Diet Myths
The dieting world is full of hearsay, rumors, myths and soundbites. We all have heard them thousands of times, but does that make them true? Is it 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 like an invitation to failure. Very few people can swear off certain foods forever. The rest of us need a treat now and then. There is nothing wrong with getting a treat once in while just not every day.
The idea of any diet is to eat food that contains fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its 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. A diet also has to be tasty and nutritionally sound. Simply banning certain types of foods and ingredients is not a solution because following such a diet you will have to acknowledge, sooner or later, that you will crave those foods and ingredients and a relapse into your old eating habits becomes inevitable.
People should also learn not to put their faith into meal replacements. The 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 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. The same goes for single food diets, such as the cabbage diet, because they are based on the same idea.
Another widespread myth is the idea that the best approach to weight loss is low-carb, high-protein diet. This is one of the myths that came from the Hollywood. Nearly all movie stars and singers are on some such diet. 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 weightloss mainly from water stored in the body, instead of fat, and also puts strains on the internal organs.
People should not be so afraid of potatoes, bread and pasta, the leading sources of carbohydrates. Carbs are actually good for you because they suppress the feeling of hunger without bringing in too many calories. So you can safely eat small amounts of potatoes and bread as long as you do not use butter or sauce, that are high in 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 meals and it is easier to stick to.
Drinking 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. Simply drinking water does not trigger weight loss. There is only one way to lose weight that is to burn up the existing fat and water cannot do that. A diet should not 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 2 pounds. Frankly, 2 pounds per week is a lot of weight to lose and you can be sure 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. Fat also brings into the body the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 that cannot be synthesized in the body. 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.
Last of all comes the idea that a diet or eating plan is enough and does not have to be coupled with exercising. 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 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.
