The wisdom of diet: Balanced nutrition and the right choice of staple foods

How to maintain a balanced diet

I've heard that vegetables and fruits are very low in calories, so my classmate only eats a lot of vegetables and fruits for all three meals. But I'm worried that if I don't eat rice and meat, will there be any side effects or adverse consequences?

Good Body Mailbox

Your classmate's weight loss method is very dangerous! It can lead to malnutrition and affect their health.

There are five essential nutrients that must be consumed in a regular diet: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, in particular, are the main sources of energy for the body. Insufficient intake will lead to lack of energy and stamina; excessive intake will be converted into fat, accumulate in the body, and cause obesity.

A healthy diet for weight loss should reduce the intake of sugars, fats, and proteins. The following three food groups are nutritious, low in calories, and ideal for people trying to lose weight.

(a) Carbohydrates:

Fruits: apples, grapefruits, citrus fruits, bananas, lemons, peaches, pineapples.

Vegetables: asparagus, beans, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, carrot, spinach.

Grains: rye bread, whole wheat bread, oats, brown rice, germ rice, wheat bran.

(II) Proteins:

Fish: salmon, sea bass, tuna, crucian carp.

Meat: Skinless chicken, lean pork, and lean lamb.

(III) Fat:

Vegetable oils such as olive oil, vegetable oil, and soybean salad oil.

This dietary guide should give you a clear understanding. A balanced diet is essential for a healthy body and a good physique!

Rice has many benefits

I've heard that a bowl of rice contains over 200 calories, which sparked a naive thought in me: could I skip rice and only eat other foods to supplement my calorie intake and speed up my weight loss journey to achieve my dream of becoming a slimmer person?

Good Body Mailbox

You absolutely mustn't have this idea in mind, because it's not only detrimental to weight loss, but it also prevents you from getting the necessary nutrients. You'll end up losing everything!

How so? Although rice is high in calories, it is the main source of energy for the day, not to mention that it is rich in nutrients. Not eating it will leave you with poor energy and nutritional imbalance.

Furthermore, rice is a very filling food; a bowl of rice can keep you full for four or five hours. But if you don't eat rice and only eat vegetables and fruits, your stomach might start growling again after an hour, and you'll definitely look for more food to fill your stomach. In this way, you might consume more calories than if you had eaten a bowl of rice, but you wouldn't get the same amount of nutrients, which is actually detrimental to weight loss. Isn't that a double loss?

Eat only until you are 70% full

How much of an empty stomach is enough? I've always had this deeply ingrained belief that I'm full when there's no room left in my stomach! However, this often makes me feel unwell and hinders my work performance. More importantly, it's causing my waistline to expand... So, what does it mean to truly be full?

Good Body Mailbox

Here's a piece of honest advice: eat until you're about 70% full, as this will help your body maintain a better state.

From a beauty perspective, eating only until you are 70% full can not only control your food intake, preventing you from gaining weight due to overeating, but also prevent you from feeling bloated and causing stomach discomfort.

However, if you're someone eager to lose weight and think that eating until you're 70% full is too much, and you only eat until you're 40% full, you might have to find something else to eat two hours later, which is counterproductive. But eating until you're 70% full won't cause you this problem. It will make you feel hungry half an hour before your next meal, so you won't need to eat anything extra.

Therefore, try eating until you are 70% full, which is good for your health and helps you lose weight in a reasonable way.

I won't eat unless I'm hungry

Does everyone have to eat three meals a day? Don't be surprised why I'm asking this. It's not that I want to eat four or five meals, but sometimes I feel like I'm not hungry at all, but it's mealtime, forcing me to eat. After eating, I feel bloated.

How should we eat to determine the proper way to eat? Should we look at the time of day or our stomach's reaction?

Good Body Mailbox

Why force yourself to eat? If you're really not hungry, of course you don't have to eat!

Some people believe that it is essential to eat three meals a day at regular times, otherwise it will harm one's health. In fact, this idea is incorrect.

In fact, forcing food into your stomach when it is already full will undoubtedly increase the workload of your stomach, which is certainly not good for its function.

Furthermore, if you add more calories into your body before you've completely burned off the calories you already have, these calories will be converted into fat and stored in your body if they can't be burned off. This is the main reason for weight gain.

In short, skipping a meal won't have a significant impact on your health, but overeating can have many negative effects. It's important to adjust your eating habits appropriately and avoid rigid, unhealthy eating patterns.

Therefore, never force yourself to eat; skipping a meal is fine. However, remember that you should never try to lose weight by starving yourself, as this can be extremely harmful to your health.