Hot Topic: Go 100% Fad Free!
During National Nutrition Month, consumers are encouraged to go 100% Fad Free and develop lifelong habits based on proven, science-based approaches to healthy eating. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
Fad diets have been around for hundreds of years with the earliest known made popular by Lord Byron in 1820. Because of his notarily, his Vinegar and Water diet was used extensively by many English men and women. It’s amazing what people will do to look better – as evident in 1910 when residents in many countries, including those on our western coast, took to the Inuit Meat and Fat diet which recommended daily intake of only Caribou, raw fish and whale blubber.
Few diets have had the same following as the Cabbage Soup Diet. Originally created in 1950, it has resurfaced several times and been extremely popular even though flatulence is a frequent side effect. This diet, like many others, can’t really cause the body to burn fat. No foods can do that although some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism (the way your body uses energy or calories) for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss. Some diets, like the 1961 Calories Don’t Count diet, have even resulted in the FDA filing charges regarding the diet’s claims. And then there was the Caveman Diet in 1985 which required only foods from the Paleolithic Era! Wouldn’t that be good eating?
Many people get confused in today’s world with all the fad diets, diet drinks, energy bars and convenience foods being advertised as “the answer” for busy, nutrient deficient or overweight people. Consumers must regularly weed through all the hype in order to eat healthy.
Exaggerated claims that eating or eliminating specific foods, nutrient supplements or combinations of foods may cure disease, offer quick weight loss or produce a fantastic physique should help you recognize a fad diet. If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Unfortunately, misinformation on food and nutrition can have really harmful effects on your health and well-being as well as on your pocket book. The key principles of good nutrition remain:
·eating regular meals and snacks,
·including at least five servings of fruit or vegetables per day,
·including two servings of milk per day,
·eating high fiber foods,
·limiting fats and sweets
·drink alcohol only in moderation, and
·eliminate all tobacco products
Next time you fix your plate, or that of a family member, use this general rule of thumb: plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans should cover two-thirds (or more) of the plate. Fish, poultry, meat or low fat dairy products should cover one-third (or less) of the plate. Plant foods should include one or more vegetables or fruits in addition to whole grain products like brown rice, kasha, whole wheat bread or pasta.
It is also very important to create a plan that balances nutritional intake with regular physical activity. This is important for your overall health and fitness plus it helps control body weight, promotes a feeling of well-being and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Follow these basics the rest of March and April and see if you don’t feel better, enjoy food more, and maybe even lose a little weight!
WWW Address: http://www.gachd.org/hot-topic/go_100_fad_free.php