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SHANE

Diet, to me, means I’m dying for a few weeks. For me, I tend to go on a Paleo diet from time to time. I doubt its healthy to keep going on then off then back on just to go off after weeks or months of just being on the diet. Diet means losing weight to improve health and can mean cutting certain foods out of daily meals that you would or usually eat. In my Paleo diet, I would tend to base my meals on fish which means a lot more protein and A LOT of fruits, vegetables and try to cut out as much carbohydrates as I can. Carbohydrates consist of white bread, cake, and cookies, overall it would be refined grains. Nutritionists now recognize high intake of refined carbohydrates and fructose sweeteners processed from cornstarch is contributing to the increase of obesity in the United States. Although I would love to add more carbs to my Paleo diet, I wouldn’t honestly, it’s worked for me but I could probably try to make it a little easier, although being in the military makes it a lot harder than It needs to be. I am a very active person as well as physically active due to my job as well so looking at the Paleo diet, I would say no, it is not appropriate for my lifestyle currently due to the fact that I need those carbs for the energy it provides when running in gear or just my overall daily life. The reason why I would choose to add more carbs would just so that I could have that much more energy, especially with it being the preferred energy source for the body (Mader 185). Has anyone ever tried going on a Paleo diet as well? How hard was it for you? What diet are you on or have tried?

AMANDA

The term diet is defined as the particular food and drink you are limited to when you cannot eat or drink whatever you want ("Diet," 2017). My diet is usually a simple one. It isn't something I do sporadically as some people may think when they hear the word "diet". I try to have four cups of green vegetables, three and a half cups of protein,a cups of fruit, a cup of starches/carbohydrates, and one fourth cup of healthy fats. I also try to drink 72 ounces of water daily. Using this diet I typically intake 1200 to 1400 calories a day. According to Harvard T.H. Chan, my diet is on the right track for a healthy lifestyle. The website states that each meal contains half a cup of vegetables and fruits, a quarter cup of starches, a quarter cup of protein, and drink plenty of water. According to Health.gov I do not intake the amount of calories it suggests. For my age and activity level, I should consume 2,400 calories a day. In my personal opinion, I believe that is way too much even though I exercise on a regular basis. My goal is to increase the amount of citrus fruits in my diet. I chose citrus fruits for many reasons. Some of these reasons include, but are not limited to: disease prevention, increased immunity system, cell production and growth, and it promotes digestion. Overall I believe my diet promotes a healthy lifestyle.

VINCENT

According to some experts from Harvard University diet means “what we should eat to attain optimal health and weight.” (The Best Diet, 2013).  My diet is on and off and it is based on my sleep schedule.  Sometimes I wake and have time for breakfast and most of the time I don’t and end up grabbing a fruit or nothing at all.  I believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it should consist of “high-quality foods” such as “vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and healthy sources of protein” (The Best Diet, 2013).  I believe I need to make some changes because my diet consists of mostly carbs like white rice and pasta and red meats.  I will need to make some changes in my diet to eat more good carbs like brown rice, whole grain and eat more healthy sources of protein such as chicken, fish, and nuts.  I don’t really keep track of how many calories I eat in a day because I’m always on the go and don’t think too much about it.  According to a source for my age and activity level, I should be consuming around 2,400 to 2,600 calories per day. (Balanced Food and Activity, n.d.).  I think that this is a reasonable amount of calories, I just have to be more active and exercise more or I’ll be out of shape and become overweight.