Most people regard dieting as a continuous pattern of pushing down diet pills and eating a starvation diet. It's no such thing. Dieting can be described as an organized and controlled way of eating selected food in order to be able to manage weight.

The main reason for a person to be dieting is because they want to lose weight - either for health reasons or to improve one's physical appearance, sometimes to make oneself attractive to the opposite sex.

There's nothing difficult about being on a diet - all it needs is will power to persevere, and to have the foresight to be able to see and understand the benefits. Once that is understood, the gradual loss in weight provides a continuous motive for keeping going. And it acts as an incentive for others to diet.

Many people, at one time during their lives, go on a diet. Whilst most people are successful, many have difficulty in persisting - either through lack of will-power or motivation; perhaps through an unsuitable diet or an expensive meal plan.

A diet program should be able to achieve a gradual but steady weight reduction. However, this should be complemented with a regular program of exercise or physical activity. This can take many forms but the critical aspect is regularity. The easiest form of exercise is to take a walk. Start slowly for a short distance, then build it up into a brisk pace, walking for about an hour.

A good diet is one that eliminates all excess fat from the food; reduces the amount of salt in the food; cuts down on the amount of processed food eaten; and consists of plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. And this should be done without minimizing the quantity of essential vitamins and trace elements. These are required for the maintenance of good, general heath. It's no use losing weight if other aspects of a person's health suffers.

There are many magazines and books around that give advice and recipes for people wanting to lose weight. Diets plans published by recognized health and nutrition organizations, particularly semi-government bodies, take care of the need for adequate vitamins and minerals, and for this reason are immensely popular.

A nutritious and well balanced diet plan should contain all the necessary supplements needed to maintain and enhance good health - carbohydrates, protein, the right fats, and the necessary vitamins and minerals. Lets have a look at these in more detail:

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide the bulk of a diet, although some may be regarded as being 'good', others as being 'bad'. The 'good' carbohydrates include, fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Whole grains are contained in products such as whole wheat breakfast cereal food, grain bread, grain crackers, whole wheat pasta, brown rice and any product made with whole grains. Legumes consist of dried beans and peas (not the tinned varieties), lentils, raw nuts with peanuts being one of the best.
All of these four food groups contain a wide range of the necessary essential vitamins and trace elements.

The 'bad' carbohydrates are found in baked products, fizzy drinks, highly processed snack foods, and a whole host of other foods that offer no nutritional value whatsoever. The consumption of these products should be kept to an absolute minimum.

Proteins
Proteins come from a variety of animal products such as red and white meats; fish, fresh and tinned; eggs; dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurts; fruit and vegetables; nuts and whole grain products. Care should be taken in selecting meats - eat only low-fat meats and definitely not poultry skin.

Oils and Fats
Fats and oils are both necessary for good health and well being. Like carbohydrates, there are 'good' fats and 'bad' fats.

The 'bad' fats are the saturated fats and trans fats. Both have a dangerous effect on a person's health by increasing the levels of 'bad' cholesterol which leads to heart disease. Saturated fats are found in baked products, fatty meats, rich dairy products, and deep-fried foods. Trans fats are produced during the manufacture of processed food products.

The 'good' fats are the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats decrease the level of cholesterol in the blood, thus helping to reduce heart disease. For example replace butter with either olive or canola oil in cooking.

Monounsaturated fats are found in oils such as olive, canola, and peanut; margarines made from olive oil and canola oil; and nuts such as peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews and almonds.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in fish and other sea foods; margarines made from polyunsaturated oils; oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn: and some varieties of nuts.
Omega-3 fats are polyunsaturated fats found in oily fish. Whilst research into the benefits of omega-3 is ongoing, nutritionists believe that this fat has many aspects that aid good health.

Knowledge of the beneficial aspects, or otherwise, of these components is vital to ensure the correct food is eaten.