By Alia Syahira Â
With the advancement of technology and up-to date lifestyle, most people now dream to have a perfect body figure. The power of mass media that keep showing the example of perfect body among celebrities has somewhat influenced our perspective about the true meaning of dietary.
People tend to eat less by not taking the right proportion of nutrition according to the food pyramid. They think that by avoiding to eat may save them from fatal diseases such as diabetes, heart problem and high blood pressure. However, they do not realise the real consequences that may occur if they keep on practicing a bad diet. It may cause gastric, headache, and dehydration. Malay proverb once says, ‘Perut kenyang, hati senang’ is to portray the happiness after we are full.
Based on my personal experience when I was in my first semester, I kept on motivating myself to have a perfect figure like what the media always show. Therefore, I took a risk by only eating bread and forgetting my favourite dish, rice for a whole month. After a month, I got what I wished for. A perfect and ideal body. So after I have seen the result, I kept on motivating myself to continue with the bad diet without thinking the effect of not having a balanced diet. Day by day, I thought my dream came true. However, it was the other way round. My dream took away my future. I was diagnosed as having gastric due to my bad diet.
I believed that experience is the best teacher. It is important to understand the meaning of balanced diet according to the food pyramid. A balanced diet means consume the right types and amount of food in order to supply nutrition and energy for our body. Besides, it is also to maintain the effectiveness of body cells, tissues, and organs. Not forgotten, balanced diet will assist normal growth and development. Remember, diet is not all about looking perfect in someone’s eyes, but it is the right way of eating in order to have a healthy body.
Ways to eat healthy
1. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Research shows that eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies provides a boon of benefits, including protection against cancer, heart disease, and the effects of aging. “Ultimately, the food pyramid recommends a total of nine servings of fruits and vegetables,” says Lisa Young, PhD, author of The Portion Teller Plan and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. Make sure that we have just one vegetable or fruit with each meal. It means that we need to add a banana or any kind of fruits to our morning cereal or putting tomato and lettuce in our lunch.
2. Eat more fiber
Not only can fiber keep us full, it can also help us to lose weight as well as lower our risk for cancer. An easy way to fit more fiber into our diet is to swap out white bread for whole grains. When reading the ingredient list on bread make sure the first ingredient reads ‘whole’ grain. Whole grains have three parts which are bran, germ and endosperm that work together to prevent disease and may also help keep you at a healthy weight.
3. Take vitamin
When we can’t fit an array of healthy foods into our diet, “a multivitamin is a good idea,” says Young. Vitamin B can boost our energy, vitamin E helps stave off heart disease and breast cancer. Vegetarians and women over 35 are at risk for iron deficiency, and all women can benefit from calcium.
4. Plan ahead
If we as students don’t have time between classes to get something to eat, whip up a bread with jam or we can bring fruits and veggies to snack on. Make sure that we eat before we go to class in order to give energy to our body.
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) emphasised the behaviour of eating less as a method of preventing sickness and diseases. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is reported to have said:
“Eat less you will be healthier.” (Hadith)
“Nothing is worse than a person who fills his stomach. It should be enough for the son of Adam to have a few bites to satisfy his hunger. If he wishes more, it should be: one-third for his food, one-third for his liquids, and one-third for his breath.” (Tarmazi, ibn Majah and Hakim)
In a nutshell, beauty cannot be judged by looking at what we have seen through our naked eyes. The most important thing is we know other things based on their inner beauties. Therefore, to stay healthy, we should increase our knowledge and decision making ability about health issues and dietary.
Perfect figure cannot be shaped in just a short period of time. It must go through certain process of eating the right food, exercise, and repeating the exact routine. So, challenge yourself to get what you dream for. You are the one who determine which route you want to take. The healthy route, or the risky one?***
 Photo taken from LaudableBits