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| Eating a Smart Diet | ||
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Almost every woman has at some time gone on a diet to lose weight. When we talk
of diet, we usually think of an effort to lose weight. However, our diet not
only affects our weight, but also, of even greater importance, diet has a
direct effect on our health and longevity. What we eat plays a major part in
our health status. In the United States, heart disease and cancer account for
the most deaths, and diet plays a significant role in their development.
Women are now becoming diet activists not simply to lose weight but to improve
their health status. Diet is now considered a powerful tool in fitness and
preventive health, reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and
other serious diseases. Diet and disease are linked. The first step we need to
take is to identify how we need to change our diet to promote a healthier
lifestyle.
Dietary fat has been identified as a risk factor for many diseases and is often
the culprit for much unwanted weight. Sugar has gotten the blame for years even
though fat was more of a common denominator–not only for weight increases but for many diseases. Therefore, a smart diet is
monitoring what we eat in order to have a healthier life, and, in the meantime,
losing unwanted pounds. Findings regarding dietary fat include:
Dietary fat has the ability to increase the level of the hormone estrogen, which
hasproven to stimulate some tumors.
Dietary fat has been linked to higher cholesterol which can lead to
cardiovascular disease.
Dietary fat has more calories than other nutrients (proteins and carbohydrates).
Smart dieting recognizes that it is wise to lower anything that has the
potential to promote disease and increase weight. Fat consumption can be
monitored. How? We learn how to count fat calories. Then we learn to substitute
healthful fats–mono and polyunsaturated fats–such as safflower, sunflower, canola and olive oils, in place of saturated fats
such as animal, coconut and palm oils which cause an elevated cholesterol
level.
Learn to:
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To determine how many fat calories you can eat, divide the number of calories a
day by four (25 percent) or by five (20 percent). 2,000 calories a day divided
by 4 = 500 calories a day from fat. Then divide the 500 calories from fat by 9
to get grams of fat you can eat per day. 500 divided by 9 = 55 grams of fat per
day.
If you wish to lose weight, you may reduce your number of grams to a lower
number but do not go on a totally fat-fee diet; this is not healthy. Between 15
and 25 percent of daily calories should come from dietary fat. Essential
vitamins needed daily are found in dietary fat.
Age/Weight Fat Budget
Age: 25 - 50
Age: 51 & up
Now that you have determined the number of fat grams you can eat a day, find
yourself a fat gram chart, select the foods you enjoy and eat a balanced diet
that does not leave you feeling hungry or deprived.
Hints that prove helpful in this eating style:
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