It is nearly impossible to keep up with all the various diets that come in and out of the spotlight every month, and with the emergence of numerous social media healthy eating ‘experts’, it can be difficult to distinguish between an authentic informed nutritional advice and fad diets. This article from India’s leading Nutritionist Avni Kaul focuses on questions you must ask before embarking on any diet plan to help you determine if it will be effective and, most essentially, safe for you.
Is it Going to Provide you with Sufficient kcalories (kcals)?
An average daily requirement for a moderately active adult is 2,500 kcals for men and 2,000 kcals for women but while dieting, one will need to reduce the energy intake in order to burn off more than one consumes.
Nutritionist Avni Kaul says a general guide is to aim for a fat loss of 0.5 kg /week. To achieve this, it is suggested that you create a deficit of 500 calories each day from your normal eating plan. The ideal way to start is to keep a food journal so you understand exactly how much, what and when you are eating and drinking.
Identify where you can reduce excess or empty calories, and focus instead on making your meals nutrient-rich by including leafy greens like spinach, fenugreek, etc. as well as whole grains like whole wheat, barley, bajra and amaranth along with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Swapping sugar-sweetened or alcoholic drinks for a low-calorie option like Nimbu Pani, Nariyal Pani is a good alternative to cut back on calories without feeling hungry.
Children, teenagers and pregnant women have separate calorie requirements, and therefore must be supervised by a qualified nutritionist when embarking on any eating plan. Likewise, those with a diagnosed medical condition must also refer to their Dietician before commencing a weight loss plan.
Is it Balanced and Sustainable?
Diets that motivates reducing or severely restricting entire food groups or macronutrients such as carbohydrates are likely to be unbalanced and hard to maintain. Any diet that promotes eating one type of food like the cabbage soup diet could also put you at risk of nutritional deficiencies. Get professional advice from a qualified nutritionist on eating a balanced diet to get an idea of what your body needs depending on whether you are male, female, vegetarian, non-vegetarian or vegan.
Are you able to stick to the plan for a longer duration? What happens when the diet period is finished, or you reach your goal? Managing a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet is something that one needs to fit into their lifestyle permanently. If you revert to your old eating habits, you are likely to gain the weight again. Can you make your chosen pattern of eating fit around your commitments? If you eat out or travel a lot for your profession, try to plan in advance how you can work around these. If a plan is too rigorous and restrictive you will have a difficult time following it in the long-term.
Is Your Goal Realistic?
Diets that promise dramatic weight loss is unlikely to deliver the results you are chasing, and even if they do, they probably would not be desirable. As a general guide, between half to 1 kg loss, a week is considered a safe amount of weight loss each week. It is also essential to aim for a suitable goal weight.
Even if you lose weight slowly, you do not want to risk losing too much and becoming underweight. Every qualified nutritionist or a Dietician offers an easy-to-understand tool to calculate your BMI which should be used when planning a weight loss. Weight loss should be about fat loss and not losing muscle mass.
Is it Scientifically Good?
This is the toughest question to answer. Looking into the background and qualifications of an individual behind the diet could give you some indication of its legitimacy, but sometimes the answer is not that simple.
Even plans developed by trained medical practitioners are not foolproof. Atkins for instance was formulated by an American Cardiologist, yet it got a huge amount of criticism and still does. If you want guidance and reassurance that you’re following a well-balanced diet, you should seek the help of a professional dietitian/ nutritionist.
Finally, is it Safe?
Simply because a celebrity, friend, or family member has had success with a specific diet does not mean that it is the correct plan for you too. It is always advisable to see a nutritionist before starting a weight loss plan, but more so important for those with existing medical conditions, and that includes any history of eating disorders.
** This article has been written by team Nutri Activania**
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