About dieting

Learn about dieting and which diets work for your body type.

FAQ's about Dieting

Dieting is viewed as an essential practice by the average person who is interested in losing weight or maintaining a trim figure. It has been followed for so many years and many people have achieved positive results from going on some sort of diet. But of course every diet program has its proponents and opponents.

Before we take actual diets, let's consider the food pyramid established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). That's the basic guidelines Americans are expected to live by where food is concerned. It's not a diet as such but it has already gained its fair share of critics. For instance, the pyramid advocates 6-11 servings of the rice, bread, cereal, pasta (carbohydrates) group. Many dieticians say that this has led to weight gain because the pyramid misleads people into thinking that just avoiding fats is going to help. And consuming refined carbohydrates such as white bread make people feel hungrier so that they tend to overeat. Basically many critics look down on any diet that just focuses on reduced fat intake.

Then there's the Atkins diet, which is very popular with its users. The Atkins is based on the assumption that high carbohydrate, low fat diets lead to obesity. In order to refute the Atkins diet, critics point out that original Japanese food is high in carbohydrate but not considered fattening. In fact it was only after high fat western foods were introduced in Japan that obesity became an issue there. Critics also resort to the fact that carbohydrates contain fewer calories per unit than fats.

The American Heart Association has been a fierce critic of the low carb, high fat, high protein diet that is regularly followed by Atkins believers. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease one of the biggest killers in the USA. Some recent research even indicates that high protein diets contribute to hardening of arteries (blocking blood flow) which in turn leads to heart attacks. A protein rich diet can also increase the risk of osteoporosis, making your bones weak. Another negative result of the Atkins diet is seen as the low consumption of grains, fruits and vegetables. Such food practices can lead to deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body.

Critics acknowledge that dieters usually lose weight as soon as they start a diet program but that over time, the effects are less pronounced for most people. This can be because of the body's normal receptiveness and also due to lack of consistency in dieting. Some critics even say that the first pounds you lose are actually not body fat but water, asserting that diets like the Atkins have a diuretic effect. Going by this line of argument, the body will eventually restore its water balance and the weight loss becomes less apparent.

Article Summary- Dieting has been effective for many people but critics give us food for thought nevertheless. This article talks about criticism regarding two types of diets- those that focus on low fat intake and those that advocate a high fat, high-protein, low carbohydrate food routine.