A Free Healthy Natural Diet

There are many expensive diets on the market that require you to purchase strange foods, books, DVDs and other materials. While these diets may work for some in the short term, when the diets are abandoned, weight comes back. A healthy natural diet is not something you need to pay to learn about. It is actually quite simple to put together and your body will thank you.

Calculate Your Caloric Needs

Begin planning your natural diet by calculating your caloric needs. Eat normally and keep a food diary for two weeks, writing down everything you eat and how many calories are in all of your foods. Weigh yourself each week. If your weight is stable, you'll know that you are currently eating the number of calories required to maintain your weight. If you are gaining weight, reduce your calories until you are maintaining your weight. If you are losing weight, calculate how much weight you are losing, keeping in mind that 3,500 calories equals one pound. Finally, calculate how many calories to eat each day to achieve the weight goals you have. For instance, if you want to lose a pound per week, creating a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day will give you that kind of weight loss.

Create a Balanced Food Group Goal

Once you have calculated your caloric needs, take the time to sit down and plan a balanced food group goal for each day. Use the food pyramid or guidelines from your family physician. Make a checklist for each food group so that you can track what you are eating each day.

Go Organic

Pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics and other chemicals can overload your body and make it harder for it to work properly. By eating organically, your body can focus on achieving or maintaining health, utilizing nutrients and losing weight.

Abandon Processed Foods

Forget buying foods that come in a box, can or from the frozen section. Purchase foods in their whole natural form. It is better to eat organic fresh vegetables than to eat a chemical laden frozen version. It's better to eat organic whole oats than to eat crackers from the snack aisle. If possible, buy your produce, meats and dairy through a health food co-op or directly from the farmer. You will know exactly where your food is coming from and what is in it.

Be Forgiving

As you embark on your new healthy and natural way of living, realize that you are human. If you can keep up your good eating habits 80 or 90 percent of the time, your body will thank you. Do not dismay if you have an off day or decide to splurge and eat pizza. Realize that you can eat healthfully at your next meal and be right back on track.