KARACHI:
Eating a balanced diet is essential to ensure that the metabolic process of our body is able to function properly. Our body requires sufficient amounts of nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. But consuming too much or too little can be harmful. So, keeping a balance is a key to help maintain a healthy metabolic system that also controls weight and overall health. We need to encourage ourselves and provide incentives so as to psychologically set a proper diet that we are comfortable with.
Our body weight depends on the amounts of calories consumed, therefore we need to roughly calculate how much our body exerts during the day and create a tailor-made diet according to our specific lifestyle. Usually, those leading a passive lifestyle only use up 25% of the total calories they consume which means that 3/4 of their dietary calories are stored as fat. Such people should limit their intake of fats and sodium, and instead use unsaturated fats as an alternative. It is also important for parents and caregivers to understand that children and elderly people may need a little bit more protein and calcium for growth, maintenance or repairing.
Pleasure and variety too are important. Fatty and sweet foods are usually the most delicious and can be part of your diet if eaten in moderation. Sticking to a strict diet regime can at times be tough, so an occasional cheat day does no harm. At all stages and conditions of life, we need a balanced diet that can be adapted while following the basic principles of nutrition.
Syuhada Nordin
Malaysia
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11h, 2021.
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