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Heaven Mazyck
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
9 March 2017
Beneficial Dieting
Ideas about what is healthy and what is not healthy are thrown around without really
knowing is right. Dieting is all about having a healthy balance of what is consumed to reach a
goal, not how many calories can be cut out. Unhealthy food consumption is exceptionally
common in America but also many Americans do not know exactly what a healthy diet should
be, especially when trying to lose weight. The body should not be malnourished. The first things
that come to the mind when healthy or diet is mentioned are all vegetables and no carbs.
Healthy dieting means consuming from all the different food groups in the right quantities,
cutting out what does not benefit the body, and knowing what benefits the body and pushes it
Nutritionists suggest eating a healthy meal in the right quantities, but no one really knows
what that means. According to nutritionist Rebecca Wood, author of The New Whole Foods
Encyclopedia, a balanced meal "provides an equal selection of quality fats, protein, and complex
carbohydrates," (Burling 16). Most nutritionists and dietitians suggest visualizing a plate cut into
three sections with one-third grains, one third fruit and vegetables, and one-third protein to make
sure what is needed is consumed. Food is the building block that creates and maintains healthy
muscles, organs, and tissues. Quality nutrition not only builds our body, it also regulates our
energy and mood (Chapter 5: Healthy Eating and Nutrition). The body uses the fats for making
tissue and manufacture biochemicals, such as hormones, therefore a body should not cut out fats
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when dieting. Proteins are used by the body as building blocks for our bodies and they are what
creates our bones, muscle, and cartilage. Proteins also make enzymes and hormones. If the body
does not take in protein, it will be deficient of necessary building blocks. Carbohydrates are
needed because they are the main source of energy taken in by the body. If the body is lacking
carbohydrates, it will take energy from the protein consumed which is not favorable because that
takes away from the bodies bones and muscles. Balanced eating is what should be aimed for and
staying on track with eating balanced meals is important, especially after an off day (Burling 16).
Everyone has busy days which causes our diets to be thrown off due to rushing, it is inevitable.
When this happens, the diet should be corrected as soon as possible, preferably the next day, to
make sure the unhealthy diet does not become a habit and to make sure the goal is not being
pushed back.
The term diet is often thought of as cutting out every food that is bad for the body,
though many do not know what bad actually is. The key is to eat real foods, not foods that are
processed, refined, or filled with substances like trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, and
chemicals (Chapter 5: Healthy Eating and Nutrition). Lipids, or fats, are not bad for the body but
they are repeatedly mistaken for trans fats, which are bad. Trans fats are unsaturated fats that
have been commercially modified to act like unsaturated fats and are solid at room temperature
(Reynolds 11). Trans fats include butter, coconut oil, and processed foods such as biscuits and
these should be eaten as rarely as possible. An abundance of fruits and vegetables should always
be eaten, but cutting out fats is not beneficial because some fats are appropriate. Examples of
suitable sources of fat include salmon, beans, and avocado and they are called unsaturated fats.
Americans receive about 33% of their calories from fat, 15% from protein, and more than half of
their calories from carbohydrates. About 11% of American's calories come from saturated fats,
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though the recommended amount is under 10% (Wexler). Because of this unequal intake of
macronutrients, the body has a difficult time using them in the right way. Usually, the 52% of
carbohydrates taken in are not fruits and vegetables, they are unneeded sugars and non-whole
grains. The term abs are made in the kitchen is true. Intake of insulin should be decreased,
avoid consuming added sugars (Dahliwal). Sugar spikes insulin which then causes a decrease in
metabolism. When metabolism decreases and a surplus of calories are consumed, the body will
Losing weight is an easy task when done right. Exercise is a great way to start, but not the
only way to reach the goal. If a kickstart is needed for weight loss, start with diet. In a study done
at Missouri University, it was found that participants who attended weight watchers programs
lost 5% of their body weight compared to those who only attended a gym lost 2% (Shaffer).
Exercise does not do much if the body is still being stored in fat. The fat covers whatever
progress may have been made in the gym. When exercise is combined with healthy eating, they
balance each other out and not only is the weight lost, the results show also. Cardio burns
calories, but resistance helps burn fat and not muscle (Shaffer). Losing muscle is not the goal
when dieting or working out because it slows down the resting metabolism. When the resting
metabolism is slowed down, it is harder to lose weight. Diet and exercise should not be changed
drastically at the same time, this leads to failure because too many habits are thrown off track
and the changed cannot be done correctly (Shaffer). Reaching a goal is not about how fast it can
be done, it is about getting to that point healthily at a steady rate that works best for the body,
especially when starting off. If habits are changed rapidly, the diet may be not the best it could be
Healthy dieting means consuming from all the different food groups in the right
quantities, cutting out what does not benefit the body, and knowing what benefits the body and
pushes it towards its goal. Making sure a meal is balanced is not hard once a plate is visualized
with the appropriate amount of food. No group of macronutrients should be cut out when trying
to eat healthily. Proteins are the building blocks of the body and they provide the body with the
amino acids it needs to construct muscles, bones, hair, and even hormones. Retracting proteins
will leave the body weak and frail. Carbohydrates are the most misused micronutrients. They are
the bodies source of energy and they should definitely not be taken out to promote weight loss.
Though carbohydrates are good, bad ones are common and they include anything with a surplus
of sugar, non-whole wheat bread, and pasta. If carbohydrates were taken out of the diet, the body
will start to get its energy from protein and that is not good. Fats are thought to be bad, but
valuable ones do exist. Our body needs fats for making tissues. Examples of beneficial fats, or
unsaturated fats, are avocado and fish. Bad fats are called saturated fats and those solidify at
room temperature, such as butter. People commonly mistake the process of weight loss as
burning more calories than the amount taken in. Though this is true, it does not mean a number
of calories taken in should be unhealthy foods. When trying to lose weight exercise and diet are
equally important, but a sudden drastic change is not ideal. Maintaining healthy, balanced diet is
one of the most beneficial things that can be done for the body when trying to lose weight or
Works Cited
Burling, Alexis. "Balancing Act: An Important Part of Eating Nutritiously Is Making Sure You
"CHAPTER 5: Healthy Eating and Nutrition." Healthy Employees, Healthy Business, 2/1/2012,
Dhaliwal, Dal. "Abs: Made in the Kitchen." Eastern Eye 21 Oct. 2016: 33. Newspaper Source
Reynolds, Rebecca. "Should We Be Eating Food That Contains Fat?." Nutridate, vol. 27, no. 3,
Shaffer, Alyssa. "Diet Vs. Exercise." Health, vol. 28, no. 7, Sept. 2014, p. 43.
Wexler, Barbara. "Dietary Treatment for Overweight and Obesity." Weight In America: Obesity,
Eating Disorders, and Other Health Risks, 2007 ed., Gale, 2007. Information Plus