Is a diet a positive or negative thing?

Answer 1

That depends. Fad diets, taken from bestseller-books, are all suspect. Extreme diets of any kind, are suspect too. Diet-pills are problematic.

A positive diet is a normal diet which includes normal foods and habits: a balanced, healthy diet plus exercise. Plenty of moderate exercise rather than intense exercise, which can damage your joints.

Healthy nutrition means eating what your body needs, while ingesting as few harmful things as possible. It has also been described as getting enough of each of the major food categories (grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, etc.; plus plenty of water).

Avoid sweetened liquids and junk food. Preferably no sugar. Eat 3 small-portioned meals/day; do not skip breakfast; and avoid snacks. Limit your calories (better to consult a doctor or nutritionist), and weigh yourself 2-3 times/week. Ignore the sensation of hunger. If you see your weight diminishing at a safe, reasonable rate (1-2 pounds/week), keep it up.

Once you've reached your target weight, increase the calories slightly. And you can then have small amounts of sweetened foods or junk food on occasion (if at all), along with your regular foods (not instead of them). But keep checking your weight 2-3 times/week.

Avoid crash diets, diet pills etc. Avoid fatty cuts of meat. Walk as much as possible. Bicycling and swimming are good too.

This will vary somewhat from one person to another; and I don't believe that there's any universal diet that can be prescribed for everyone.

In general, one's starting point can be a menu of whole grains, whole-wheat bread, a good amount of vegetables, some fruits and nuts, fish, lean meats (in not-large amounts), and some dairy. However, this must be tweaked according to one's health, weight and other factors at the outset; and also adjusted over time, as one sees what works for him/her in particular.

Another general thing that may be said is: the less salt, the better. The less processed foods, the better. The less junk food, the better. The less sweetened drinks, the better.

Also...whenever you feel queasy, nauseous, constipated or otherwise not completely well, try to remember what you've eaten over the last several hours or the last day. This is one method of adjusting one's food habits.