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Diet Terms

Mar 28, 2011 | By Casey Holley

If you are new to the world of dieting, you may come across some unfamiliar terms as you search for the diet that is most appropriate for you. In order to find the best diet and follow it like you should, you must understand at least the basic diet terms you will encounter.

Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is one that contains foods from each of the five major food groups that provide all, or most, of the nutrients you need for your body to function as it should. Your food choices should come from low-calorie options in the dairy, fruit, vegetable, grain and protein groups. In addition, a balanced diet should contain a small amount of fat in the form of healthy oils like sunflower oil and no more than 2,300 mg of salt.

Fad or Crash Diet

A fad or crash diet is one that isn't balanced. Generally, these diets promise rapid weight loss because the caloric allowance is below the safe minimum of 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men. Fad or crash diets don't promote healthy eating habits and often cause the dieter to fall into a weight loss, weight gain diet often referred to as yo-yo dieting, which can lead to a slower metabolism and other health problems like organ failure.

Body Mass Index

Your body mass index is an estimate of your body fat based on your weight and height. The higher your BMI is, the more likely you are to suffer from obesity-related conditions. Any BMI less than 18.5 is underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy, 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight and anything 30.0 or higher is obese. For athletes and the elderly, the BMI chart may not be a suitable tool to determine body fat composition due to muscle variation. In this case, hip-to-waist ratio or underwater weighing may be better options.

Calorie

When speaking of calories in a diet, the term calorie refers to how much energy your body gets from the diet. Generally, calories are broken down into two sub-groups: nutrient-dense calories and empty calories. A nutrient-dense calorie is one that provides a significant amount of nutrition, such as those in whole grains or vegetables. An empty calorie is one that doesn't contain a significant amount of nutrition, such as those in soft drinks or candy.

Calorie Deficit

When you are trying to lose weight, you must have a calorie deficit. This means that you use more calories each day than you eat. If you have a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories for a total of a 3,500 calorie deficit for the week, you can expect to lose 1 lb. In order to achieve a calorie deficit, you have to reduce the number of calories you eat, increase the number of calories you use while physically active, or a combination of the two.

Plateau

At some point during your weight-loss journey, you may find that you stop losing weight or that your weight loss slows down significantly even though you are still following your diet and exercise program. This is called a weight-loss plateau. When you notice this, it is time to fine tune your diet and exercise program by cutting more calories from your diet or exercising a little more. In some cases, you may be able to simply change the foods you eat daily without having to alter your caloric intake or exercise. For example, if you eat a chicken salad without dressing for dinner every night, try choosing different dinner options to see if that gets you off the weight-loss plateau.

Obesity-Related Condition

An obesity-related condition is any medical condition that can be brought on by being obese; however, most obesity-related conditions have other causes as well. Some common obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, infertility and heartburn. In most cases, losing some weight -- even if you don't reach the healthy weight range -- can help to reduce the risk of developing these conditions.

References

Article reviewed by Contributing Writer Last updated on: Mar 28, 2011

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