Kokova Magazine

You don't have to look far to find a diet - many diets - weird, wonderful, plain and crazy.

A quick search on the internet will bring you quite a few results - as will flipping through most magazines on the newsagents shelves.

But with so much information available and the many different types of diet around - we ask what it means to diet?

Too much emphasis is put onto the word 'diet' and it now conjures up images of forbidden foods, off-limit cakes and bad behavioural thoughts.

By putting so much pressure on ourselves with the use of such a simple word, we are already putting up boundaries and raising hurdles, before we start to investigate what we really need to know.

How many times have you offered a relative a slice of cake, or a biscuit - or suggested going out for a meal to a loved one - only to hear them reply - "I'm on a diet!".

Whatever it consists of, and in some way, we are all on a diet.

Some people are eating a healthy diet, while some follow a weight loss diet. For others, it is an intolerance diet or a diet to help them maintain a balanced life.

What we need to achieve is eating well and within the limits of what our bodies need or can tolerate. Living on cream cakes may sound appealing for a while but it really won't be a good, long term option.

Just like your car needs the right fuel - so does your body.

Eating well is important to maintaining good health. Coupled with moderate exercise, a balanced diet can do more than just help you lose weight.

By watching your calorie intake and matching it to your lifestyle you can help to redress any imbalance in your present routine.

If a person is exercising beyond their 'fuel' intake this will lead to lethargy and a lack of energy to continue in day to day life. Similarily, if we eat more than the energy we use we will store any reserves and gain weight.

The NHS has the following tips:

• Eat the right number of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat too much, you'll put on weight. If you eat too little you’ll lose weight. The average man needs around 2,500 calories a day. The average woman needs 2,000 calories.
• Eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you’re getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.
• Physical activity can help you to maintain a healthy weight. Being active doesn't have to mean hours at the gym: you can find ways to fit more activity into your daily life. For example, try getting off the bus one stop early on the way home from work, and walking.
• Don't get thirsty. We need to drink about 1.2 litres of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. This is in addition to the fluid we get from the food we eat.
• Don't skip breakfast. Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.

Courtesy of www.nhs.uk

Of course not everyone can eat foods from all the groups available so advice to maintain a balanced diet when certain food groups are off -limits is little help to those with an intolerance or allergy.

With Food Allergy and Intolerance Week running from the 23rd to the 29th January we will be looking at some of the foods and diets available to people who cannot eat as freely as others.

Also as we get older we may not find it as easy to lace-up our trainers and rush off to the park for a jog.

We will be looking at the exercises and options available to people with limited mobility and see what can be done to help maintain a health lifestyle and weight.

Dieting is not all about Hollywood stars and fabulous bodies - it is about real people doing what they can to keep their bodies in shape and stay healthy.