More and more, the incidence of obesity and poor health is entering the news. One of the major factors in these incidents is a sedentary lifestyle. However, diet is also an incredibly important part of the equation. The average Western diet is incredibly unhealthy. If you find that you need to make a change, you need to know what to look for in healthy diet recipes. What goes into making such a recipe, anyway?

First off, you should consider the ingredients. Ideally, the recipe will call for whole foods, with no requirements for processed foods or ingredients at all. Processed foods contain a host of unhealthy things, ranging from hydrogenated oils to more sodium than you can shake a stick at. Therefore, healthful ingredients should be at the top of your list when comparing different healthy diet recipes.

Next on the list is the number of calories per serving. This is an important point. A calorie is actually not a measure of fat content. Rather, it is actually a measurement of energy. As fat contains a considerable amount of energy, it has a high caloric content. In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. Therefore, you obviously want to find healthy diet recipes that have very low caloric ratings per serving. Of course, you should never go too low in your caloric intake. If you do this, then your body goes into “starvation mode” and hordes fat, rather than burning it.

Now that the subject of servings has been broached, you should know a bit more about them. In many ways, your serving size is the largest detriment to your health. Compare the serving size from 30 years ago to what is considered a “serving” today and you will see a dramatic increase. Health diet recipes should provide you with an accurate serving size. Of course, serving sizes vary by food type – a single piece of bread is a serving. An entire apple is also a serving.

Finding healthy diet recipes can be a daunting task. However, with the renewed emphasis on more healthful eating, you can find some delicious recipes that include healthy foods and yet do not skimp on the flavor or add to your waistline. Simply make certain that the recipes you choose offer you vital information about the foods used in it, the number of calories you will consume and how much equates to a portion.