29th January 2007

What Is The Mayo Clinic Diet?

posted in Fitness |

The Mayo Clinic Diet Define Seven Rules of Dieting:

1. Try to have more fruit in your diet than vegetables.
2. Avoid or decrease intake of cholesterol and saturated fats.
3. Watch your intake of salt and sweets.
4. If you drink, be moderate and don’t drink too much.
5. Think about food portion size and make sure meals aren’t too big.
6. Keep an eye on your calories.
7. Make sure to get some kind of physical exercise everyday.

Carbohydrates

These provide most of the energy for your body. Foods such as whole
grains, legumes and many types of beans are called “complex
carbohydrates.” Foods containing these complex carbohydrates are
common in the Mediterranean where the incidence of obesity, heart
disease and diabetes is rare.

You should get 45-65% of your calories everyday from carbohydrates. If you want to keep those carbs balanced, get lots of fruit, milk and complex carbohydrates, and watch your intake of sugar and white flour.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol actually has an important function in the body: to build and maintain cells. Cholesterol helps cells do their work. But, our bodies make pretty much all the cholesterol we need. This means that all the cholesterol from meat, eggs and dairy end up lining the sides of our arteries.

It’s best to take in no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol every day.

Fat

Fat is also useful for the body. It contains energy concentrated,
providing more than protein or carbs. Fat is used in the body to
metabolize certain vitamins. It also contributes to healthy cells and neural pathways in the brain. But, some fats are more damaging than beneficial. Red meat, for example, contains trans and saturated fats, which have lots of cholesterol and can cause heart trouble.

Try to get only 20-35% of your calories from fat everyday, and try to get them from nuts, vegetable oil, fish oil and other non-animal
sources.

Fiber

The tough part of vegetables is fiber. There is both soluble and
insoluble fiber, and you need both. We get fiber from wheat, green
vegetables, fruits, bran and oats. Women should get 21-25 grams of fiber everyday. For men, it’s 30-38
grams.

The real Mayo Clinic recommends a balanced diet of complex carbohydrates, vegetables and moderate servings of meat. It recommends you watch what kind of fat you eat. It is stressful to lose weight suddenly and can cause health complications. The Mayo Clinic recommends losing weight over a longer period of time, so your body has time to adjust to the changes. Diet plans that sell quick weight loss plans should be avoided. Here are some guidelines according to the

Mayo Clinic’s Nutrition Center:

Protein

Protein is important for nearly every part of the body’s system. It’s in your muscles, bones, skin, organs, blood, enzymes and hormones. You get protein from a variety of sources like meat, poultry, legumes, seafood, nuts and seeds.

You should get 10-15% of your daily calories from sources rich in
protein.

Learn more: Prejudice And Obesity, Preventing Overweight, Health Obesity Problems





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