Nutrition is a topic which has come into the press quite a lot recently. In fact upon viewing a specific diet programme with my own dearest father last week on the television, my intrigue grew further. The programme discussed a wide variety of different diets and the possible pros and cons of each of the separate theories. To me, someone who has always kept a very strict eye on my own diet and body shape, a lot of what was discussed was quite obvious and seemed very simple. However, the tweets that followed the programme and the enlightened luck on my fathers face after being now freshly educated on the different food groups really got me to thinking.
I am not writing this blog to preach about obesity in the UK and the costs associated with it but to discuss the nations knowledge of food in general.
There really are so many different types of diets; The Atkins Diet, The Paleo Diet, The 5:2 Diet and varying Juice Diets to name just a few. With so many options and so much contrasting and contradicting information, I am not at all surprised the public do not know what foods are the best to eat. Couple that with the costs of fresh, healthy foods constantly rising, the government face quite a tough task in lowering health related issues.
I personally, have been a victim of several fad diets, one particularly ridiculous one revolving around celery; but why?? Well mine personally, I am sad to admit, was for crimes of vanity. I had spent a lot of time in the gym trying to get myself physically fit and wasnt seeing the visual results I wanted, so took dieting to the extreme, not really paying much attention as to what effects it what having to overall well-being.
What happened to the classic 5 a day??
In my personal opinion, common sense must prevail.
A recent run of YouTube videos by Ultimate Performance has stated the importance of a balanced diet. He personally got very agitated at the use of buzz words and phrases such as clean eating and Bro foods which I must admit I do not really understand either. However his articles, are very informative and in my opinion very sensible. (warning there is some explicit language in these videos).
Without claiming to be the all knowing doctor of nutrition, I do feel that many diets do tend to go over the top when suggesting certain individual foods. The top and bottom of changing a body shape comes down to calorie intake. If you burn off more calories than you ingest then you will lose weight. The average male burning 2500 k/calories per day, while the average female burning 2000 k/calories per day. There are certain types of food which speed up this process and affect energy levels, but all in all a balanced meal with reasonable portion sizes will always be the best all round solution.
Below is a list of proteins, good carbohydrates and fat burning foodsto try and help.
Finally, a huge part of dieting comes down to preparation and commitment. Proper fuel, or food for your body is an investment into your own health. Obviously dependant on time, I would encourage people to do a daily shop to ensure we are eating fresh foods and avoid eating fast, less nutritious, ready meals. This will also reduce the amount of wastage connected with the weekly shop. By steering away from impulse buying, knowing what you are going to cook and a list of ingredients one will lower costs of food in general.
Remember, this is a long term investment into your own health, not a momentary fad.
