Search
logo
Search
The article is in preview mode

Is there an ideal diet?

Homepage Articles Is there an ideal diet?

Is there an ideal diet?

New diets are being created all the time, each promising to be the best, but not necessarily fulfilling that promise, but is there an ideal diet that has only a positive impact on health and can be used by everyone?

Table of Contents

1. What's a diet?

The diet, although usually associated with weight loss therapy or an episode of dietary restriction, is simply a way of eating. There are different types of diets. Not all of them will be reductive. However, the ones that are most popular are usually reduced in calories or eliminate certain groups of products.

2. Is there a perfect diet?

First of all, we need to answer the question: what makes a particular diet ideal? When it comes to diet, its most important task is to be properly nutritious, i.e. to provide all the necessary nutrients and minerals and vitamins. Well, it also has a positive effect on health. Depending on the needs, it should help reduce, maintain or increase body weight. Although it may seem quite improbable, the ideal diet actually exists. What should be emphasized is that it is not universal.

3. How do you create your own perfect diet?

In practice, creating your own ideal diet may not be that simple because it has to meet quite a few criteria, but with a little patience and enough nutritional knowledge, you can plan it in a few steps.

4. Check your energy needs

If you want a diet to be perfect and tailored to your individual needs, you first need to know how many kilocalories it needs to deliver. To do that, you need to calculate the Total Change of Matter (CPM). There are many calculators available online that will make it easy to estimate it. But you have to remember that the resulting value can vary slightly from reality due to e.g. the wrong level of physical activity, so take a margin of error.

5. Take care of a balanced menu

A well-balanced diet is one that provides adequate amounts of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. However, when it comes to fats and carbs, it should be 0.81.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight (this will be different for professional trainers). It's best to use a variety of sources of this macronutrient, which, depending on your preference, can be animal or vegetable.

6. Remember the diversity

The more varied the diet, the less likely the shortage will be. To take care of a varied menu, it is worthwhile to write down the menu for a week and check which products are most frequently repeated. Then you need to think about how to replace them. If you prefer potatoes for your main meal, change them for cassava, rice or potato. If the main source of protein in the menu is chicken, you should go after it instead of tofu or fried chicken.

7. Fruit and vegetables are the basis

Although their selection is mainly a matter of individual preferences and tolerance (e.g. raw onions and garlic are not recommended in reflux disease), they should still be the basis of every meal. At least 450 g of vegetables and fruits should be consumed during the day (vegetables should be the majority). They are a valuable source of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants that protect against cancers and chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity (M. del Rio Celestino, R. Font 2020).

8. Minimum number of processed products

Processed foods (such as instant, sweet, or salty snacks) are usually not particularly nutritious contain few vitamins and minerals, and quite a few calories. In addition, they are mostly rich in trans fats, simple sugars, and large amounts of salt, which in excess have adverse effects on the bloodstream.

9. The diet should be tasty and satisfying

In order for a diet to be ideal, it has to be tailored to individual preferences. It's hard to talk about it when it's not tasty. It may seem wrong to think that healthy food and delicious foods don't go together. Because of the large selection of raw products, spices and herbs, you can easily create dishes that are not only nutritious, but also that taste just fine. Because the taste value is an individual matter and depends on your sensory sensitivity and the distribution of your tasting cups.
Source

Brueck H., More evidence that no best diet exists: A study of 1,100 people shows how everyone responds differently to common foods, businessinsider.com/what-is-the-best-diet-no-such-thing-2019-6 (15.03.2022).
del Rio-Celestino M., Font R., The Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables, „Foods” 2020, 9(3), 369.
Jarosz M. et al., Normy żywienia dla populacji Polski i ich zastosowanie, pod red. Jarosza M. et al., Warszawa 2020.
Pagoto Sh., The Perfect Diet Does Not Exist. Why we need to end the diet debates, psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shrink/201308/the-perfect-diet-does-not-exist (15.03.2022).
Sacks F.M. et al., Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association, „Circulation” 2017, 136(3), 1–23.
Sartorius B. et al., Carbohydrate intake, obesity, metabolic syndrome and cancer risk? A two-part systematic review and meta-analysis protocol to estimate attributability, „BMJ Open” 2016, 6(1), epub.
Scientifically, What Would Be Considered The Perfect Diet?, forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/02/27/scientifically-what-would-be-considered-the-perfect-diet/?sh=224094cc640e (15.03.2022).