Healthy Diet: The Golden Rule

Diets are bewildering. How do we find a totally healthy diet without getting bored or feeling deprived? People are overworked or stressed out or feeling down. We may be struggling to make it through each day. Often we want to be comforted. That is when we return to our favorite comfort source: food. Most of us are baffled by dieting.

We come across so many diet plans, diet foods and various health tips to ensure nutrition that will nourish our body and mind. But is there really one diet that stands out from the rest that we can say, ‘hey I have been religious in following this diet, I can now rest my case-- I am healthy.’

Dieting is not hard on its own. Admit it. We are the ones that makes it hard. We give up so easily. We are lazy. We are the one ruining our diet plans.

Maybe the key after all is accepting the facts. A healthy and balanced diet is essential in maintaining and enjoying a healthy life free from health hazards and achieving that healthy and desirable body.

From health buffs and experts, here they say is the golden rule for healthy, balanced, diet nutrition:

· Avoid stimulants such as sugar, coffee, tea and cigarettes, and limit alcohol.

· Avoid saturated (animal) fats and hydrogenated (processed) fats.

·Avoid simple (refined) carbohydrates, including white bread, biscuits, cakes and other processed foods.

· Avoid unnatural additives, flavorings and preservatives.

· Eat more beans, lentils, seeds, nuts and whole grains.

· Eat more vegetables, raw or lightly cooked (steaming is best).

· Eat several servings of fresh fruit every day.

· Wherever possible eat organically-grown, natural, unprocessed foods.

· Drink plenty of filtered water.

· Avoid these poisonous items in your diet and medications: aspartame, ritalin, Prozac, fluorinated water, vaccinations.

Of course it is good to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals. But this is only one criterion. Good food should also be low in saturated fat, salt and fast-releasing sugars and high in fiber. Diets should also be low in calories. And to further help keep your weight in check, eat earlier in the day, rather than later when the metabolism slows down. And of course, equally important is to exercise every day.

When it comes right to what is most important, it is all about your choices. It is your body. It is your life. You alone can make each day count for something better.