Healthy dieting involves reducing your caloric intake to lose about one pound of body fat per week, while continuing to taking in sufficient vitamins, minerals and other nutrients required for health. By making minor adjustments to your diet, eliminating foods high in calories and fat, and setting realistic weight loss and dieting goals, you can diet without risking your health.
Create a Plan
If your goal is to lose weight or body fat, you will need burn more calories each day than you consume. One pound of weight loss per week is a healthy goal, according to MayoClinic.com, which means you should reduce your caloric intake by 3,500 calories per week, or 500 calories per day, which is an amount equal to one pound of body fat. Consider your current diet and begin by removing unnecessary sources of calories, such as sugary snacks and beverages. Switch to low-fat dairy products, and stop eating as soon as you no longer feel hungry. In most cases, these changes are sufficient to cut 500 calories out of your daily diet.
Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods
Nutrient-dense foods are those foods that provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for little volume of food or for fewer calories than other foods. By including these foods in your diet, you can reduce the amount of calories you consume each day. Choose low-fat foods with no added sugars, and include plenty of vegetables, fruits, and lean protein sources in your daily diet. This will ensure you are taking in the recommended quantities of vitamins and minerals while limiting the number of calories you eat.
Fill Up on Fiber
In addition to relieving constipation, lowering cholesterol, and helping to prevent heart disease and diabetes, a high-fiber diet can assist in weight loss by preventing overeating and providing a feeling of fullness for longer periods after meals. High-fiber foods, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, also tend to be lower in calories than other foods for the same volume of food. For healthy dieting, eat oatmeal, bran flakes or other high-fiber foods for breakfast, snack on popcorn or whole-grain pretzels instead of cookies, and fill up on beans or vegetables at dinner.
Watch Portion Sizes
Understanding portion sizes is essential to developing and maintaining a healthy diet. It is likely you are eating multiple servings of each food at mealtimes, which means you may be doubling or tripling the amount of calories and fat you consume without even realizing it. Read product labels carefully to determine how many calories a portion contains, and plan your meals accordingly. The USDA recommends measuring your bowls, plates and cups to determine how much food each holds. It may be beneficial to purchase smaller bowls and plates to prevent overeating. Cutting meat into 3-oz. serving sizes before freezing and measuring servings of pasta, rice and vegetables before cooking may also be beneficial.
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