Women's Health Articles

The weight loss diet and a good vitamin supplement will be a healthy change in lifestyle. The weight loss diet and a vitamin supplement should work for you long term and should significantly improve your overall health. This will eliminate fad diets and quick fixes. It won?t be an easy transition but it will work. The weight loss diet will make a priority out of getting in all the macro nutrients in their purest form and in accurate amounts for your age, gender and body weight. Whatever is lost in your diet intake will be covered by your vitamin supplement. The macro nutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fats. These are your most important energy sources that are each in their own way crucial to a completely healthy diet. Using language the lay person can understand we will break down the macro nutrients into what foods to eat, why choose certain foods over others, portion size, foods to avoid, and how to choose a vitamin supplement.

Currently, the big focus is on protein. Many popular diets these days are promoting high protein intake and not a well balanced diet. With plenty of variety available it will be easy to choose a protein that provides all of the essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are building blocks of protein that can only be obtained by ingesting them. Popular protein foods are; beef, pork, chicken, fish, dairy, and soy. You want to make smart choices when buying or ordering protein. That means choosing lean cuts of meat, avoiding skin on poultry, eating low fat dairy and choosing as much organic, free range, hormone free sources whenever possible. All of these options are available at health food stores and gourmet markets and are certainly worth the extra expense.

There are few ways to determine how much protein to take in. A simple and accurate tool to use is to have your portion of protein be about as large as the palm of your hand. This technique will be relative to your body size and avoids overindulging. In order to partake in the weight loss diet it is important to not only watch calories and portions, but also be picky about the quality of the protein you eat. Avoid over processed meats, too much whole milk dairy and make sure you are shopping at a store that is selling only the freshest protein foods.

Carbohydrates are our main source of energy. Carbohydrates are an important part of your weight loss diet. If you stick to whole foods, including plenty of raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains, you will be getting the best sources of carbohydrates and you may not need a vitamin supplement. Problems arise with carbohydrate intake when poor choices lead to carbohydrates containing too much sugar. Variety of carbohydrates is really important for complete intake of vitamins and minerals. No vitamin supplement is absorbed better than the actual food, so be sure to add several servings per day of fruits, veggies and grains. If you find that you are not enjoying enough of the fruits and veggies it is important to use a vitamin supplement. Remember that it is the refined foods loaded with sugar that cause you to increase body fat stores.

The recommended amount of carbohydrates in your diet can vary based on your activity level. It is safe to say that a diet with a carbohydrate intake between 40% to 70% of total calories should allow you to get adequate nutrients and help you maintain the weight loss diet. If possible keep sugar and alcohol intake to a minimum. Sugar is hidden everywhere and only adds empty calories to your total caloric intake.

Finally, lets talk fat. Fat is another essential macro nutrient that plays a key role in many metabolic processes in your body. Some ingested fat should be part of your weight loss diet. You need to eat fat to burn fat. So which fats are good fats? There are many great and delicious fats that offer essential nutritional value. Again you want variety so include as many of these as possible: nuts, olives, olive oil, and avocado. You also get healthy fats from fish, tofu, and nut butters. Although there are many readily available choices it is best to use fats in moderation as they are high in calories. Keep your fat intake to no more than 30% of your total caloric intake. This will give you the fat your body needs with out being excessive. Avoid the obvious; animal fats, junk food, and fast food. Be aware that when you eat out you have very little control over how much fat is used in food preparation, so ask to skimp on the fat when ordering.

It is a good idea to consider taking a vitamin supplement. A vitamin supplement will fill in the cracks that the diet may not provide. Make sure you get a reputable brand when buying a vitamin supplement, but don?t be fooled into buying something overpriced. A safe bet in a vitamin supplement is Centrum. You can get it just about anywhere, it is reasonably priced and will give you what you need.

The weight loss diet is part common sense and part discipline. Make smart choices in quality of the food you eat, be aware of portion size and avoid eating processed foods. If you think you are short on nutrients, take a vitamin supplement. If you follow this guideline there will still be room to cheat here and there but your overall health will benefit from your weight loss diet.