Eating right means that you consume a little bit of everything. The right amount of proteins, carbs, fats, nutrients, etc. There are a number of ways to start eating right, but one of the most effective ways to start eating right is by following a balanced diet chart.
What is a Balanced Diet?
A balanced diet is a meal plan that gives you the right amount of each nutrient to keep your body running optimally. The keyword here is “balanced”. This means that you do not concentrate on any particular food group, like other diets, but rather, consume all food in moderation. The focus here is more on calorie intake rather than the foods being consumed.The Calorie Game
Calories represent the amount of energy stored in food. This energy is used by your body for daily functions like thinking, moving, breathing and other critical functions. To maintain your current weight you will need to consume approximately 2,000 calories a day.This daily calorie intake can vary depending on your age, gender, body mass, metabolism, level of physical activity, etc. Males usually require more calories than females, this is mainly due to the fact that men usually carry more muscle mass than women, and muscles require a considerably larger amount of calories to function and repair themselves.
Energy balance is extremely important when it comes to maintaining a balanced diet. Energy balance is basically the concept of burning the amount of calories you have consumed in a day. This is crucial because calories that are not burnt are stored within the body as fat.
Health Hazards of Fat
There are a number of health hazards linked to obesity. Listed below are some of the most common health hazards that are almost directly linked to excess body fat.• Type-2 Diabetes
Studies have suggested that excess fat within a person’s body causes the cells within the body to change. This change in the functioning of cells can cause cells to develop insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that allows cells to absorb sugars from the blood to use as energy. When cells develop insulin resistance, it prevents them from absorbing the sugars in the blood, thereby, spiking the blood sugar levels with a person’s system. Additionally, the cells that produce insulin within the body are working overtime to regulate blood sugar levels, this can cause them to fail over a period of time.• High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the amount of pressure applied by the heart to distribute blood throughout the body. The more effort it takes for your heart to deliver blood throughout the body, the more wear and tear takes place on the entire cardiovascular system. The normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/80 mm Hg. In this case, the numerator, 120, represents the systolic pressure, which is the amount of pressure being exerted by the chambers of the heart during contraction to send blood into the arteries.80 represents the diastolic pressure, this is the pressure within the chambers when the heart is in a relaxed state just after completing a systolic cycle. Being overweight increases the surface area the blood needs to travel, thereby, increasing the pressure required to deliver blood and nutrients to every part of the body.
• Heart Disease
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death globally. There are a number of diseases that can affect the normal functioning of your heart ranging from high cholesterol, high blood pressure to elevated levels of blood sugar and many more. There are a number of heart diseases that seem to have a direct relationship with obesity. Studies suggest that cardiovascular conditions like high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol have a direct relationship with excess body fat. Losing as little as 10% of your total body weight can drastically reduce the chances of these conditions.• Stroke
A stroke occurs when the blood flow to certain parts of the brain is shut off and the cells within that region of the brain start to die. A stroke can occur due to a multitude of reasons, but studies have suggested that obesity can drastically increase the chances of a stroke. This is mainly due to the fact that obesity can cause changes in blood pressure, thereby, affect the blood flow throughout the system. Maintaining a balanced diet can help regulate blood flow and prevent the onset of a stroke.Thanks a lot for reading along. What do you think? Kindly drop us a comment and don't forget to share to your friends.
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