The thing is, I love to eat. So going on a diet is a huge thing for me. But a person gotta to do what a person has to do. And yes, I have to lose weight. My weight was in danger zone already.

In fact, it is imperative for overweight people to lose weight. Unfortunately, losing weight is not as easy to achieve as one might desire. Millions of overweight and obese people are still struggling to lose weight. Many have gone on crash diets with the hope of shedding those stubborn pounds and kilos. And most of the time, these diets ended disastorously. Worse still, many more piled on more pounds and kilos. Trust me, this is truly demoralising.

The best way (and only way, one might supports) of losing way is to eat healthily. However, it is a common misconception that healthy eating is bland, boring and difficult to practise. Truth is, you don’t have to be qualified in nutrition to make it part of your daily living. Another misconception is that healthy eating is only about restrictions. Draconian-rules’ like -no salt, no sugar, no fats, no this, or no that - only serve to further mystify everyone.

By the same token, there are some parties that propagate trendy diet regimes or insist upon -special food - based on dubious scientific evidence, if at all any! When people get the wrong idea about healthy eating, they reject it (can you blame them?). By rejecting, they are only depriving themselves of one of life’s pleasures, or end up compromising their health.

So, what should you eat? How much should you eat? Can you be sure of meeting your nutritional needs?

According to Professor Dr Mohd Ismail Noor, a nutritionist, is the chairman of the Technical Working Group On Nutritional Guidelines, president of the Malaysian Association For The Study of Obesity, and vice-president of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, the basic concept is to eat according to our needs and maintain a well-balanced diet.

Dr Ismail says that when talking of healthy eating, one must look at the Food Guide Pyramid.

The Food Pyramid, with its recommended servings, represents what the diet and nutrition experts consider to be the most solid, reliable, well-researched thinking to date. It provides a good model for healthy eating. The basic pyramid, developed by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is only one model, however. This pyramid has been adapted for ethnic preferences and there are now pyramids for the Mediterranean diet, the Asian diet and the Latin American diet. Other diets, such as the Hawaiian diet, can also be placed on a food pyramid.

Dr Ismail stresses that the Food Guide Pyramid is not as sensational as some new-fangled diet ideas that are abound. It is based and validated by scientific research. Compelled by the evidence, the World Health Organisa-tion (WHO), governments and mainstream health professionals are happy to acknowledge that it’s safe and sensible. More importantly, it is proven to work by helping people eat right for good health.

Admittedly, there are other dietary systems out there but they are mostly developed for people with health conditions. Some are associated with health risks or side effects that are usually not mentioned.

‘However, if you are generally healthy and want to stay that way, take this simple advice: follow the Food Guide Pyramid. In other words, your daily meals should consist more of the foods from the lower levels of the Pyramid and the least from the upper levels. It’s amazingly simple.