14-07-2010, 06:36 AM
Whether you decide to eat for health, to slim or to gain muscle, the diet remains the same throughout. All bad foods should be avoided and all the good foods should be provided to give you a balanced intake of energy and nutrients. The same applies to slimming, but the energy gained from the food should be burned off with exercise to promote weight loss. Athletes also need to watch their diet as the wrong foods can hinder the muscle building process. In this case, the amount of calories should be increased to compensate for the higher activity level, but instead of increasing the size of your main meals a selection of smaller snacks can be eaten between them - and so prevent the feeling of hunger. Even if you don't consider yourself in need of muscle gain or a loss of fat, it is still important to eat correctly to improve your health, your energy levels and your ability to fight off disease.
A good idea is to study a calorie chart and find all the foods you want to include within your diet. Try to make your meals as varied as possible to keep you interested and to prevent you from cheating! Never try to include your chosen items in every meal - such as a stew, broth or soup mix as this will lead to boredom with your diet and a craving for less health options. A simple seven day menu can be found below based on 1,200 calories per day and contains all the nutrients you need in a diet. Non-slimmers may wish to add a little more to this menu to give them the 2,000 calories normally recommended for daily consumption. Vegetarians should note that the diet is also mostly suitable for them, although you will need to substitute all meat products with vegetarian alternatives (pasta, rice, jacket potato).
A good idea is to study a calorie chart and find all the foods you want to include within your diet. Try to make your meals as varied as possible to keep you interested and to prevent you from cheating! Never try to include your chosen items in every meal - such as a stew, broth or soup mix as this will lead to boredom with your diet and a craving for less health options. A simple seven day menu can be found below based on 1,200 calories per day and contains all the nutrients you need in a diet. Non-slimmers may wish to add a little more to this menu to give them the 2,000 calories normally recommended for daily consumption. Vegetarians should note that the diet is also mostly suitable for them, although you will need to substitute all meat products with vegetarian alternatives (pasta, rice, jacket potato).