Forty-fivemillion Americansdiet every year, and though they might see short-term success,90 percent of those people regain the weight they lost. Thats because dieting, at least as weve been doing it,doesnt work.

Were made to believe that diets fail because welack willpower or discipline. But the odds are stacked against a person trying to lose weight through dietary restriction. Recent research has shown that our bodies have a set weight range largely determined by genetics, and a2013 study found that if you dip below your natural weight, your brain triggers changes in metabolism and energy output to get you back to normal and prevent further weight loss.

Fixating on appearance and weight also affects our well-being. A 2015 articlepublished in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass indicates that many of the poor health outcomes associated with obesitycould instead be traced to the stigma against bigger-bodied people and the stress it causes.

In short, what ails us isnt weightits our obsession with it, according toChristy Harrison, a registered dietitian nutritionistand New York Times contributor. In herbook,Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness, which came out in December, Harrison proposes that the solution isnt weight lossits burning diet culture to the ground.Were trained to believe that being thin means youre healthy and being fat means the opposite, Harrison says, when you can actually be healthy at any size.

Weight bias explains much if not all of the excess health risks in people with larger bodies, Harrison says. Framing peoples body size as an [obesity] epidemic is weight stigma.

The overzealous pursuit of thinnessunder the guise of a visual indication of healthhas an unfortunate byproduct: the foods, lifestyles, and body types that dont fit into thisnarrow paradigm are demonized, Harrison argues. When a low-carb diet or a juice cleanse is dubbed clean eating, the natural assumption is that other ways of eating are dirty. Before-and-after photos celebrate weight lossbut also imply that a bigger body is a problem to be solved or a project to be worked on. Complimenting someone on looking thin suggests that something was wrong with their body before. Harrison also notes that our physical spaces reflect these ideals, like how bus and airplane seats only accommodate people of a certain size. Clothing stores often dont carry sizes that accommodate larger bodies, andif they do,the options are typically few.

The way [wellness and diet culture] conceives of health is bound up in healthism: the belief that health is a moral obligation, and that people who are healthy deserve more respect and resources than people who are unhealthy, Harrison writes. Healthism is both a way of seeing the world that places health at the apex and a form of discriminating on the basis of health.

Anti-Diet explains that discrimination itself can leadto a wide array ofnegativephysical and mental health outcomes: a2015 study from Obesity Reviewsfound that repeated weight loss and gain can lead to blood pressure and heart problems. A2009 study in Obesityfound that people who had experiencedweight stigma in the past year were twice as likely to have a mood or anxiety disorderand 50 percent more likely to have a substance-use disorder than those who had not.

Institutional fatphobia can also affect the quality of health care thatlarger-bodied people receive, Harrison explains. Women with high BMIsabove 55are almost 20 percent less likely to get gynecological cancer screeningsand have to deal with disrespectful treatment, unsolicited weight-loss advice, and inappropriately sized medical equipment in the doctors office, a 2006 studyfound. That kind of treatment leads larger-bodied people to avoid spaces where they can expect to be stigmatized, like doctors offices or gyms, according to research from theUniversity of Nevada and theUniversity of New South Wales. While there is a correlation between higher BMI and health outcomes like hypertension or heart disease, high weight alone doesnt necessarily cause poor healththere are other risk factors to take into account.

It is possible to change what and how you eat without becoming a part of diet culture yourself. Instead of going keto, quitting sugar, or committing to Whole30, Harrison suggests her readers try something a little simpler:intuitive eating, which basically means eating what you want without stress, shame, or restrictionbut with careful attention to how your body feels. (If youre looking for a how-to guide on the approach,check out Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Reschs1995 book.)

Diet culture convinces us that honoring our hunger, seeking satisfaction, and feeling full will send us down the road to perdition. It tells us our instinctsarebad and wrong, Harrison writes. We have the capacity to get back to a place where our relationships with food are as simple as they were when we were babieswhere hunger and pleasure are nothing to be ashamed of, and where fullness is a signal that we can take our minds off food for a while.

Anti-Diet offers a much-needed unbrainwashing for anyone feeling stress, stigma, or shame about their appearance, diet, or activity levels. Even the socially conscious reader will have an ahamoment when Harrison debunks something they have accepted as truth. Though some of the more nuanced concepts are tricky to absorb, like the ways in which diet culture infiltrates progressive movements like food activism, Anti-Diet is an approachable read for anyone ready to untangle their eating habits from their self-worth.

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This Dietitian Wants to Burn Diet Culture to the Ground - Outside

The One Meal A Day (OMAD) diet is an extreme version of time-restricted eating, like intermittent fasting. However, unlike intermittent fasting which usually allows a four or eight-hour eating window, the OMAD diet has a one-hour eating window. So you fast for the other 23 hours of the day.

Although various forms of intermittent fasting have been shown to be an effective way to shed pounds, the OMAD diet is not recommended by nutritionists and can even be dangerous for people with certain health problems. Here's what you need to know.

The OMAD diet does not restrict the types of food or how many calories you can eat during that one-hour eating window. However, you should aim to consume the recommended amount of calories for your height, weight, age, and gender.

"Generally speaking, if only eating one time per day, one should consume the amount of calories required to meet their daily energy needs in that meal," says Kelsey Hampton, CSSD, a registered dietician and certified specialist in sports dietetics.

"Most adults should not consume under 1200 calories per day," she says. It sounds obvious, but getting enough calories is extremely important as too little may compromise the immune system and breakdown muscle mass as the body resorts to other ways to maintain energy reserves, says Hampton.

It's important to maintain proper hydration when on the OMAD diet. The diet allows water, coffee, or tea consumption throughout the day, but no other beverages, like low-calorie or diet beverages, are allowed.It's also recommended that you eat your meal at the same time every day to ensure a consistent 23-hour fasting period.

"It would be best to consume this meal following your most active time per day. This will help your body recover from exercise and replace nutrients that may have been lost during activity," says Hampton.

To give you some idea of what a meal on the OMAD diet might look like, here are two examples of a morning and evening meal. Please note, these are merely to illustrate what a healthy meal may look like and is not a recommendation.

Morning meal:

Evening meal:

These examples merely reflect popular breakfast and dinner options but you can vary the foods as you see fit. Just remember, while it may be tempting to eat whatever you want on the OMAD diet, it's recommended that you focus on nutrient-rich foods that ensure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals.

Less extreme versions of intermittent fasting that allow a four or eight-hour eating window have been shown to improve glucose tolerance, increase insulin sensitivity, and aid in weight loss. Yet, eating one unusually large meal can have the opposite effect of dieting in the first place.

One study in the journal Nutrition Reviews from 2015 cautions against extreme versions like the OMAD diet because it can lead to an abnormal increase in appetite and body fat percentage beyond where you were when you started the diet.

"When you eat once a day, you feel weak and sick. When it comes time to eat, one tends to overeat which can lead to a surge of insulin and ultimately feeling unwell," says Melissa Rifkin, a registered dietitian and owner of Melissa Rifkin Nutrition in New York City.

Rifkin warns that the OMAD diet can be dangerous to children, elderly, and people with health conditions like diabetes. These groups need a steady intake of calories to maintain proper health. Also, people who regularly take prescription drugs should steer away from the OMAD diet because most medications require you to eat when taking them.

As for a healthy adult, "it may be safe, but that doesn't mean it is ideal," says Hampton.

Both experts, Hampton and Rifkin, say that there is just not enough research to recommend this diet as a proper weight-loss technique.

"There are healthier ways for people to eat while reaching their goals. Lean protein, plenty of produce and quality fats and carbs can provide a broad spectrum of nutrients and can be tailored in a way to meet many different health and wellness goals," says Hampton.

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What is OMAD diet: Why eating one meal a day isn't recommended by experts - Insider - INSIDER

The first few weeks of a keto diet may come with a spate of flu-like symptoms, including nausea, fatigue and dizziness, according to a new study.

For the study, published today (March 13) in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers drew from the experiences of 101 people who had started a keto diet and described their symptoms across 43 online forums. Consistent with anecdotal reports of a so-called keto flu thought to strike those who begin this sort of high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet people described their symptoms as peaking within the first seven days of a new keto diet, dwindling over time and ultimately resolving on their own after about four weeks.

"We sought to characterize the nature of keto flu, as there was a disjunct in the amount of popular media reports of its occurrence versus the academic literature," said study co-author Dr. Emmanuelle Bostock, a researcher at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in Australia. "We found that a number of users of online forums self-reported flu-like symptoms, usually occurring in the first few weeks of commencing the diet."

Related: 7 Tips for Moving Toward a More Plant-Based Diet

The keto diet debuted in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy. But more recently, the keto diet has become a health craze, as it's thought to cause weight loss by forcing the body into a state known as ketosis. When the body is in this state, cells draw most of their energy from compounds called ketones, which are derived from fatty acids. Experts are still unsure why this causes weight loss, and studies have broadly failed to demonstrate that the keto diet is more effective than other weight-loss strategies. But the keto diet appears to differ from other diets in an unexpected way: its tendency to induce flu-like symptoms, at least within the first few weeks of someone starting the diet.

"I definitely see clients experiencing the keto flu," said dietitian and nutritionist Ginger Hultin, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who was not involved in the study. "Some people hardly get it, some get some of these symptoms and some get it more severely."

To quantify this phenomenon, Bostock and her colleagues drew from 43 online forums to identify consistent complaints. The researchers found that, within the first few weeks of starting the keto diet, people reported a sudden onset of headaches, stomach pain, nausea and other flu-like symptoms.

The researchers said it's unclear why the keto diet would have this effect, but they suspect it may have something to do with the way the bacteria and other microbes in people's guts change when people start the keto diet.

For example, the keto diet excludes many of the foods that support our gut bacteria, such as starchy vegetables and whole grains, according to Popular Science. Given that many studies have found a connection between the brain and the gut, changes in gut bacteria could potentially result in some of the symptoms of keto flu, Popular Science reported.

What's more, many people who start a keto diet need to make drastic changes to the foods they eat in order to cut out carbs, which could lead the body to experience withdrawal-like symptoms similar to those that occur when people cut out caffeine, according to Healthline.

However, a critical limitation of the new study is that the data came entirely from online conversation threads, without any evidence that the individuals describing their symptoms were on the keto diet, let alone experiencing ketosis. "There needs to be more real clinical studies done, as this was a review of online forums," Hultin told Live Science. But Bostock hopes this preliminary study will lay the groundwork for future explorations of the side effects of the keto diet in well-designed clinical trials.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Keto diet may cause temporary flu-like symptoms. Here's what to expect. - Live Science

No, eating mountains of broccoli or garlic galore will notprotect you from Covid-19. There is no quick-fix for the immune system genetics, age and exercise are all contributing factors and no one single addition to your diet will protect you from infection.

But wait! Anumber of foods garlic included have remarkably good antimicrobial properties, and while they should not be scoffed insteadoffollowing measures already advocated by the World Health Organisation (washing hands thoroughly;covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing), it certainly won't hurtto get a few more of these nutrient-richfoods into your daily diet.

The last word in immune-bolstering micronutrients is vitamin C, whichanyone who has been told to up their intake of oranges to fight off a cold will be familiar with. Consider also seeking out foods high in vitamin E, D and A, plus iron, zinc and selenium. And if your local supermarket is running low on fresh produce, frozen fruit and veg is just as beneficial.

Whatever the crisis, eating a healthy balanced diet makes a lot of sense, so get stuck into these.

Broccoli is rich in vitamins A, C and E, as well as containing a number of antioxidants like sulforaphane (meant to be good for heart health and digestion). Readily available all year round, broccoli is perhaps one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get extra vitamins into your diet. Treat it with care, though the more you cook it, the less nutritious it will be. Lightly steam, boil or microwave to lock in its immune-boosting properties.

The best broccoli recipes:

Browse more of our broccoli recipes here.

Red peppers contain three times the amount of vitamin C as citrus; in fact, it might surprise you to know that they are the most vitamin C-dense of any fruit or vegetable, as well as being a great source of beta-cerotene (which the body converts into vitamin A. Interestingly, red peppers have 11 times more beta-cerotene than green peppers, and one and a halftimes more vitamin C.

The best red pepper recipes:

Browse more of our red pepper recipes here.

Blueberries contain anthocyanin, a flavanoid with antioxidant properties that play an essential role in the respiratory tract immune system.

The best blueberry recipes:

Browse more of our blueberryrecipes here.

Rich in vitamin B6, manganese, selenium and vitamin C, garlic has long been regarded as useful for helping tofight infections and viruses. Allicin, the sulphur-containing compound that gives it its distinctive smell and taste, has been proven to have antibacterial affects; crushing and bruising garlic cloves supposedly stimulates the production of allicin, however, cooking the cloves will inevitably inhibit some of its medicinal properties.

The best garlic recipes:

Spinach is rich in flavanoids, cerotenoids, vitamin C and vitamin E, and is believed to supportthe immune system and even help to fight some cancers. Other leafy greens such as cavolo nero, spring greens and kale have similar health benefits.

The best spinach recipes:

Browse more of our spinach recipes here.

The trendy fermented drink known for its benefits to the gut biome is also thought to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic and anti-allergenic effects. Consume it regularly as a drink or with breakfast.

The best kefir recipes:

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The best foods to boost your immune system and how to get more of them into your diet - Telegraph.co.uk

Its a frequent sight in diners, restaurants, and family dinner tables the world over. People absentmindedly staring at their phones as they eat. While it makes a certain degree of sense on an entertainment level to browse the web or play an online game while eating, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have just released a new study that illustrates how technology at the table can diminish our dining experience and undermine nutritional needs.

The study found that participants ate far less in general when using technology while eating, potentially leaving some serious nutritional gaps in their consumption habits.

Researchers monitored the eating behaviors of 119 young adults on two occasions; once while simultaneously playing a video game for 15 minutes, and once without the presence of any technological distractions. Half the participants played the game first while eating, and then ate with no distractions on a second day. The other half ate with no distractions first, and then played the game while eating the second time around.

Participants were asked to play a game called Rapid Visual Information Processing, which is usually used to test the attention and memory skills of people suspected of suffering from Alzheimers or ADD.

Its fairly simple but distracting enough that you have to really be watching it to make sure that you dont miss a number and are mentally keeping track, explains lead study author Carli A. Liguori in a press release. That was a big question for us going into this how do you ensure that the participant is distracted? And the RVIP was a good solution for that.

Before both meals participants were told to fast for a full 10 hours, so theres no way they werent hungry. Then, they were told to eat as many quiches as they wanted while either playing the game for 15 minutes or sitting quietly. Next, 30 minutes after each meal subjects were given an exit survey that asked how many quiches they had been provided and how many they ended up eating. Participants also rated how enjoyable the food was, and how full they felt afterward.

Liguori and her team hypothesized that people would eat more food while playing the game; the idea being they would quickly eat as much as possible so they can get back to playing. Surprisingly, the results revealed that people ate less while playing. Predictably, the participants ability to recall the details of the meal was much worse after playing the game while eating.

However, there were notable fluctuations depending on which condition the person participated in first. While both groups ate less while using technology, those who played the game first before coming back for another meal with no distractions ate far less than participants who ate quietly first.

On that note, the participants who played the game first had an odd reaction when they were served the quiches for a second time. These subjects behaved as if they were encountering the food for the first time.

Food is one of the greatest pleasures we can all enjoy in life, and that last finding really drives home the fact that staring at our phones while eating significantly takes away from this universal human experience.

It really seemed to matter whether they were in that distracted eating group first, Liguori comments. Something about being distracted on their initial visit really seemed to change the amount they consumed during the nondistracted meal. There may be a potent carryover effect between the mechanism of distraction and the novelty of the food served.

Researchers theorize that these fluctuations indicate a fundamental difference between mindless eating and distracted eating. For example, mindless eating would be absentmindedly reaching for a nearby candy without even thinking about it, while distracted eating falls more in line with browsing the internet during dinner.

The studys authors made it a point to note that their findings may have been influenced by any number of factors, such as the foods used, the distraction method, and the incorporation of only college-aged participants. That being said, these results are still noteworthy because they contradict previous studies that had found distracted eating leads to more consumption.

Ultimately, it doesnt matter if distracted eating leads to more or less food consumption. Whether were piling food into our mouths quickly so we can get back to our phones, or too preoccupied to finish our meal, it doesnt exactly paint a happy nutritional picture.

Its becoming an almost universally accepted fact that the average adult spends far too much time on their phone already, theres no reason why we cant disconnect for a few minutes while eating.

The full study can be found here, published in the Journal of Nutrition.

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This is the weird reason your diet is so bad - Ladders

(Reuters Health) - Young men who care about their sperm quality might want to lay off the cheeseburgers and fries, according to a new study that links a typical Western diet with a lower sperm count.

Men in the study who ate a mostly Western diet characterized by pizza, fries, sweets, sodas and red and processed meats typically had a lower sperm count - by about 26 million - than men who ate far less of these unhealthy foods. With a Western diet, men also had lower levels of reproductive hormones needed for optimal fertility.

Conversely, men with the healthiest eating habits - with lots of fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, and water - typically had a sperm count 43 million higher than those who ate the lowest amounts of these foods.

Your sperm is what you eat, said coauthor Dr. Feiby Nassan of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

Diets rich in seafood, poultry, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for good sperm production, Nassan said by email.

Our results suggest the possibility of using dietary intervention as a possible approach to improve sperm quality of men in reproductive age, Nassan said.

A normal sperm count can range from 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen.

Sperm quality and certain sex hormone levels have decreased substantially over the past few decades, driven in part by worsening diets in many parts of the world, the researchers note in JAMA Network Open.

The current analysis included 2,935 healthy men in Denmark, ages 19 or 20 on average. Researchers divided them according to how closely their diets matched four patterns: a Western diet; a healthy diet described as a prudent pattern of eating; a so-called open-sandwich diet consisting of whole grains and lots of cold cuts, fish, condiments, and dairy; and a vegetarian-like diet with lots of veggies, soy, milk, and eggs and little if any red meat or chicken.

Total sperm count with the Western diet was significantly lower than with any of the other three eating patterns.

The study wasnt designed to prove whether diet directly affects sperm or fertility. Researchers also focused on young, healthy men who might not yet be trying to conceive, and they didnt examine what happened in older men who wanted to become fathers.

Still, the study adds to evidence suggesting a healthy diet is good for mens reproductive health, Dr. Muhammad Imran Omar of the University of Aberdeen in the UK said by email.

And, men, like women, should try to adopt a healthy diet, cut back on alcohol and stop smoking months before they want to start trying for a baby.

However, men should be aware that it takes three months to produce sperm, said Allan Pacey, a researcher at the University of Sheffield in the UK who wasnt involved in the study.

If a man alters his diet on a Friday it wont improve his sperm by Monday, Pacey said by email.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2VQrYmr JAMA Network Open, online February 21, 2020.

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Even among young men, healthier diet tied to higher sperm counts - Reuters

The process of metabolismin the body needs to be in place in order to burn fat. Metabolism is the process by which your body converts thefood into energy. Whatever you may eat or drink, during this process gets converted into the energy that the body later uses for the day-to-day activities. During the complex biochemical process, the calories in food and beverages are combined with the oxygen in order torelease the energy that your body needs in order to function. There are certain foods that will help you burn fat by boosting the metabolism process. In order to lose fat, one must include these food items to their diet.

Also Read:Protein-rich Food For Vegetarians For A Healthy And Fit Body

Also Read:Non-perishable Healthy Food Items That Can Help You Not Touch Junks

The brown rice is the perfect alternative for white rice. Brown rice has fewer calories but leaves you feeling full. When food consumed has lesser calories, the body starts burning fat instead.Brown rice is high in chromium. Chromium is a mineral that helps the body to regulate blood sugar levels.

According to a health website, the salmon fish ishigh in Omega-3 fatty acids. The fish is a source of healthy fats.Salmon fish is easier to digest as compared to carbohydrates whichhelps you to stay full for a longer period of time and thus results in fat loss.Salmon fish is also known to lower blood pressure.

Protein in the eggboosts metabolism which is why eggs are considered as one of the major sources of protein. Hard-boiled eggs contain as much as 6.29 grams which makes it an ideal choice for people who want to speed up their metabolism. The egg reduceshunger and also promoted the feeling of fullness. The ideal time for one toconsume an egg is during breakfast. That way, the metabolism process is improved for the entire day.

According to a health website, coffee is known to stimulate metabolism due to its caffeine content which results in fat loss. The caffeine enhances the mood and also improves the performance in physical activity.Caffeineintake has a stimulating effect on energy expenditure which leads to increased metabolism resulting in fat loss. One importantthing to be considered is that adding cream or sugar to the coffee will not only increase its calorie content but will also work against the caffeine's beneficial effect on metabolism. As per a health websiteresearch has shown that caffeine increases metabolic rate by an impressive 313%.

Disclaimer:The content provided above is for information purpose. This is no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Also Read:Balanced Meal Proportion Map: A Guide To Maintain A Healthy Diet

Also Read:Immunity Booster Foods In India To Include In Your Diet To Help Fight Infections

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Foods that burn fat and should be included to your diet to lose weight - Republic World - Republic World

'The Warrior Diet' is a form of intermittent fasting: that's abstaining from food, or drastically reducing your intake, for a designated period of time anything from 16 hours to three days. The concept is nothing new, but its popularity has swelled in recent years and now every man and his spotter is seemingly singing its praises, whether for performance or for more aesthetic benefits. Here's where The Warrior Diet fits in.

Created by author Ori Hofmekler, this diet is supposedly based on the habits of ancient Roman and Spartan warriors, who would eat very little during their active days, then reward themselves with an epic night-time blowout.

This approach to intermittent fasting might better be referred to as the 20:4 diet. Like the better-known 16:8 eating plan, it consists of a daily fasting window and an eating window. However, in this case, the eating window is much shorter and is most commonly limited to one enormous feast.

There is some scientific basis to support this practice. Not only is this likely to cap your calorie intake by default, letting your body feed on its stored energy for a period of time can improve your ability to burn fat. A study in the Journal of Translational Medicine concluded that "time-restricted" feeding can help you lose weight while maintaining your hard-earned muscle mass.

The problem is that for all his personal experiences in the Israeli Special Forces and his romantic ideas about ancient warriors Hofmeklers diet is lacking in concrete evidence. There is scant evidence that his plan is any more effective than the simpler 16:8 diet, while chronobiologists have pointed out that humans are most insulin sensitive during daylight hours making a large meal in the afternoon, rather than in the evening, theoretically more conducive to weight loss.

Though the warrior diet allows a small amount of snacking on nuts and fruits throughout the day, the prolonged fasting hours could cause your blood-sugar levels to drop. Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine have found that this can increase junk food cravings, feeding your desire to indulge in low-nutrient, high-calorie foods during your end-of-day feast.

The average office worker isnt a warrior, says Daniel OShaughnessy, director of the Naked Nutritionist. An ancient warrior wouldnt have the opportunity to gorge on processed food like we do. This diet seems likely to promote an unhealthy relationship with food. If your resolve is forged of iron and you fear no hunger, this might not be an issue. But there are easier ways to battle weight gain.

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What Is "The Warrior Diet" and Can It Speed up Fat Loss? - Men's health UK

Nutrition, the study of food and its effect on the body, is a science that is relevant to everyone. Because of this, there is a lot of misinformation of what works and what does not.

With trending diets over the past several decades, a few important facts about nutrition have been lost along the way. To set the facts straight, put aside your thoughts on fad diets and review the following nutrition basics.

Nutrients

Six nutrients help our bodies grow and maintain good health. They are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water, vitamins and minerals.

Water is the most important nutrient. In fact, we can only live about three days without water.

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are called macronutrients. We need these nutrients in larger amounts, and all three contain calories. All three macronutrients are important to our health, and we feel our best when they are balanced together.

One idea that has resulted from fad diets is that calories are separate from macronutrients, which is not the case. A gram of carbohydrate or protein contains 4 calories, and a gram of fat contains 9 calories. The amount of calories in a food depends on how many grams of carbohydrate, fat or protein it contains. Vitamins and minerals are also very important nutrients in maintaining our health, but we need them in smaller amounts and they do not contain calories.

Calories

Calories are a measure of energy. Our bodies need calories to maintain our breathing and brain function. An individuals calorie level is determined by their gender, age, height, current weight and activity level.

Calories also play an important role in growth and development. However, around 30 years of age, once we have stopped growing, our metabolisms slow down about 10% per decade. This means we do not need to eat the same amount of calories we did in our teens and early 20s. If we continue to eat the same amount of food simply out of habit, gradual weight gain will occur.

To learn how many calories you need, use a free online food-logging program to estimate your calories and track what you eat.

Variety, balanceand moderation

Eliminating a nutrient can lead to dietary imbalances or nutrient deficiencies over time, and it is not a necessary approach to better health. Carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. Overall, carbohydrates are an important energy source. They provide both soluble and insoluble fiber important for both heart and digestive health. Whole grains provide B vitamins and phytochemicals, and are a good source of iron. Every color of fruits and vegetables provides different antioxidants that reduce our risk of cancer and improve our cardiovascular health.

Fats improve the flavor and texture of food and give us better appetite control. Ideally, choose monounsaturated sources like olive oil, almonds or avocados. Omega-3 fatty acids, known to decrease inflammation, are commonly found in salmon and most white fish, walnuts, chia and flax seeds.

Finally, protein is important for maintaining a strong, healthy body, and it also helps with appetite control. Choosing lean proteins like chicken, fish, eggs, beans and small portions of nuts keeps fat intake controlled and provides a wider variety of nutrients.

Get back to the basics. A nutrition plan built on science works, and it will support your health for a lifetime.

Niki Kubiak is a sports-certified registered dietitian, competitive runner and owner of Niki Kubiak Sports Nutrition and Weight Loss.

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Forget fad diets and get back to the basics with these nutrition tips - Omaha World-Herald