The Goodness of a Natural Weight Loss Diet

Fit into a new pair of jeans that is two sizes smaller than your current size! This week we present you with the easiest and safest way to lose weight and keep it off – the natural weight loss diet.

We’d all like to lose weight and lose it fast. The easiest way out, we think, is to follow a diet plan – eat less, exercise more. Pretty soon, we are tired of the fad diet that shows little or no result and we are quick to discard the diet plan along the wayside until another fad diet begins doing the rounds. But, did you know you could save yourself the agony by simply switching to a natural weight loss diet?

Natural weight loss diet – summarized

Eating healthy is a way of life that requires some doing. Your serving sizes of food must include foods from all the food groups: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean meats and low calorie diary products should form part of your regular diet. Experts recommend eating large servings of fruits and vegetables and rightly so. Fruits and vegetables are the richest source of vitamins, minerals and fiber which is good for your body.

Nothing in life is easy! Changing over from your current high fat, healthy diet plan to a natural weight loss diet would be anything but easy. Our advice would be to make a small change every day and complete the process over a period of a week. For example, reduce your fat intake (deep fried foods, cookies, pastries, soda) and replace it with tasty crunchy colorful salads and low fat milk or non-flavored, non-sweetened yogurt. Replace soda with natural, freshly made fruit juice.

Fruits and Vegetables make up the Natural Weight Loss Diet

According to MyPlate, the present nutrition guide of the US Department of Agriculture, your food plate must consist of 30% whole grain, 30% vegetables, 20% lean meats or proteins and 20% of fruits with a small portion of dairy products. USDA recommends that you fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. This is in keeping with a natural weight loss program. Fruits and vegetables are great for you. Not only do they give you the essential minerals and vitamins, they also provide the essential roughage. Fruit and vegetables are much easier to digest rather than meat.

Perhaps it is a great idea to look at fruits and vegetables as a natural weight loss plans. From rosy red apples to red bell peppers and leafy greens, you have it all in a multitude of color. Indeed, your natural weight loss diet is a riot of color; surely much more appetizing than some of the dull and uninteresting foods you may have to endure if you are on a specific diet and weight loss diet plan.

Natural Weight Loss Diet: Eat Natural Foods rather than Processed Foods

Make way for wholesome natural foods in your diet. Use whole grain in your cooking rather than refined flours. Substitute white bread with whole wheat bread. Use honey to sweeten your drinks rather than refined sugars. Plant based proteins found in nuts and legumes are a better option than proteins from animal sources. Drink plenty of water (at least eight glasses) each day. Not only does water keep you hydrated, it helps flush out the toxins from your body. Go for iced herbal tea or green tea instead of the colas and shakes.

And finally, complement your Natural Weight Loss Diet with Exercise

To lose weight, you must back up your natural weight loss diet with exercise. While some people may like to go to the gym regularly, others may prefer to include the exercise in their daily routine by cycling or walking to work. Yet others may join a yoga class or simply walk the dog daily. The key is to pick out a physical activity that you like and one that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine.

Check out also for Healthy eating diets and Weight management programs

Don’t Let Diet Plans Confuse You

If you’re confused by weight loss programs you’re not alone. There are so many different types of diets and programs that it’s no wonder there’s confusion. Some try to convince you that the answer is low fat, low carb, whereas others will preach the opposite.

The important thing to remember is to choose a diet which is correct for your lifestyle.

Each diet or program has some advantages and disadvantages. In a program such as Jenny Craig or NutriSystem, you’re being closely monitored and will eat specific meals designed for your weight loss.

However, if you’re on the Zone or Atkins Diets, you will have to monitor and prepare your own meals. Your choice might also be a financial consideration as well. Most programs such as Jenny Craig or NutriSystem will cost you more than the Zone or Atkins, as they prepare your food for you.

To eliminate confusion on choosing a tailored program or a specific diet, you might first want to consult your physician to discuss what the best options for you might be.

Your physician might ask you to add a fitness program to your diet as well, or may require you to choose a specific diet if you have certain health issues.

Meeting with your physician is especially important before starting a diet, especially if your goal is to lose weight significantly.

Once you’ve decided on either a program or a specific diet, you’ll then be able to tailor your program or diet to meet your lifestyle and achieve the desired results.


John Rifkind is a contributing editor at FitnessHealthArticles.com. This article may be reproduced provided that its complete content, links and author byline are kept intact and unchanged. No additional links permitted. Hyperlinks and/or URLs must remain both human clickable and search engine spiderable.

The Raw Food Diet

The raw diet, is based on consuming unprocessed, preferably organic, whole plant-based foods, at least 75 per cent of which should be uncooked. Raw and living foods are believed to contain essential food enzymes. It is based on raw nuts, fruits, and various varieties of beans.

People who follow the raw diet for losing weight employ particular techniques for preparing their food. They include sprouting seeds, grains and beans; soaking nuts and dried fruits; and juicing fruits and vegetables. The only cooking that is accepted is via a dehydrator. This equipment blows hot air through the food but never reaches a temperature higher than 116°F. Other techniques required to prepare raw food are blending, juicing and chopping.

What You Need To Go On The Raw Diet

1. Meal plans. Following a raw food diet means that you will have to carefully plan your meals to make sure you do not fall short of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

In some instances it might also be appropriate to consider taking dietary supplements.

2. Equipment. You will need to invest in some appliances so that you’re able to prepare the food.

o A durable juice extractor for your fruit and vegetables
o A blender or a wooden spoon and sieve to crush and blend ingredients
o A food processor or chopper to save you time and effort
o Large containers to soak and sprout grains, seeds and beans
o Glass jars or Tupperware for storing your sprouts

Promoters of the raw diet believe that enzymes are the life force of a food and that every food contains its own perfect mix of them. These enzymes help us digest the food completely, without relying on our body to produce its own cocktail of digestive enzymes.

It’s also thought that the cooking process destroys vitamins and minerals and that cooked foods not only take longer to digest, but they also allow partially digested fats, proteins and carbohydrates to clog up our guts and arteries.

Followers of a raw diet mention numerous health benefits, including increased energy levels, improved appearance of skin, improved digestion, and weight loss. Clearly the raw food diet has many benefits.


John Rifkind is a contributing editor at FitnessHealthArticles.com. This article may be reproduced provided that its complete content, links and author byline are kept intact and unchanged. No additional links permitted. Hyperlinks and/or URLs must remain both human clickable and search engine spiderable.