Lesson 9ª

 

 

 

 

 

   

3. 4  Some recommendations .... 

  • It needs to contain less calories than the quantity a person is used to ingesting. Commit to a progressive decrease in the regular helping, trying to reduce it 20 % in reference to our starting point. For example, if we were used to eating 5 breaded meat pieces, we should reduce that quantity to 4 or 3; if we used to have 3 slices of pizza, we should try to eat only 2. We should try to do the same with the rest of our food, except for vegetables and fruits, which can be eaten abundantly. In this case, what we really need to control is the added dressing: oil or mayonnaise. It's important for us to bear in mind that, contrary to what we normally believe, the higher the overweight, the higher the consumption of calories our organism allows to reduce. On the opposite hand, the lower the overweight level is, the more we need to tighten our calories restriction.
  • Balanced. We need to include all the food groups: fruit and vegetables, cereals, legumes, dairy products, meat and eggs, good quality fats (low quantity) and occasionally, sweets.
  • Balanced. In spite of the calories restriction, nutrients need to be present in our diet to allow our organism its proper basic functions.
  • Varied. We suggest you select food of the season (fresh). Choose different cooking procedures you might find enjoyable. By varying your food, you ensure a balance in nutrients and continuity in your feeding plan.
  • Great taste and great presentation. We first like food for the way it looks. It's important for us to take some time as we prepare it and cook it. This way, we can achieve a great taste, smell and appetizing look. We have a whole variety of natural spices and herbs which help bring out these qualities in food. To get a sweet taste, we can use artificial sweeteners.
  • Distributed into more than 4 meals, from 6 to 9 per day. We recommend not to spend periods longer than 3 to 4 hours without any food. We also recommend for you not to have your breakfast after 1 and a half after you wake up. Have your breakfast within the first hour after you wake up.
  • Realistic. It doesn't need to be composed of exotic food. Each person can loose weight by improving his/her eating habits and sticking to traditional home-made meals.
  • Abundant liquids. Liquids help ease our hunger. Wherever there is more liquid, there is less hunger. It is advisable for you to drink liquids before, during or after your meals and exercise routines. This ensures a proper liquid distribution throughout the day. Those liquids which help ease thirst better are hot drinks, such as teas; those with a salty taste, such as vegetable stock. Light jelly is also a good source of liquids as a variety of higher consistence.
  • With one security and escape valve at a time. This means that once a week, a person can eat the salty or sweet food of his/her liking, regardless of its quality.