American Health Organizations Vs Fad Diets
With numerous fad diets coming out in recent years, it’s no wonder a lot of people get confused on what to follow. Data had shown that the average American is getting heavier and it’s understandable that most of them would want to shed off those extra baggage. After all, who wouldn’t want to be fit and trim? But following these fad diets blindly is just as dangerous as staying obese. A person considering on joining a fad diet program ought to be armed with sufficient knowledge on proper nutrition so as to aid in the diet selection process. Sadly, most of the fad diets available in the market today do not include the achievement of balanced nutrition in their repertoire.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recently released its guideline for improving diet and lifestyle with the primary goal of reducing the risk for cardiovascular diseases. In a nutshell, it promotes the achievement of your ideal body weight, control of your levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, normalizing your blood pressure, maintaining a healthy level of blood glucose, being active, and avoidance of smoking. Though the guideline did not specifically mention any fad diets, it recommends the intake a lot of fluids, fruits and vegetables along with high-fiber foods, whole grains and fish at least twice a week. It suggests the reduction of saturated fat intake and eating only lean meats and low-dairy products. Beverages and food with added sugars must also be limited.
The recommendations made by the AHA are certainly sensible but the fad diet industry still has a huge following due to its promise of almost instant gratification with absence of demand for lifestyle changes. The willingness for some to try some of these diets often leads to disappointment, waste of money, and adverse effects on health.
The American Dietetics Association dispels several myths associated with dieting with the release of their own guidelines. Here, the organization rejects the notion that there is a type of food that will make one lose weight, like grapefruit or cabbage. A person still needs variety in his diet to function properly and all these fad diets ever do is lower your caloric intake. The same can be said on diets advocating the increased intake of protein-rich food while reducing all the others. Caution should also be exercised if one is taking fiber supplements as this can lead to dehydration and constipation if one doesn’t drink plenty of fluids. One must also bear in mind that low calorie liquid diet was formulated under strict physician supervision and must only be used under the same condition. Use of these products indiscriminately will cause some unpleasant effects on your health.
So, before you decide on taking on a dietary program, make sure you completely understand its concepts and its proponents really know what they’re talking about. Always include enough exercise in your daily activities, as this is the only proven way to lose weight. Do steer away from fad diets that make overblown and fantastic claims of weight loss as more often than not, it’s just pure air.
Related posts: