When we want to lose weight, nothing complicates things more than hearing the word “Diet.”
Hearing it brings to mind the idea of punishment or restriction, and this is the reason why most of the time we end up failing in the attempt and filing that meal plan—which we also don’t understand or know how to read and interpret—in the farthest drawer.
Does that sound familiar? It happened to all of us!
The word diet refers to any eating pattern that a person follows, that is, it does not refer to meal plans that aim for us to lose weight, but to everything we consume on a day-to-day basis, including food and drinks.
Erroneously, in popular culture, the word diet has been given a different connotation, and that is why when we hear it, we immediately connect it with the idea of losing weight, but we have already clarified that this is not the case.
There are “meal plans” that a nutritionist prescribes, seeking different objectives such as gaining weight, losing weight, increasing muscle mass, replenishing some nutritional deficiency, or contributing to the management of some illness that could benefit from nutritional intervention.
Meal plans must start from each person’s diet, that is, from their usual food consumption pattern.
They must be designed taking into account the nutrients and energy that each person requires, considering their likes, dislikes, habits, and schedules; furthermore, they should be designed thinking about the specific context of each person, their ability to buy food, to prepare it, and to consume it; this explains why a meal plan that worked perfectly for one person could be completely useless for another.
Sadly, many times those meal plans are only based on mathematical calculations, but they do not delve into what each person likes or dislikes; and therein lies why it is complex to be able to follow them to the letter, causing them to be abandoned in the end.
The probability that a nutritional plan will be followed increases as it is designed according to people’s tastes and habits, but changes in lifestyle must be made, the consumption of certain foods must be moderated, others must be increased, and so on; it must be “negotiated” with the patient in question, because doing it in an imposed and forced way will only result in zero adherence and the nutritional plan ending up in the trash.
It is also true that for a few people, prohibiting and restricting the consumption of certain foods works well, as they are capable of adhering to restrictive meal plans and obtaining very positive results, however, it is not the common denominator.
Obviously, there will be cases, mainly when there are pathologies involved, in which it will be necessary to be much stricter regarding the prohibition or moderation of some foods and an increase in the intake of others; and in that case, it will be understood since it is a matter of preserving health and life.
What characteristics must a diet meet?
- Complete: include all possible food groups, that is, be as varied as possible.
- Balanced: provide the appropriate proportion of all macronutrients.
- Sufficient: provide exactly the amount of energy, macronutrients, micronutrients, fiber, and liquids that each person needs.
- Adequate: that is, adapt to each stage of life, because what a child should eat is not the same as what an adolescent, a pregnant woman, or an older adult should eat.
Additionally, every diet should be based on foods that are as fresh, safe, and natural as possible.
To have the perfect and unique nutritional plan for you, visit a nutrition and dietetics professional; they are the ideal professional to evaluate and advise you.
By: Camila Henao Uribe. Nutritionist Dietitian U de A – Laboratorios Funat