Healthy Eating Diet Plan For Healthy Living

By | June 22, 2009

Healthy Foods And Nutritional Diet Information

I feel weakness due to my thin stature – Can you suggest me some healthy diet plan for becoming healthier?

If you actually feel physically weak for a prolonged period of time, you need to consult your doctor, as there may be something seriously wrong with your health. Even if the problem is only that you are severely underweight, it may be better to consult a medical professional – it is advisable to get a personalized diet plan in such cases, and also look into the reasons why you are so severely underweight. However, if you simply meant that you feel weak in comparison to other people of your age and height, don’t worry – there are plenty of simple diet tips that will help you over a short period of time.

Healthy Diet Tips And Diet Plans

First of all, don’t make the mistake of loading up with fatty foods in an attempt to gain weight, as many people do. What you need to build up is muscle mass, not fat. For this, you need plenty of protein in your diet. Protein is what the body uses to build and maintain muscles, and if you aren’t consuming enough protein, not only will your body be unable to build muscles, but existing muscles will slowly waste away. Women need close to 50 grams of protein a day, and men need closer to 60 grams a day. Since you are underweight and need to build up muscle mass, you can probably add another 10 grams to these figures.

This is of course a rough estimate, which is why a personal consultation and diet plan may be necessary. However, remember that this increased protein consumption needs to be accompanied by exercise. Simply eating lots of protein is useless if the body is not forced to build muscle through regular workouts. Here too, begin very slowly, with mild exercise that your body can handle, and if you are really very weak or malnourished, get medical advice on what is a suitable workout for you.

Foods that are rich in protein are eggs, meat, dairy products, and legumes. If you are a vegetarian, remember that plant foods are not complete sources of protein. This does not mean that you need to start eating meat – you simply need to eat a variety of plant sources of protein, so that the combination gives you all nine essential amino acids.

In addition to this, you of course need to eat plenty of carbohydrates, so that your body has enough energy for your daily activities and your workouts. You essentially need to consume more calories than you burn. For carbohydrates, you should mainly eat whole grain, as well as plenty of fruits and vegetables. These will also give you most of the vitamins and minerals that you need.