Did
anyone believe the claim above?
Why do we believe in fad diets so much?
A fad diet is a diet that
promises quick weight loss through what is usually an unhealthy and unbalanced diet. Fad diets are targeted at people who want to
lose weight quickly without exercise. Our need for quick fixes makes us vulnerable
to anyone who claims to have a solution for weight loss.
It’s sad
when we start seeing food as a cause for being fat and disfiguring. Food should
be seen as a source of energy for our bodies. Food should bring joy and not
sadness.
Characteristics of fad diets
Calorie restriction
These are
diets that ask you to take fewer calories than your body needs in a day. Our bodies
require energy for our daily activities, protein to build &repair the body,
vitamins and minerals to boost our immunity and keep us healthy. All this comes
in the form of food and when you restrict the amount of food you take in, you
are also restricting the amount of nutrients your body gets in a day. Calorie restricted
diets work for a while, you will lose weight quickly as you lose water weight
but it will all come back the moment you start eating again. Restricting calories
also lowers your metabolism meaning that you burn fewer calories and store most
which then leads to weight gain.
They promise rapid weight loss
These
diets promise and sometimes deliver rapid weight loss. This sounds very good
but the happiness is short lived because all you lose is water weight which
comes back leaving you feeling sadder. Safe and permanent weight loss is slow,
and it takes work but once you lose the weight you can keep it off.
They eliminate whole food groups
To help us
consume foods in the right proportions, food is put into five groups depending
on the nutrients they provide. These groups are;
Ø Grains and cereals,
Ø Vegetables legumes and beans
Ø Fruits
Ø Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs
and nuts
Ø Milk and dairy products
If a diet
asks you to eliminate any of the food groups, it means that there are nutrients
you do not get and it could cause deficiencies.
They include super pills
These pills
will claim to block the absorption of fats, calories or carbohydrates and suppress
appetite; which is a waste of money. If you do not want your body to absorb a
lot of fat, just don’t eat food high in fat. You don’t need a pill for that. Fat
is essential to the body. It helps absorb fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K). Simply
chose healthy fats and use them in moderation.
The diet requires you to only eat
specific foods or foods in certain combinations
Although some
nutrients are best absorbed in combinations e.g. iron and vitamin C, fad diets
ask you to eat very specific foods and not to mix them with other foods. The human
digestive system is very capable of digesting different foods at the same time.
Don’t be duped into eating cabbage soup and avoid other foods when there is no scientific
evidence to support that.
They do not include exercise
To lose
weight you simply have to spend more calories than you take in. in addition to
weight loss, exercise improves your overall health and helps to keep the lost
weight away. Exercise is a very important part of good health and any diet claiming
that you do not need exercise is not a healthy
one.
So how do I choose healthy diet?
A healthy
diet is a diet that includes healthy foods, in the right proportions combined
with adequate physical activity. An ideal diet is long term and it changes
person’s eating habits and lifestyle. While a fad diet will make you lose weight
fast, it won’t help you keep the weight away.
Guidelines for a healthy diet include;
·
Consume a variety of cereals and
grains preferably whole
·
Choose lean meat (with fat trimmed)
and include fish and poultry in your diet.
·
Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes
and fruits
·
Include milk and milk products in
your diet
·
Choose healthy fats and use them in
moderation
·
Consume moderate amounts of sugar
·
Drink plenty of water.
·
Choose foods low in salt
·
Get enough exercise
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