The Life You Choose: Diets Exposed, Which diet is the best for you and your lifestyle

Fad dieting is one pressure you don't need in your life. It's not difficult to change your lifestyle to help you maintain a healthy weight. . It is important to choose foods with the healthiest type of fat. . A balanced UV approach is required to ensure some sun exposure for vitamin D while minimising the risk of skin cancer.
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Good dietary sources include eggs, oily fish, some fortified breakfast cereals and fortified spreads. Having too much vitamin A more than 1. Liver is high in vitamin A.

The Pros and Cons of Rationing

If you do eat liver more than once a week, don't take any supplements containing vitamin A or fish liver oils which also contain high levels of vitamin A. As you grow older, if you're overweight, you'll become less mobile. This can affect your health and quality of life. Being overweight also increases your risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Being underweight isn't healthy either and may be a sign that you're not eating enough or that you're unwell. Eat regularly, at least three times a day.

If you don't feel like cooking from scratch, have a tinned, chilled or frozen ready-prepared meal instead. It's a good idea to have a store of foods in the freezer and cupboard in case you cannot go out. However, water, milk and fruit juices are the healthiest choices. Drinks that contain a lot of caffeine, such as strong tea and coffee, might make your body produce more urine.

If you mostly drink strong tea or coffee or other drinks that contain a lot of caffeine , make sure you also drink some water or other fluids each day that don't contain caffeine. Our nutritional requirements change as we age. Here are ten ways seniors can ensure they maintain a healthy diet. Read more on Women's Health Queensland website. Eat well to age well As you get older, its important to continue choosing healthy foods and enjoying eating as a social activity that you can look forward to. However as we get older our lifestyles and appetite can change and this can affect the types and amounts of foods we eat.

Read more on Nutrition Australia website. Increased physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight play critical roles in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Risk of their main forms, heart disease and stroke, is reduced by eating less saturated and trans fats, and sufficient amounts of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fats, fruits and vegetables and less salt, as well as by physical activity and controlling weight.

A Strict Weekly Routine

Reduction of salt intake helps reduce blood pressure, a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce the risk for cancers of the oesophagus, colorectum, breast, endometrium and kidney. Limiting alcohol intake will reduce risk for cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver and breast. Ensuring an adequate intake of fruit and vegetables should further reduce risk for oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach and colorectal cancer.

Osteoporosis and bone fractures: Adequate intakes of calcium mg per day or more and of vitamin D in populations with high osteoporosis rates helps to reduce fracture risk, so does sun exposure and physical activity to strengthen bones and muscles. Erosion of teeth by dietary acids in beverages or other acidic foods may contribute to tooth destruction.

The crucial role of physical activity as part of nutrition and health was acknowledged. Physical activity is a key determinant of energy expenditure, and thus fundamental to energy balance and weight control. The beneficial effects of physical activity on the metabolic syndrome are mediated by mechanisms beyond controlling excess body weight. Some foods should be avoided during pregnancy as they carry bacteria that could harm your unborn baby As you get older you need fewer calories, but your need for other nutrients remains unchanged.

Good nutrition is especially important during this stage of your life when there is so much happening: Nutrition needs vary with age and gender. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by: Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.

The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. Please enable JavaScript in order to get the best experience when using this site.

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Child, family and relationship services. Emergency, crisis and support services. End of life and palliative care services. Hospitals, surgery and procedures. Planning and coordinating healthcare. Pregnancy and birth services. Weight loss and fad diets Share show more. Fad dieting is one pressure you don't need in your life. It's not difficult to change your lifestyle to help you maintain a healthy weight. A healthy eating plan will help you feel better and give you more energy. These days it's hard to open a magazine without reading about the next miracle weight loss program.

But if these diets are so effective, why are there so many new ones? Lose weight the right way You may be looking for a fast way to lose weight and there's no shortage of 'fad diets' around. These 'diets' may provide short-term results, but they are difficult to sustain and, ultimately, they deprive you of the essential nutrients that only balanced eating can offer. It's easy to spot a fad diet Typically, a fad diet shares some, or all, of the following characteristics: Promises a quick fix Promotes 'magic' foods or combinations of foods Implies that food can change body chemistry Excludes or severely restricts food groups or nutrients, such as carbohydrates Has rigid rules that focus on weight loss Makes claims based on a single study or testimonials only.

Sometimes you need a special diet Of course, some medical conditions do require special eating plans. In these instances, any recommendations from your doctor should be followed. Fad diets can cause health problems Because they often cut out key foods, fad diets may cause the following symptoms: Dehydration Weakness and fatigue Nausea and headaches Constipation Inadequate vitamin and mineral intake. Fad diets that severely restrict food groups or nutrients may also mean that you miss out on the protective health effects that a balanced eating plan provides.

We don't know whether fad diets are safe over the longer term, or whether they lead to an increased risk of various diseases. The answer is a balanced eating plan Don't worry. There is an eating plan that gets results. You can achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and you don't have to cut out any foods because you can eat everything — in moderation.

It's called a balanced eating plan and it's nothing new. Combined with moderate physical activity, it will change your life. With a balanced eating plan, it's what you leave in that makes all the difference.

For a balanced eating plan to be successful, you need to: Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits. Include a variety of cereals including breads, rice, pasta and noodles , preferably wholegrain. Include lean meat, fish, poultry or alternatives. Include milk, yoghurts, cheeses or alternatives. Drink plenty of water. Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake. Choose reduced fat varieties of foods where possible. Choose foods low in salt.

Limit your alcohol intake, if you choose to drink. Consume only moderate amounts of sugars, and food and drinks containing added sugars. In particular, limit sugar-sweetened beverages. Meeting your body's needs A stable body weight means that the amount of kilojoules from food matches the kilojoules used by your body. If your weight is increasing, this may mean that you are eating too much food, doing too little physical activity or both. Different food components contain different levels of kilojoules: Carbohydrates are your body's fuel Carbohydrates provide the body with kilojoules, or fuel.

Foods that contain the most carbohydrates include: Fruit Vegetables, especially potatoes and corn Legumes, including dried beans, peas and lentils Grains Bread Breakfast cereal Rice, pasta and noodles Low-fat milk and yoghurt. These foods are rich in vitamins and minerals and are generally low in fat. This makes them well suited to a healthy eating plan.

Reduce your cancer risk with diet and lifestyle changes

Some are excellent sources of dietary fibre, including wholegrain varieties, legumes, fruit and vegetables. Foods with lots of added sugar like soft drinks and sweets are another source of carbohydrates, but these contribute extra kilojoules with few vitamins and minerals. Protein helps your body build new cells Protein is an essential nutrient that you need throughout life.

Your body needs it to make, maintain and renew all its tissue and cells. Protein can be found in animal and plant-based foods: Animal protein — protein-containing foods from animals are meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products. Vegetable protein — protein-containing foods from plants include tofu, nuts, seeds, lentils, dried beans and peas, and soy milk. Fat helps your body absorb nutrients You need to eat some fat. It's important for many body processes. Fat protects your organs, keeps you warm and helps your body absorb and move nutrients around. It also helps hormone production.

It is important to choose foods with the healthiest type of fat. Many Australians eat more fat than they need, which can lead to weight gain and heart disease. The healthier fats are unsaturated fats. They can be found in sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut and olive oils, poly- and mono-unsaturated margarine spreads, nuts, seeds and avocado.

These are much better for you than the saturated fat found in butter, cream, fatty meats, sausages, biscuits, cakes and fried foods. Be active every day Once you have a healthy eating pattern, you'll soon feel like you have more energy and you'll want to be more active. To make it easier for you to get the right amount of physical activity each day, here are a few suggestions: Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience. Put together at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days. Enjoy some regular, vigorous exercise if you can for extra health and fitness.

Remember, the more activity you do, the greater the benefits you'll enjoy. A healthy lifestyle is easier than you think Changing your eating and physical activity habits can be difficult at first. But once you've started, it's easy to sustain. Here are a few tips to help ease the transition: Combine an active lifestyle with healthy eating. Make small, achievable, lifelong changes to your lifestyle and eating habits.

Weight loss and fad diets - Better Health Channel

Fill up on low-kilojoule nutritious foods. Keep portions moderate in size. Eat until you have had enough — not until you are full. Do your best to avoid eating when you are not hungry. Recognise that on some days you might be hungrier than on other days. Eat slowly and enjoy your food. Eat regular meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Reduce the amount of 'extra' or 'sometimes' foods that you eat. Examples of 'sometimes' foods include biscuits, cakes, desserts, pastries, soft drinks and high fat snack items such as crisps, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, other takeaway foods, lollies and chocolate. Feel good about yourself Being healthy includes feeling good about yourself.

Don't accept the unrealistic images portrayed in the media. At times, there are pressures on top of work and family, which make it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Adopting balanced eating habits can help you feel better about yourself.