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Diet
Myths
DebunkedThe 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.
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