarians can get ample amounts of protein from lentils, cottage cheese, milk, moong dal, channa, and kidney beans.
Consuming the right amount of protein with each meal is instrumental in maintaining your health, which is why you ought to include proteins in your diet chart.
Fats
Often deemed harmful, fats are, in fact, an essential part of your diet chart. Fats provide energy and store vitamins.
Experts recommend that healthy fats constitute 20% of your diet.
Examples of healthy fats include polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and Omega-3 fatty acids.
It would behoove you to get your omega-3 fatty acids from foods instead of supplements. Eating non-fried oily fish twice a week that is high in Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) can significantly improve your health.
Minerals and Vitamins
Micronutrients like vitamins and minerals ought to be a part of your diet chart as they are known to support metabolism, nerve and muscle functions bone maintenance, energy production, and blood clotting.
The essential vitamins and minerals include Vitamin A, E, B12, D, Iron, and Calcium.
While meats like fish are known to be abundant in vitamins and minerals, vegetarians can draw their minerals and vitamins from nuts, oilseeds, fruits, and green leafy vegetables.
Healthy Habits
Unfortunately, a stellar diet chart alone will not get the job done. Healthy habits are just as instrumental in your weight loss as is your diet chart. Here are a few simple weight loss tips you can implement right from the get-go:
Drink Enough Water
Water has no calories and is to date, the best way to quench your thirst. Water boosts skin health and beauty, helps digestion and makes nutrients and minerals accessible to the different parts of your body.
Make sure you eat breakfast
Skipping breakfast will not aid weight loss. It will only ensure you miss out on essential nutrients. To make things worse, you are likely to snack on junk food throughout the day if you skip your breakfast.
Exercise
If your goal is weight loss, the best diet chart is only as effective as your exercise schedule. There is no substitute for exercise if you wish to lose weight. Be sure to commit to exercising every day.
Conclusion
While weight loss is no walk in the park, it is certainly within your grasp. You do not have to adopt a radical diet plan to see significant weight loss. In fact, a radical diet plan is very likely to burn you out sooner or later and it will not be too long before you resort to your old dietary habits. A better way to go about weight loss is to follow a legitimate diet chart and gradually incorporate healthy eating and fitness habits into your schedule.