Whether you are dieting to lose weight or simply to get healthier, the type, amount and ratios of foods you put into your body can make the difference between a healthy, effective diet and an unhealthy food plan that will leave you worse off than when you started. Understanding the principles behind healthy eating makes any diet work better, and eating wisely can boost your energy levels, keep you healthier and improve the way you look.
Calories
Dieters should try to balance calorie intake and calorie expenditure to lose weight, according to the University of California at Berkeley. Because it takes 3,500 calories to gain or lose a pound, an excess of 500 calories every day for a week would result in a one-pound gain while reducing calorie intake by 500 calories a day would yield a one-pound loss. According to website BMI Calculator, women should not go below 1,200 calories a day, and men should consume no less than 1,800 calories a day to stay healthy.
Food Combinations and Whole Foods
Eating different types of foods together may be healthier than eating a single food at a time. For example, beans and rice each provide different amino acids, and eating them together is considered a complete protein, explains Helpguide.org. In addition, nutrients gained from whole foods are usually more effective in the body than those taken using vitamins or supplements.
Components
The amount of specific types of food you eat while dieting affects how you feel and how effectively you lose weight. A high-fiber intake can help dieters feel full and help move food through the digestive tract more efficiently. The recommended daily intake of fiber is 20 to 30 grams a day, with a combination of both insoluble and soluble fiber included in this total.
Ratios
The ratios of foods and food groups within the diet may be just as important as the specific foods you choose for a diet. Food pyramids are a good guide for determining the proper ratios of healthy foods in the diet, explains MayoClinic.com. The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is one option, which emphasizes fruits and vegetables at its base. Other variants include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid, the Vegetarian Pyramid, the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and the Latin American Diet Pyramid. Food pyramids also provide a visual guide of what food choices are most and least important.
Preparation
The method of preparing food can also affect health and weight loss. Eating a large amount of fried foods, especially deep-fried foods, can lead to weight gain and may be unhealthy even when the ingredients are normally healthy foods because fried foods soak up a lot of fat and calories in the cooking process. Steamed, baked, boiled and roasted foods are generally healthier. However, dieters should also watch the sauces and condiments they take in along with their food because even tiny amounts can add calories, fat, salt and sugar to an otherwise healthy dish.
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