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When you feel overweight or not satisfied with the shape you are now, what you are sure to do, especially women, is a weight loss diet. However, do not be careless in doing a diet to lose weight. Diet doesn't mean you have to cut a lot of calories and severely limit your food intake. You must still meet the essential nutritional needs while dieting. The following are some important nutrients that you must fulfill, even if you are on a diet.
Carbohydrate
Many people think that carbohydrate intake should be cut back when dieting. However, your body really needs carbohydrates even though you are on a diet. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for your body. If there are no carbohydrates in your body, your body will take energy from fat and protein reserves. This can be bad for your health.
What you really have to do is avoid carbohydrate intake that comes from sugar or foods and drinks that contain sugar. And, take carbohydrate sources from vegetables, fruits, fibrous foods, and nuts. This source of carbohydrates from food can help you meet your nutritional needs and fiber, and prevent you from health problems.
Protein
Protein is also one of the nutrients that you must fulfill when dieting. In fact, protein can actually help you lose weight. Protein foods, such as lean meat, chicken, fish, milk, eggs, and nuts, can make you feel full and more satisfied after eating. This allows you to better control your appetite, reducing your cravings for large meals the next time you eat. Your body also needs more energy when it digests protein, which makes it easier for you to lose weight.
Iron
An important dietary nutrient that you must fulfill next is iron. Iron is one of the most important nutrients for women. This iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to all cells throughout the body. Without enough oxygen in your body, you can feel tired and weak. Makes you lazy to do various activities, such as sports, so this actually makes you gain weight.
Iron deficiency can also cause serious health problems, namely iron deficiency anemia. You can get a good source of iron from eating red meat, chicken, fish, green vegetables, and nuts.
Calcium
Calcium is an essential mineral for the growth of bones and teeth. This is one of the important nutrients when dieting that you must fulfill. Meeting calcium needs can help maintain heart health, help regulate blood pressure, strengthen muscles, and prevent you from osteoporosis. So, it is important for you to meet your calcium needs, which is about 1000 mg per day.
You can meet this need by eating calcium sources, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, green vegetables (such as spinach, kale, and broccoli), nuts, and many more.
Folic acid
Folic acid is a very important nutrient for women, especially women of childbearing age or women who have started planning a pregnancy. This folic acid can reduce your risk of having a baby with birth defects (such as a cleft lip or cleft palate).
Apart from that, folic acid can also help boost your immune system by being involved in the production of disease-fighting white blood cells. Also, it can protect you from certain types of anemia. You can get folic acid from green vegetables, oranges, berries, and nuts.
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