You’ve seen them out there – the magic diet pills. The supplements guaranteed to boost your metabolism and burn off the fat while you do nothing. The problem with the magic diet pills and magic supplements guaranteed to do all the work for you is that they do not work. In fact, not only do they not work but also they can actually ENDANGER your health.
So with that in mind, here are some ideas of how to modify your diet and what supplements you (especially women) will benefit from as you engage in a fitness program.
First of all, a low-calorie diet should be rich in minerals and vitamins. A recent study demonstrated that women on the go can and do go three to four days between helpings of fresh vegetables and fruits. Women rarely get the amount of daily calcium they need and are low in areas such as folic acid, Vitamin E and the B Complex vitamins.
Vitamins and minerals are vital for the human body’s maintenance. When you are vitamin deficient, your body cannot keep itself in tip-top shape nor can it prevent onset of future problems like osteoporosis. Rather than taking a dozen different individual vitamin supplements a day, it’s important to take one good solid multi-vitamin and maintain a healthy diet. Part of the problem of individual supplements is they contain too much of the nutrients. Multivitamins carry the minimum to max international units (iu) a body needs and allows more utilization. Individual supplements can contain too much and in most cases, the extra is just shed out in the urine.
So if you want to invest in expensive urine that may be the route to go. Other dietary considerations for overall fitness and health can include:
· Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. (1/3 of the overall food intake)
· Eat raw vegetables. If cooking is preferred, choose steaming, microwaving or stir-frying over boiling. (A lot of essential vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables are water-soluble. Boiling them reduces their nutritional value.)
· Frozen vegetables are good candidates for steaming or microwaving. They are usually frozen soon after being picked.
· Eat balanced meals; choose a good starch or bread along with meat or meat substitute and the vegetables.
· Use portions to control the size of the meals.
· Get plenty of protein. Protein is important for building muscle.
· Eat breakfast everyday. Eating at the start of the day helps level out glucose and prevents binging later in the day.
· Dairy products are essential. Be sure to watch calcium uptake for those who are lactose intolerant.
· Drink lots of water. The mouth dries out and feels thirsty up to thirty minutes after the water was initially needed. Drinking plenty of water can also reduce overeating.
· Take a multivitamin every day.
· Get six to eight hours of sleep a night.
· And exercise, of course.