What foods should you eat when you diet?
The most important part of a weight-reducing diet is caloric restriction. The number of calories that you eat must be less than what your body uses. The deficit in calories causes your body to burn your stored fat. The second requirement of a weight-reducing diet is adequate nutrition. Since you will be eating fewer calories, it is necessary to select foods that have all the essential nutrients needed for optimal health. The third requirement is to balance the proportions of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) to stimulate weight loss while achieving optimum nutrition.The most successful diets producing permanent weight loss limit carbohydrate intake to less than 60 grams per day (240 Calories) by eliminating starchy and sugary foods. This amount of carbohydrate is approximately 13% of a daily 1800-Calorie diet. The remaining Calories need to come from protein and fat, for example, 600 Calories (33%) from 150 g of protein, and 960 Calories (53%) from 107 g of fat. When counting grams of carbohydrate, subtract the grams of dietary fiber from the total grams of carbohydrate to obtain the grams of carbohydrate actually digested. Reduce from your diet the carbohydrates that can be converted to fat and excess dietary fats that contribute many calories with minimal nutrition. Some diets do not require counting calories, but emphasize eating high-protein foods with an adequate amount of fats, brightly colored, high-fiber, non-starchy vegetables or fruits, small amounts of whole grain products with a low glycemic index, and avoiding foods and drinks with refined sugars and starches.
