Benefits of a balanced diet

The core benefit of a balanced diet is that it does not require extreme dieting, reliance on various supplements, or strict calorie counting. It can maintain a stable weight, good immunity, and sufficient energy throughout the day for a long time. It also has a high error tolerance. Even if you occasionally break the rule and eat a meal high in fat and sugar, your efforts will not be wasted.

When I was working on an Internet project a few years ago, I would order fried chicken with Happy Water, and drink three cups of coffee in a row when I was busy. At that time, I was so sleepy that I hit the keyboard at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I would catch a cold every time the season changed. I gained 12 pounds in half a year, and several indicators in my physical examination report were red. Later, I followed the trend of losing weight and ate boiled vegetables for two months. I lost 6 kilograms of meat, but I couldn't even climb three floors without breathing. My aunt postponed it for half a month. As soon as I resumed eating normally, I immediately regained 8 kilograms. I lost so much hair that I could make a feather duster.

It’s not like I haven’t tried the popular Internet celebrity diets. I’ve tried all of them including ketogenic, low-carb, and intermittent fasting. There are also many loyal fans around me: Ketogenic people say that losing 10 pounds in a month is not a dream. My friend did lose 18 pounds in 3 months through this method. However, the physical examination showed that the triglycerides were high, and the doctor ordered him to immediately add staple food back.； My vegan colleague said that eating a vegetarian diet would cleanse the intestines and detoxify, but the last time I stood up after squatting in the tea room, I fainted immediately. I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, and now I have to take extra iron supplements every day. It’s not that these diets are bad at all. They have their own applicable scenarios – for example, ketosis was originally used to treat epilepsy, and many people adhere to veganism out of faith or environmental protection needs. However, for most of us ordinary people who have to go to work and don’t have so much energy to study nutritional ratios, the adaptability of a balanced diet is much higher.

Don’t think it’s troublesome when you hear “balanced”. It seems like you have to gather 12 kinds of ingredients for every meal. That’s not the case at all. I'm catching the subway in the morning, so I buy a vegetable bag with a tea egg and a cup of sugar-free soy milk from the convenience store downstairs. I have carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins all together, and it's done in 5 minutes. ； When ordering takeout at noon, I choose multi-grain rice from a light food restaurant, half a portion of braised chicken drumsticks, stir-fried spinach and a small plate of cold fungus. Occasionally, if you are craving for food, you can also add Orleans chicken wings. ； I'm too lazy to cook when I get home at night, so I can cook soba noodles with two shrimps and a handful of green vegetables, and it'll be ready in 10 minutes, which is shorter than the time you wait for takeout. There is no need to calculate the ratio of macronutrients, or the number of grams of calories. It is enough to have staple food, protein, and vegetables in every meal.

The most intuitive feeling is that after I adjusted my diet, I don’t have to drink a second cup of coffee until 6pm when working on projects. My mind is still clear and I won’t be groggy and slow to react in the afternoon like before. Last winter, half of the people in the office had fevers and colds. I didn't even have a cough. Last week, when I went for a physical examination, all indicators were within the normal range. The doctor said that I didn't even need to take extra vitamin tablets. Eating enough food is better than taking any supplements. I also had recurring acne before. I gave up sugar for two months but it didn’t get better. Later I replaced half of the white rice with whole grains such as brown rice and corn, and most of it disappeared. I went to ask a friend in the nutrition department and found out that it was inflammation caused by eating too much refined carbohydrates and excessive fluctuations in blood sugar. A balanced diet just solved this problem.

Some people also say that losing weight through a balanced diet is too slow and is not as good as losing 10 pounds in a month through extreme dieting. I think slowness is the advantage. The three friends around me who followed me to adjust their diet have only lost 5-7 pounds in three months. But now more than half a year has passed, no one has rebounded. I don't feel guilty about having hot pot and drinking milk tea on weekends. I don't have to induce vomiting after eating or fast the next day to atone for my sins. This state is much more comfortable than losing the scale in a short period of time.

I was chatting with a nutrition doctor a while ago and he said that too many people are now chasing after the "optimal diet" and always want to find a shortcut to get it right in one step. In fact, there is no universal optimal solution? The best diet is one that allows you to stick to it for a long time, without having to compete with your appetite, and makes you feel good after eating. A balanced diet is the choice with the lowest threshold and the highest error rate. You don't have to disrupt your life rhythm for it, and you don't have to spend a lot of money to buy various supplements. If you slowly adjust it for two months, you can really feel the changes in your body. Isn't this better than tossing those extreme methods that harm the body?