Your diet plays a large part in how healthy you are. Eating a diet that is too high in calories can cause overweight or obesity and can also put you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Focus on eating healthy foods to ensure you are getting the vitamins and minerals you need. Do not start any new diet plan without talking to your doctor first.
Number of Calories
To maintain your weight, you need to eat the same number of calories that your body expends each day. The number of calories that you use depends on your current weight, sex and activity level. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends simple mathematical formulas to figure out your caloric needs. A man should multiply his current weight in pounds by 13 if he is fairly sedentary, or by 15 if he is more active, and a woman should multiply her current weight in pounds by 10 if she is sedentary, or by 12 if she is more active. You may need more calories if you have a physically demanding job or if you work out strenuously. If you are overweight, you should eat fewer calories.
Vitamins and Minerals
Your body needs certain vitamins and minerals to function. These include vitamins A, D, E, K, C, the B vitamins, calcium and iron. The best way to get these nutrients is through your diet. Eat a varied diet that includes fortified whole grains, many different fruits and vegetables, lean sources of protein, heart-healthy fats and dairy products to get all the nutrients that you need each day. If you have concerns about your diet, or if you must avoid certain foods or food groups due to an intolerance or a lifestyle choice, talk to your doctor about taking a multivitamin.
Recommendations
According to MayoClinic.com, 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. These include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid sweetened or refined carbohydrates, such as white sugar, white flour and fruits cooked in sweet syrup. Ten to 35 percent of your calories should be from lean sources of protein, such as soy, fish, beans, lentils, eggs, dairy products and poultry. Eat red meat and other fatty sources of protein sparingly. Fat should make up no more than about 30 percent of your daily caloric intake and should come from heart-healthy sources, such as olive and canola oil, nuts, fatty fishes and avocados.
Things to Avoid
To make enough room in your diet for all the healthy foods you should be eating and to avoid weight gain, limit the amount of unhealthy food you consume. Avoid eating large amounts of sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Do this by choosing fresh foods over processed foods and by reading the labels of the processed foods that you do buy. Opt for low-fat and low-salt versions of convenience foods. Choose low-fat dairy products as well.
