It often feels as if our culture is obsessed with personal appearance. Women want to be skinnier; men want to build

Popular Diet or Fad?

up giant muscles. No matter where you look, there’s bound to be a book, DVD, television program or website that’s claiming to have the newest and most advanced diet plan that’s sure to make all your weight loss dreams come true. However, any personal trainer worth his salt will tell you that these diets are almost all fads and marketing ploys, very few will actually result in sustained weight loss, and some can even be harmful to both your physical and emotional health.

First of all, many people who desire moderate to significant weight loss think that they can make the decision to try a diet, start it the next day and start watching the weight melt off. Unfortunately, like many things in life, eating is a habit that we form from a very young age. Just like biting your nails or forgetting to turn off the lights when you leave a room, bad eating habits need to be consciously worked on in order to change them in the long term. Moreover, it will take a lot of work and effort to maintain a restrictive diet that you’re not used to, especially if it is depriving you of foods you like and need.

Another thing that sabotages the weight loss plans of many people when they start a new diet is that they are simply bored with the foods that the diet permits them to eat. This may lead to episodes of staring longingly at a piece of bread, or having dreams about steak when all you can eat are steamed veggies. The truth of the matter is that the body needs a wide variety of foods in order to remain physically and mentally satisfied, the trick is that some of these foods can only be eaten in moderation.

The most important thing to remember about fad diets that restrict what you can eat is that sometimes they are actually robbing you and your body of valuable nutrients and vitamins that are usually obtained by the eating of certain foods. If you cut out carbohydrates completely from your diet, you’re likely to find that you are low on energy, and constantly feel tired. If you cut out all meats and proteins, you may find that you feel weak and may become anemic. The key is having a balanced diet plan.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Children in America have been educated about proper, healthy eating with the aid of the Food Pyramid (formerly known as the four food groups). The Food Pyramid is a visual chart that is supposed to demonstrate the amounts of different types of food that you should eat every day in order to maintain a healthy diet. The pyramid endorses an eating style that is not altogether supported by what dietitians and nutritionists know to be true about the way people eat and maintain healthy weights. In fact, some think that following the USDA’s eating advice is actually contributing to the obesity epidemic in America as well as diabetes.

Let’s start by examining the foundation of the Food Pyramid, the food group commonly referred to as grains and breads. The Pyramid advises that the average healthy person should be eating six to eleven servings of grains, breads and other starches, like pasta, every day. Furthermore, the Pyramid advises that only about half of these grains and breads need to be made from whole grains. However, as your personal trainer will tell you, modern food science has shown that only whole grains offer the body essential nutrients that it needs, and in this time of highly processed foods, eating carbohydrates six to ten times a day could be disastrous in terms of weight loss.

Moving one section up the Food Pyramid you will find the food group known as fruits and vegetables, which is the group that forms the foundation of any healthy diet, not grains and breads. Many food and diet specialists will tell you that fruits and vegetables can and should be eaten at every meal and be part of every snack, even when you’re striving for weight loss. In fact, most people can eat as many as they want without gaining weight. Also, the Food Pyramid does not point out the fact that starchy vegetables, like potatoes should actually be included in the bread and grains group.

The Food Pyramid is misleading in similar ways with regards to fats, proteins and dairy. Although the Pyramid may have been helpful in past years as a tool for helping very young children categorize different types of food, it is completely outdated and incorrect in most cases.

Popularity: 8% [?]