Nutrition, Diet Types, and Metabolic Health

Dietary Types and Healthy Eating

A diet is the type of food and the amount of each that a person usually consumes every day.

Characteristics of a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet has the following characteristics:

• Complete: Eating all types of food from the food wheel.
• Balanced: It consists of 60% carbohydrates, 25% fatty acids, and 15% proteins.
• Hydration: We should drink 1.5 liters of water daily.
• Frequency: We should eat five times a day.

There is not just one healthy diet, as it depends on the physical condition, age, and health of the individual.

The Mediterranean Diet

A Mediterranean diet is a healthy diet followed by people from Mediterranean regions. It consists of:

• Bread, legumes, and cereals
• Fruit and vegetables
• Olive oil
• Fish proteins (more than meat proteins)
• Limited sugars

Specialized Diets

Going on a hypocaloric diet consists of providing the body with fewer carbohydrates and lipids. This type of diet is recommended for overweight people in order to lose weight.

A laxative diet is for people who suffer from constipation. Other types of diets include low-cholesterol diets and bland diets.

Energy Consumption of the Human Body

Total energy consumption can be calculated by adding a person's basal metabolism plus the energy used in daily activities.

Basal metabolism is the energy used by a person daily to carry out their vital functions (breathing, heart pumping, etc.) when they are at complete rest.

Formula to Calculate Basal Metabolism

• Women: Basal Metabolism (kcal) = weight (kg) × 23
• Men: Basal Metabolism (kcal) = weight (kg) × 24

Eating Disorders

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health. Excessive body weight is associated with various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory diseases.

Malnutrition (or denutrition) is a medical condition in which there is a lack of nutrients. It is the main cause of child death in poor countries.

Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person thinks they are very fat even if they are very skinny. They do not eat the amount of food that their body needs. It can be treated by psychologists and nutritionists.

Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a person has regular episodes of eating a very large amount of food, during which the person feels a loss of control over eating. The person then uses different ways, such as vomiting or laxatives, to prevent weight gain. They may also suffer from anorexia.