Diet myths debunked
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The
dieting world is full of myths, hearsay and soundbites. We all have
heard them a thousand times, but does that make them true? Is it
really a good idea to ban sugar completely from your diet? Is it
really a good idea not to touch fat and alcohol ever again? This
seems to me like an invitation to failure. Too few people can swear
off certain foods forever and stick to the oath. The rest of us
need a little treat now and then. And there’s nothing wrong
with getting a treat once in while, provided that treats don’t
happen every day.
The basic idea of any diet is to eat food that contains fewer calories
than your body needs to maintain its current weight. This way, the
body is forced to use the accumulated fat in order to make up for
the energy it doesn’t get from food. But a diet also has to
be tasty and nutritionally sound. Simply banning certain types of
foods and ingredients is not a solution because anybody following
such a diet will have to acknowledge sooner or later that he or
she wants those foods and ingredients badly and a relapse into the
old eating habits becomes inevitable.
People
should also learn not to put their faith into meal replacements,
such as Mypoplex, Slimfast or Eat-Smart. These combinations of low-fat
and high-protein substances cannot substitute a proper diet. They
should never be used for more than 4 four weeks in a row. Calories
are important to the body and nobody can go on for long without
them. Cutting calories out of the long-term nutrition is a huge
mistake because the internal organs and muscles need them to function.
Using meal replacements for a week or two, as a shock treatment,
is fine. Relying on them for two months is asking for trouble. And
the same goes for single-food diets, such as the cabbage soup diet,
because they are based on the same idea.
Another widespread myth is the idea that the best approach to weight
loss is a low-carb, high-protein diet. This is one of the myths
that emerged from the Hollywood slimming industry. Nearly all movie
stars and singers are on some such diet. However, this approach
is not exactly good for you because a diet low in carbohydrates
and calories forces the body to use existing carbs located in the
liver and the muscles. In time, this diet leads to weight loss mainly
from water stored in the body, instead of fat, and also strains
the internal organs.
And people should not be so afraid of potatoes, bread and pasta,
the leading sources of carbohydrates. Carbs are actually good for
you because they quell the feeling of hunger without bringing in
too many calories. So you can safely eat moderate amounts of potatoes
and bread as long as you don’t use butter or sauces, which
are laden with fat. Naturally, you also have to pay attention to
how these foods are prepared. French fries are not a low-fat food.
Still, a high-carb, low-fat diet is far better than banning potatoes
and bread from your daily meals and it’s also easier to stick
to.
Drinking a certain quantity of water every day is a good idea because
it keeps the body hydrated and fills the stomach. Water also keeps
the intestines healthy by facilitating the movements of undigested
food to the exit point. However, simply drinking water does not
trigger weight loss. There is only one way to lose weight and that
is to burn up the existing fat and water cannot do that. Nor should
a diet be judged solely by how much weight is lost per week. Some
people claim that a diet can be considered effective if the weekly
loss of weight is above two pounds. Frankly, two pounds per week
is a lot of weight to lose and you can be sure that not all of it
is fat, but also the lean tissue that makes up the muscles.
Another myth claims that fat is absolutely bad for you. It’s
not. Quite on the contrary, the body needs some fat in order to
get the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K circulating
through the cardiovascular system. Moreover, fat also brings into
the body the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 that cannot
be synthesized in the body. The word “essential” means
that these fatty acids simply have to be present in your daily food
since they play an important role in your health. The recommended
dose of fat is 35 percent of your daily calories.
And last of all comes the idea that a diet or eating plan is enough
in itself and does not have to be coupled with exercising. But exercising
is the most effective way of burning up the extra calories stored
as fat. Simply sitting at your desk all day long is not going to do
the trick, regardless of what diet you’re on. Remember that
a diet that has plenty of food (the right kind of food) and plenty
of exercise is far better than sitting on the sofa and drinking cabbage
soup every six hours. It works faster and is less stressful to your
body. |