How To Alter Your Diet Based on The Malaysian Food Pyramid!

In Malaysia, the food pyramid mostly consists of foods that are either too sugary or too oily. This over the years has become a growing issue and if anything, has reached the peak of its side effects now. Malaysia is one of the top 10 countries in the world with issues surrounding obesity and the problem with leading an unhealthy lifestyle that for some people, is what they live with the entirety of their life span. This is something that needs to be changed quickly or it could send many fellow Malaysians down an uneventful end. The food pyramid in Malaysia also effectively shows that oil and sugar are consumed the most by Malaysians.
These means fried foods, junk food of all sorts, soda and so on are a growing trend amongst the youth of the country. Altering your diet may seem like a huge change from what you have been accommodated with and been used to from a long time. But in reality, it is all about taking that first step and having the mindset to make a change to your lifestyle and the type of food you take. Altering your diet means that you will cut down on the oily food that you are used to and out aside excessive sugar in exchange for a balanced and nutritious diet. This means that you will be increasing your intake of fruits, vegetable and proteins that help your body remain healthier in the longer run of things and it will help you stay fit for your age. First, we are going to look at the side effects that you will encounter when you simply choose to continue with an unhealthy diet and the risks of poor nutrition.

THE RISKS AND SIDE EFFECTS OF AN UNHEALTHY DIET
Let’s admit it, after you come home from a long day at work, it may be very tempting to order some food or grab takeout and have that. After all, who would want to go through all the effort of cooking and cleaning up when you are tired and exhausted? Consuming fast food occasionally is not harmful, but indulging too much in it can result in an unhealthy diet. Unhealthy diets can be very harmful and dangerous as well as have long-term effects on your health. The effects of an unhealthy lifestyle can sometimes result in obvious changes in your physicality, such as acne, bloating and weight gain. Certain unhealthy diets, like those connected to too much fast food, can result in obesity and to similar related diseases. According to researches, being overweight or obese can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke and many other issues. Obvious physical changes do not occur to everyone. However, just because the effects of unhealthy eating are not yet obvious that does not mean that they are not happening. It is possible to implement an unhealthy diet and lifestyle for a long time and suddenly experience its effects.

According to a research conducted, junk foods and fast foods are a leading factor of malnutrition. Malnutrition is one of the biggest problems of unhealthy eating and can lead to diseases like scurvy. Caused by a deficiency in vitamin C, scurvy can happen to people who opt for carbohydrate-rich diets, avoiding fresh fruit and vegetables. An unhealthy diet will not immediately cause scurvy. You would have to be vitamin C deficient for about three months before getting this disease. Nutrient deficiencies can also leave you with long-term effects. According to another study by a University, certain vitamins and minerals can reduce your chances of diseases that appear later in life, such as osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D contribute to bone health and can lessen the risk of developing osteoporosis as you age.

HOW TO ALTER YOUR DIET
After going through the side effects of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, we will go over certain tips and tricks that could help you make the shift from an unhealthy diet to a much more nutritious one. First of all, you need to realize that you will be in need of adding a number of healthier options into your diet and leaving out foods that are sugary, oily, fast foods and so on. One of the methods people do not pay attention to in order to make your diet healthier is in fact, by eating slower.

The fact is the pace at which you eat influences how much you eat, as well as how likely you are to gain weight. In fact, studies comparing different eating speeds shows that faster eaters are up to 115% more likely to be obese than slower eaters. Your appetite to eat, how much you eat and how full you get is all controlled by your hormones. Your hormones signal your brain whether you are hungry or full. And a lot of people also tend to go by the principal that the slower you eat, the more full you will feel. The increased amount of chewing makes your brain think that you are full simply because of your eating speed. Besides that, you can also simply make your diet a bit healthier by opting for whole grain bread in place of traditional refined-grain bread. As opposed to refined grains, which have been connected to many health issues, whole grains have been linked with a variety of health benefits, including reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

hey are also a better and good source of fiber, B vitamins and several different minerals, namely such as zinc, iron, magnesium and manganese. Increasing your intakes of eggs as well, preferably for breakfast can be a great deal of help and it can boost your diet. Eggs are very healthy as they supply you with a number of nutrients that people are often not able to get with other sources of food. Protein is also often considered as the king of nutrients, and it does seem to have some power over a diet. Due to its capability to affect your hunger and satiety hormones, it is the most filling of the macronutrients. Also, protein helps you retain your muscle mass, which determines your metabolic rate. A high protein intake may tend to increase the number of calories that you burn by 80–100 per day. Amazing sources of protein also include dairy products, peanut butter, beans, eggs, nuts and lean meat. You also need to increase the amounts of water that you drink on a daily basis. Drinking plenty and proper amounts of water is very important for your health. Many studies have shown that drinking water can actually benefit weight loss, weight maintenance and even slightly increasing the number of calories that you burn daily.

Besides that, a better way to ensure that you eat your greens is to have them as a starter. By doing so, you will most likely eat up all of your greens while you are the hungriest and be driven to eat less of other, perhaps lesser healthy, parts of the meal. This can possibly lead you to eat fewer and healthier calories as a whole, which may result in weight loss. Sugary beverages and sodas might possibly be the unhealthiest thing that you can drink. They are full with liquid sugar, which has been connected to numerous diseases, including heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Also, your brain does not register any liquid calories the same way it registers solid calories. This means you do not compensate for the calories you drink by eating any less. Try changing your sugary beverages with either a sugar-free alternative or just choose still or sparkling water instead. Doing so will shave off the extra calories and reduce your excessive sugar intakes. And lastly, always make it a habit to go for fresh fruits over dried ones as the fresher ones are free of unnecessary preservatives that will not benefits you. And also, always remember to have a good night’s sleep.

In a nutshell, altering your diet does not mean that you will need to cut yourself off from everything that you like or want. It simply means that you need to be more organized with your meals, eat better and have certain things in moderation. This will lead you to a better and healthier lifestyle that changes things for your own future and wellbeing.