More and more people are now into controlling their weight because of the hazards that obesity brings to their overall health and fitness. One most common forms of controlling weight these days are dieting.

Through the years, dieting has become one of the most popular means of controlling weight to most overweight people in the world. Although there are seemingly countless testimonies of its effects, many experts agree that there are also side effects when controlling weight is not administered properly.

What you need to know about diet and dieting

Dieting refers to the practice of eating or drinking in a regulated manner in order to achieve a specific short-term objective of gaining and or losing size or weight diet, on the other hand refers to the habit of nutritional consumption and focuses more on a long-term goal.

Studies show that the most common objective of dieting is for a person to lose excess body fat. But, there are also kinds of diet that are prescribed in order to achieve a particular medical objective while some dieting are actually designed and prescribed to increase body fat or add up to muscle weight gain.

Diet is actually categorized into two: the weight-loss diets, which restrict the intake of specific foods or food group in order to reduce body weight and the weight-gain diets, which are usually self-imposed in order to achieve a higher weight class.

Aside from that, special cases also require diets especially when it is related to certain medical conditions. Special diets usually include, exclude, or regulate a set of certain chemicals especially from the foods that contain them and are given to people that have chronic diseases such as diabetes and other illnesses such as epilepsy, celiac disease, kidney diseases, and also those who are lactose-intolerant. Other specific types of diet to control weight include low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate diet or Atkins Diet, natural diets, vegetarian diet, and very low calorie diet.

People who are controlling weight should also seek professional help in controlling their weight because dieting because it may lead to prolonged hunger, depression, reduced sex drive, fatigue, irritability, fainting, sinus problems, muscle loss, rashes, bloodshot eyes, gallbladder diseases, and loose folds of skin among others.

Tips managing weight

One of the effective means of achieving health and fitness is once a person knows how to manage or control his or her weight. This is because a controlled weight simply means that one is able to eat balanced meals, healthy foods, and have a regular set of exercise needed to stay fit and healthy. The following are some of the ways that one can control his or her weight:

1. Load up with lots of fluids, especially water. Dehydration makes a person lose appetite and can make him or her lose so much weight which can be harmful to ones overall health. In order to prevent dehydration, a person is advised to drink lots of fluid, especially water.

2. Dont rush when eating. Taking your time while eating can help you relish the foods flavors well and also helps your body to adjust to the food eaten. Once the satiety signal is sent to your brain, you can now eat smaller amounts of food.

3. Eat more at daytime and eat less at nighttime. To achieve optimum health and fitness, it is best if you develop the practice of eating bigger meals daytime to have enough time to burn the whole day. At nighttime, people who are controlling their weight should eat smaller meals at nighttime so you can balance the bodys metabolism and burn the unwanted fats and calories.

TOFU —-HEALTHY FOOD AND DELICIOUS TOO
Chacko Nedumkallel

TOFU —-HEALTHY FOOD AND DELICIOUS TOO

Today people are more health conscious and food habits have undergone a tremendous change. These days meat ,dairy products , eggs etc are used in very limited quantities. This is a trend more common in the Western world. People are looking for a 100 per cent vegetarian healthy alternative to high fat -content and cholesterol producing non-vegetarian diet .

Here comes the unique significance of soybeans and Tofu, a paneer like processed food . Tofu is made exclusively from health giving soyabeans . Therefore from the health point of view Tofu stands out as a complete protein which has all the eight amino acids.

Tofu is exceptionally popular world over and almost one billion people eat it often. No doubt it is free from saturated fat and cholesterol and thousands of people consider it as the primary source of protein.

Tofu is not just a new product.
For hundreds of years it was in use made exclusively from soybeans.
The manufacturing process is this: Soybeans are cooked and crushed to make a rich soyamilk. It is allowed to solidify and later cut into blocks.

Reputed Tofu making demands good packaging. Proper care is being taken to avoid contamination and spoilage. Modern packaging systems are followed by Tofu manufactures . This is essential for protecting the nutrition and flavour of soyabean. It also helps to increase
Tofus shelf lifewithout the use of preservatives and irradiation.
Regular Tofu consumers are aware of all these and that answers the increasing popularity of tasty Tofu .

..Genetically modified ( organism ) soybeans are not used in the manufacture of Tofu. And good quality Tofu is being made from wholesome soyabeans.

High health potential

Tofu is a food with unbelievably high health potential. If a person takes in 25 grams of soya proteins per day it provides complete cardiovascular health. On an average one serve of Tofu provides 6 grams of soya protein.
Several delicious preparations are made of Tofu. For example freeze it for several days for a chicken-like texture. Afterwards it can be grilled or baked
fit to be served as a delicacy that equals any tasty chicken dish.

Like other wholesome food Tofu too is good in fat calories but at the same time it is a low calorie source of protein .
Heart patients are advised to replace animal protein with plant protein and Tofu is considered in this connection as a good source of it.
Tofu has many food qualities. It is a good source of calcium too. And dietitians say that calcium found in Tofu is equally good in comparison to milk or cheese calcium.

Children love it
All children like Tofu because it does not have a flavour of its own. It takes the flavour of other things added to it while being cooked.
Some people replace eggs in their diet with Tofu. Tofu can be used in so many different types of dishes. People prepare fish-free and meat-free
dishes using Tofu and at the same time they taste like meat and fish. —

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About the Author

1982 -1997
Oman Daily Observer
Muscat
1975- 1981
Economic Times India

There is nothing wrong with eating. The problem occurs when the teenager eats too much food that contains fats and sugars which is reason that many become overweight. Studies show that those who are unable to control it want a quick solution. There are quite a few which are not effective and in reality are potentially dangerous.

One example is the vegetarian diet. In essence, there is nothing wrong with however teens who dont know any better have totally removed chicken and meat products from the dish.

Vegetarians believe it or not still need to eat a little meat such as those derived from poultry products and fish. This is because it has the essential nutrients that are needed while a teen is growing up.

Some people tend to forget all that but there is a downside to it. This is because the teenager will have to eat a wide variety of vegetables to compensate for this.

Some teens have tried drinking herbal tea. These products are very similar to laxative pills because the person will frequently be forced to go to the bathroom and get rid of it. Studies have shown that this is unsafe for a teen who will most likely suffer from dehydration or complications in the colon.

Teens are very susceptible to ads seen on television. There are some on the home television shopping network that promise to lose those extra pounds by going on a diet in just two weeks.

These usually focus on a low calorie diet plan. Although there is nothing wrong should this be done for an adult, again, this is harmful for teens. This is because a sudden loss in the calorie intake will prompt the body to take defensive measures and force one to eat a lot later on to compensate of the deficiency.

In fact, the same effects will happen should the teenager even think of going on a starvation diet.

Another unsafe way to lose weight will be vomit out the food that was eaten. This is worse than starving oneself because the body expels hydrochloric acid that burns the throat and the teeth.

So, is there a healthy way for a teen to lose the excess weight? The answer is yes. The first step is admitting to oneself that it has to end and then sharing this problem with members in the family to get the help and support.

Someone may recommend a diet plan that was made by a trained professionals and tested by doctors. There are so many to choose from and some focus more on carbs while others put more emphasis on consuming more proteins.

A healthy diet should have a good follow through with the right exercise. There are various workout programs like lifting weights, attending group classes or burning those calories on the treadmill.

There are also other sports such as basketball, football or swimming that the teen can engage especially when the body can still withstand the pressures of rigorous activity.

There is no such a thing as a fast way to lose weight. The only thing that exists is a safe and healthy one that can make this happen. There will be challenges ahead but this can only be achieved with the help of a trained professional.