HEALTHY EATING PLAN COMPARISON
Introduction
With the current increase in prevalence of diseases associated with eating habits such as diabetes, obesity, carcinomas and other cardiovascular diseases then it is crucial to make an eating plan (Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. 2011). This will help you organize your eating, nullify bad eating habits and be mindful of the consequences of your eating habits. This will help you balance between good health needs and eating habits of your preferences. Learning about dietetics and nutrition helps a great deal to create awareness of the need to rectify your eating habits and replace them with good ones either to lose weight or maintain health by avoiding diseases. Assessing your physical activities and also your dietary intake will also provide information about weight gain and loss helping one to balance the two (Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. 2011). This paper does a critical analysis of the changes which have been realized on gaining knowledge concerning good eating habits after assessment and the considerations which are crucial during making of meal choices in eating plans in a bid to enhance good eating habits and prevent eating disorders.
Changes which have been realized from responses to week one questions
With the knowledge concerning planning on what you intend to eat and the intent behind it, I have realized the importance of taking small meals within short intervals of about 2-3 hours. This is so because it prevents the accumulation of fats particularly those with cholesterol and also keeps the catabolic and anabolic processing activities continuum. I have also learnt to take caution on my habits of excising and the amount of fat I eat to prevent its accumulation through increased calories intake.
Previously I preferred eating a lot of fatty foods such as bacon, beef and sausages among other junk foods avoiding my lunch dinner. This has however changed on realizing that these kinds of foods have deleterious effects to once health. These eating habits are also evident by the aftermath effects which I am now coping with such as disfigured body shape and augmented body weight. This has also helped me to appreciate the value of exercise which I previously never used to do or even take them gravely. I have also changed my opinions of losing weight with the prancing of meals rather I have learnt to limit my daily calorie intake gradually to prevent fat accumulation in the body. I have also realized it is healthy to take a balanced diet consisting of foods such complex carbohydrates which have low levels of trans fats, increase intake in fiber and green leafy vegetables contrary to the junk I used to eat. This I know is not only healthy but provides a balanced diet evading common eating disorders. I have also adapted the eating of breakfasts that are 50/50 shaken on the concentration of fat and that of protein.
A few minutes before I sleep I take a lot of water and skimmed milk powder to help in muscle recovery. This does not contain fat but ensures that my muscles are not wasted and replaced with fat which could effectively lead to complications such as cholestasis and arthritis. However I ensure that I take oleic acid containing foods such as almonds. Frequent assessment on my weight has shown significant decline with only the use of exercise and a good diet plan other than using medication for weight loss which cause deleterious effects.
I have also concentrated my focus on the calories I take and how I take them to ensure I lose weight effectively without affecting my health status. I take 3.5 ounces of whole grain; I have improved on my vegetable and fruit intake being more cautious on the kind of fat they contain and the amount. This has led my calorie intake to reduce to 290, intensified physical exercise through engaging in activities which are vigorous hence maximize on metabolism and energy loss. This will help to dispose off the calories intake other than depositing then as adipose layer increasing the body weight (Healthy eating plan, 2011).
Changes on the kind of food I eat, how I eat it and what I do after eating determines my weight thus I have been more cautious to observe these as instructed. Concentrating much on packaged foods has been replaced with foods which are organic since they do not contain fortified fats. This has resulted to my loss of at least 100 pounds since I put these points in consideration which I intend to consistently lose to reach the required body mass index. On reaching this BMI I will consistently take about 300 calories to retain that weight constantly.
Considerations I am more aware of when making food choices
In making this efficient plan of eating I have put several factors in considerations so that these inferences can be made. First is the nutritional adequacy based on the intention of eating such as to be healthy, reduce weight based on the needs of a given gender. This has helped me to change to eat only foods which are palatable and nutritious.
The food budget which requires adjustments so that a change from the usual junk to selected few foods can be incorporated. This requirement however has favored me since most if not all cases the organic foods which are my preference are much cheaper compared to packaged foods. Further the budget must rhyme with my likes and dislikes so that it can be accommodating.
The contents of some foods is also a major considerations, this is because foods such as those containing a lot of cholesterol and high concentration of trans foods are linked with diseases such as kidney stones and congestive heart failure hence not healthy to intake. Foods such as almonds and avocado which contain omega fats are healthy and should be eaten to prevent cardiovascular diseases and enhance muscle recovery.
The issue of physical exercise is also crucial since it determines the amount of energy outlet on in taking foods. It helps in wasting away the calories in taken in foods other than depositing it as fat in the adipose layer hence increasing etiology for diseases such as obesity. This has also been researched extensively to be a safe way of losing weight. It is also essential in maintaining a steady body weight without fluctuations which is a major cause of stretch marks. Making choices of foods with high fat concentration will demand much exercise to cut down the extra calories (Healthy eating plan, 2011).
A calorie is a measure of energy contained in different foods and the amount determines the food energy giving potential. Junk for instance have many calories compared to organic foods hence less preferred in healthy eating plans. The calories content in every food must be carefully noted since they give a clue on the trend of intake and the consequence of food intakes. They determine weight gain, loss and also maintenance of appropriate BMI (Healthy eating plan, 2011).
Conclusion
Knowledge concerning eating and its health effects are essential for curbing the current trends of eating disorders. This is because they instill knowledge on reason for eating, what you are eating and what the impacts of what you have eaten are. This knowledge has effectively helped me to eat less but more frequently minding the calorie gain. Eating junk food less often and also appreciating the benefits of organic foods other than packaged foods has been realized. This knowledge has helped me prevent diseases and live an active life where health is precedent. With the knowledge to make food choices, care in knowing their composition, calorie level and nutritional adequacy is now considered for health maintenance. This helps us to eat to live but not live to eat.
References
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. (2011). My pyramid tracker. Retrieved on 16th April 2011 from; http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/
Healthy Eating Plan notes (2011).
