Diet Charts

A diet chart is a very useful method of determining and meeting one's nutritional requirements. There are various types of diet charts and while many of them are used for weight loss, several of them can also be used to treat and prevent illnesses. A diet chart can also be used to track faulty eating habits so that they can be corrected. When drawing up a diet chart, it is essential to consider various factors such as your height, weight, age, gender, level of daily exercise, and your short term and long term goals. Once you have determined your daily nutritional requirement you can plan your meals accordingly. The details of some of these diet charts are listed below.

Diet Chart For Weight Loss

It is quite simple to come up with a diet chart to lose weight as long as you have realistic goals. Include plenty of low calorie and high nutrition foods in your diet as they will help you to meet your nutritional requirement without causing excessive weight gain. A weight loss diet chart should contain all the essential nutrients you require but will contain fewer calories than what you require. This calorific deficit forces your body to utilize fat reserves to provide you with the energy you require. Foods like broccoli cabbage, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers should form a large part of your diet. Make sure that you also include plenty of fruits and low fat desserts in your diet chart.Several weight loss diet plans such as the juice fast and the general motors diet plan that you can use to kick start a weight loss diet plan.

Weight Gain Diet Chart

People who put on weight easily tend to envy thin people as they associate thinness with glamour and sex appeal. However, being thin can be very unattractive and can even cause a number of health problems. Many thin people try to put on weight by bingeing on unhealthy fried foods and snacks in the hope of gaining a few precious pounds. However, this is a very unhealthy method of weight gain and it can result in the uneven distribution of fatty tissue. This means that the person will remain thin but may develop a paunch. You can follow a daily diet chart for weight gain that has a higher calorie count and meets all your daily nutritional requirements. Your main meals should be medium to large size servings of dishes that contain wholegrain pasta, yam, potatoes, brown rice, cassava, and muesli, as these are healthy and carbohydrate rich foods. You can also include healthy fats in your diet as this will help to increase your daily calorie intake. You can cook your food with a liberal amount of olive oil or you can make a rich salad dressing with olive oil and lemon juice. Chicken sandwiches with homemade mayonnaise or peanut butter sandwiches are excellent high calorie snack options.

Balanced Diet Chart

A balanced diet chart is generally used by those who are at their ideal body weight and wish to maintain it. A balanced diet chart is one that meets all your nutritional as well as your daily calorie needs. You can make a healthy diet chart by planning your meals so that they contain a variety of nutrient rich foods. Your main meals can contain chicken, cottage cheese, tofu, eggs, or fish. If you exercise daily, you can include more proteins in your diet as this will help to build muscle mass. A balanced diet chart is considered to be especially useful for weightlifters and athletes. A balanced diet chart for children is also very useful as it ensures the proper growth and development of the child.

Diet And Exercise Chart

A diet and exercise chart is generally recommended for those people who are trying to gain or lose weight. However, anyone can follow this type of a chart as it helps to increase an individual's fitness levels and improve their overall health. A diet and exercise schedule should not only include the types of food and exercises you incorporate in your day to day life but also the timing for your meals and workout sessions. This type of a diet and exercise schedule will help to follow a daily routine. A daily routine can become monotonous if there is no variety to it, and so you should make sure that there is plenty of variety in your exercise workouts as well as your diet. Have different healthy breakfast foods each day as this will ensure that you start your day well and this will help you to stick to your exercise and diet plan. You can have a cardio workout session on one day, an aerobic session on the next, and a yoga session on third. This variety will help to keep your exercise sessions interesting. You can also go to a gym or go swimming once a week.

Diet Chart For Pregnant Women

Once a woman conceives, her nutritional requirements change as she has to ensure that her nutritional requirements as well as her baby's nutritional requirements are met. Folic acid is a very important nutrient that must be present in a diet chart as it helps to prevent birth defects. You can include foods like spinach, kale, and beans in your daily diet to help meet your daily folic acid requirements. Pregnancy increases a woman's risk of infection and Vitamin C is invaluable in boosting the immune system and fighting off infection. Unlike other vitamins that are stored in the body, Vitamin C is water soluble and needs to be consumed on a daily basis and so it is important to include foods that are rich in Vitamin C in a pregnancy daily diet chart. Iron is another important nutrient in a pregnancy diet plan as it helps to prevent anemia during pregnancy. Foods like broccoli, dates, raisins, and green leafy vegetables must also be a part of your daily diet plan. Calcium is essential for the proper development of a baby's bones and teeth and so dairy products form an important part of a pregnancy daily diet plan. Milk and yogurt should be included in your pregnancy diet chart as these will help to provide you with the calcium you require. If you are lactose intolerant, make sure that you mention this to your doctor who will be able to suggest alternatives.

Baby Diet Chart

A baby has special nutritional requirements to help support his/her development and growth. As the baby grows older, his/her nutritional requirements will keep changing. To ensure that your little one receives adequate nutrition, you can follow a baby diet chart. Baby formula along with fortified baby cereal and breast milk can form the first solid foods for your baby. After that you can lightly steam and then puree fruits such as apples and bananas and feed this to your baby. Add a little milk to the pureed fruits so that it is easier for your child to swallow and digest. Once your baby is about 8 months, you can include very small amounts of steamed and blended poultry products to the baby diet chart you are using. Once your baby is about 10 months old, you can start including mashed vegetables and hard boiled eggs that are finely chopped.

Diabetes Diet Chart

In most cases, diabetes is a lifelong condition that can be controlled but not cured. There is a lot of controversy when it comes to a diet for diabetes as research on several diabetes diet plans is still inconclusive. There are however, certain diabetes diet facts that have been proven. It has been seen that a diabetic diet that is high in soluble dietary fiber and low in saturated fat is extremely beneficial in controlling diabetes. People suffering from diabetes are therefore advised to include brown rice and whole grain cereal in their daily diet to help control their blood glucose levels. Fried food, especially junk food, must be completely avoided as these foods are generally high in saturated fats. People with diabetes are also advised to limit their intake of certain foods like cornflakes, baked potatoes, white bread, and white rice cereal products as these are high-GI foods that cause spikes in blood sugar levels. Instead, diabetics are advised to follow a diet chart for diabetes that contains vegetables, legumes, whole grain flour products, brown rice, milk, nuts, and foods that have a low carbohydrate content. These foods are classified as low GI foods and release glucose slowly and so this does not cause a sudden spike in blood sugar levels.

In addition to following a diet chart, you can keep a diet diary as this will help to pinpoint problem areas in your dietary habits. If you have not been following a diet plan, you can keep a diet diary for a week before you start your new diet. Before you plan your diet chart, go through your diet diary and understand your eating habits. If you notice that you tend to have a large mid-day snack or an evening snack, you can include a healthy snack in your diet chart for these times.