Do you think there is a perfect diet? Is it actually suggestable to follow a single diet all your life?
It is a long-lasting debate on what is the diet that best suits you.
Conventionally, a diet is simply what you eat. But over time, the connotation to this word has developed to indicate, “limiting your current food intake to lose weight.”
Everyone believes that a perfect diet is the one that not only fulfills your nutritional requirements but also is an active catalyst for helping you maintain an ideal weight according to your BMI and height.
But given the perfectionist methodology of doing things these days, makes us wonder what could be the best diet out there? The perfect diet is undoubtedly out there, but not precisely in the way you think.
We cannot deduce on one ideal diet that works for every single person in this world. That is quite impossible. Each and every person has a different inclination towards nutritional necessities to keep themselves healthy. A lot of these diets out there will only help you sustain you or keep you living.
But this does not make it right for you in the long term. Perfect food intake should not only preserve your life but also help you grow. It must give you the best potential consumption of nutrients to enable your body to be as wholesome as it can be.
Why Different Diets?
Your diet always depends on where you live, what lifestyle you choose and what your body type is. Majorly, the division is on the basis of your geographical area and the body type.
Geographical Area
The geographical area that you belong to not only determines the climatic conditions for your body but also derives a cultural aspect to your eating habits.
For example, eating meat in a warm and humid climate like most of India would result in being pretty dangerous during the time before ice houses and refrigerators existed.
If it was about the consumption of freshly killed animals whether large or small, it should be eaten pretty soon, as any of the leftovers would go rotten in a matter of few hours. Hence, we find many people who prefer to get their proteins from sources like lentils.
Now, this doesn’t mean that it’s hard to be vegetarian in Siberia or Northern Canada, although the carbon footprint might be moderately immense.
While a whole lot of invaders from the north when they came towards the south, may have had a tough course to keep abreast their dietary inclinations in the heat of the Indian plains during the British rule, currently it is not as challenging as before to be a “non-vegetarian” anymore.
Body Type
There are generally three categories of body types also known as somatotypes – ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.
Quite a few bodies fall utterly into one of the three given divisions. People are usually a mix of these characteristics of body types. Moreover, many years of exercise and proper nutrition can change the outer look of one’s body.
Ectomorphs
Ectomorphs are leaner individuals identified by petite bone formations and more muscular limbs — for example, a typical endurance athlete. Their body structures are dominant with thyroid and SNS either with a higher yield or more profound sensitivity to catecholamines like epinephrine and norepinephrine.
This profile is also connected to a quickly metabolic rate and higher carbohydrate toleration. Simultaneously, with a moderate protein and lower fat consumption, this group of people usually succeed best in their health with more carbs in the menu.
The nutrient distribution best for this body type might be nearly 25% protein, 55% carbs, and 20% fat. This is just an approximated information which might vary a little from person to person. Just consider “higher carbs and lower fat.”
Mesomorphs
The second category, Mesomorphs, have an intermediate sized bone structure and quite an athletic body. When they’re active, they usually beget a substantial measure of muscular mass.
Mesomorphs are dominant with testosterone and growth hormones. Thus, their profile leads to a preference for muscle increase and the continuance of a lower body fat rate.
Mesomorphs generally act healthiest on a mixed kind of diet, that consists of a balance between proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. The macronutrient division of 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% fat works well for this body type.
Endomorphs
Endomorphs have a more massive bone structure with larger quantities of total fat mass and body mass. Powerlifters and Football linemen frequently are endomorphs. These people tend to be typically less active when compared to other types.
With near constant movement, ectomorphs manage to burn off excess calories while in endomorphs, excess calories do not seem to cause that same rise in outgo. Hence, it means that excess calories have a stronger possibility to be stored as lipid or fat in the body.
This characterization leads to a higher competence to store energy, that includes both lean mass and fat mass. Lower carbohydrate tolerance is also a result of the same. For this body type, the nutrient distribution can be around 35% protein, 25% carbs, and 40% fat.
Once again, it has to be kept mind that this is an estimated figure, and no math stunts are to be performed to attain the number. Higher fats and protein, lower carbs is what defines the best diet for such a body type.
What Are The Different Types Of Food Varieties To Include In Your Diet
In a general sense, there are five different food varieties available at every geographical area. These foods are not only abundant in the nutrients when had in proper proportions, but they also provide an overall structure to the diet they fit into.
If you are still confused about which diet to pick for yourself, the following section can give a better understanding to choose one.
Preferably, instead of one universal diet, there is a collection of principles that help determine what food is ideal for your body.
Nutrient-rich Menu
There is a food group philosophy that drives the choices of food in one’s diet. This is on the basis of food types be it dairy, meat, legumes, etc.
Moving away from this food group philosophy and going towards a nutrient philosophy is proven helpful, consuming all the nutrients – proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
One need not explicitly consume meat and its alternatives, milk and its alternatives, or grain products. Most of these nutrient suggestions are on the basis of making sure that the body gets a sufficient amount of nutrients.
Recommended daily intake (RDI) does not concentrate on rendering optimal nourishment. It also throws lesser light on how to advance the prevailing status of your health.
It is essential to reach the minimum RDI for each nutrient through your diet. Pick foods that are abundant in minerals and vitamins.
Foods are usually the most nutrient-dense if they are fresh. So make sure you choose fresh as frequently as possible. Consult with a dietician to ascertain if there are any nutrients you will benefit from if consumed in higher amounts.
A Balance In Blood Sugar Level
Evaluate your insulin and blood sugar levels regularly because of its connection to other hormones of the body. Insulin is a hormone that is used for fat storage. When it gets too high, you end up storing fat.
Eating carbohydrates in moderation is essential for hormonal balance. The percentage of calories from carbs is far too high for many people. Eating protein or fat with carbs is another way to slow the release of sugar. This can support to prevent insulin needles.
Provide Food Security
Your diet should be readily available and financially feasible. You may overlook the ability to purchase food. Not everyone has the choice to eat food regularly.
Contribute to food systems that help those who go hungry. Everyone deserves to eat healthy food. Our policy can change if there’s enough order for it.
Affordable
Eat the highest-quality food that you can spend without going broke with your bank balance. Put a higher proportion of income for better-quality food to invest in your good health. You will decrease the value of money needed to treat chronic conditions down the line.
Be Low In Processed Foods
Food products and processed food is a combination of foods and chemicals that have been subjected to some processing to make them more palatable or accessible to eat. Countless studies point to health risks associated with a diet major in processed food.
However, eat real food. Food is something that comes naturally from the earth. It is not modified, altered or processed. Food can be grown or raised, like vegetables or animals, and is alive before consumption.
Contain Variety
If you want to eat a wide range of foods. Most people tend to get little variety by consuming the same kinds of cuisines all over the year. Change your diet every quarter and eat what’s for the season.
Opt for different types of fruits and vegetables that you see in an average grocery store. Shopping at many stores will open up your choices. It’s also easy to grow a few of your vegetables. Eat seeds that grow well in your area and add some variety to your diet plate.
Long-term Sustainability
A perfect diet will have a positive and sustainable environmental impact. It should keep nutrients back into the soil to keep it healthy for future living beings. There is a direct connection between the excellence of our health and our food.
Adequate Hydration
Water is an overlooked component when it comes to health. Making sure that your intake of fluids doesn’t dilute you so much that you are losing all the electrolytes in the body.
You also don’t need to drink so little of the water that your body is dehydrated. Find the right balance of water for your body based on outside temperature, activity level, and the sweat rate of your body consumption.
Fuel up Your Activity Levels
Eat to maintain a healthy body composition. Plan your calorie consumption based on the value of calorie burning. If you are not losing weight or gaining unwanted weight while trying to, you are consuming too many calories at once. On the other hand, if you are starting to lose weight when you aren’t trying to, your calorie intake is also too low.
A Balanced Social Component
Absence of social connection is a more significant forecast of illness than any specific food option on its own. When people go on a super-strict diet or follow quirky health with trending diet plans it leaves them with only a few food choices, their social connections suffer. Not advocating eating at almost every social engagement. If your diet is making you socially isolating, you’re on the wrong diet plan.
How to stick to a healthy diet?
1. Realistic Expectations
Eating a nutritious diet has many advantages, including potential weight loss. Setting a more achievable and realistic goal can keep you from getting discouraged and may even lead to more significant weight loss. Having realistic expectations will increase your opportunities for maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviors.
2. What Motivates You
Remembering why you’re making healthy options can help you stay on track. Make a note of specific reasons why you want to get healthier and fit can also be helpful. Keep this list and refer to it when you feel you need a reminder to stay on track. When you’re tempted to give in to unhealthy food behaviors, remembering what motivates you can help you stay on track.
3. Unhealthy Foods Out Of Sight
It’s challenging to eat healthy if junk foods surround you. If other family members want to have such kind of foods around, try keeping them hidden rather than on countertops. Keeping unhealthy foods out of eyesight, or at least out of sight, can increase your chances of staying on track.
4. Avoid The ‘all Or Nothing’ Approach
One common situation is that you have a few unhealthy appetizers at a party one day, and then decide that your diet is ruined for the day, and proceed to overindulge in unhealthy foods and unhealthy food habits. Instead of considering the day destroyed, try putting the past behind you and choose healthy, unprocessed foods that contain protein for the remainder at the party.
5. Healthy Snacks
Sticking to a healthy diet is difficult when you’re away from the house for an extended period. When you get too hungry when you are outside, you may grab whatever is handy which is unhealthy. Some examples of good, portable snacks are peanuts, almonds, and jerky. Also consider doing a filling a small cooler with hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt or cheese.
6. Exercise And Change Your Diet At The Same Time
You may have heard you shouldn’t adapt too many things at once when trying to get better with your health. In stock, this is good advice. Still, research proves that when you make both physical activity and dietary changes at the same time, the results tend to strengthen each other. Simultaneously beginning to changing the way you eat and exercise increases your chances of healthy lifestyle success.
Eating mindfully can help you in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Taking time to enjoy your food by its ability to nurture you. This increases your chances of making lasting behavioral and successful changes.
In a four-month study, overweight and obese women who practiced mindful eating significantly improved their relationship with food. Adopting an aware eating method can help you attain a better relationship with food and may reduce bad eating habits.
