Popular Diets
Your husband is gorging on omelets and hamburgers
(without the roll); your friend is proclaiming
herself a "carb addict" and your sister
won't touch anything containing fat. Popular
diets and their promise of quick, easy weight
loss are all the rage. In fact, all of these
popular methods will lead to weight loss. That's
the easy part. What's not easy is keeping the
weight off permanently.
"There is valuable information we can take from the popular fad diets," said
Michelle Battistini, MD, director of Penn Health for Women.
- For your carbohydrates, choose fruits, vegetables
and whole grains and bypass the white flour
such as white bread, bagels and pasta.
- Control portion sizes. The normal size of
a portion of protein is about the size of a
deck of cards.
- Put protein and fat back into your diet,
but get them from a healthier source such as
olive oil, soy and beans.
We've seen the emphasis shift dangerously from
low fat to no-fat. Just looking at your diet
from a fat perspective is too narrow. In proportion,
fat is a necessary part of your body and your
health.
A Warning
"Some of the popular protein-based diets
tend to be high in fat, especially saturated
fat, and too low in the nutrients we need including
carbohydrates, B vitamins and fiber. They 'work'
because ultimately you're taking in fewer calories
and snacking less. Unfortunately, most people
gain the weight back," said Dr. Battistini.
There are also potential side effects from these diets, some more dangerous
than others. Too much protein can be harmful to the kidneys and can decrease
the body's absorption of calcium. High amounts of animal fat can increase cholesterol.
And some people experience constipation.
Healthy eating is a long-term change in how you eat.
Dr. Battistini advises, "Make
change work for you. You don't have to be perfect. If you're eating well 80%
of the time, that's fantastic. Don't punish yourself or be overly restrictive."
|
