Most popular dieting myths

[Carol]

Physicians and dieticians agree that the best way to lose weight is to reduce calorie intake and increase physical activity and that a correct weight loss diet should be varied, well balanced, low in calories but high in nutrients.
People who are on a diet or who want to lose weight should always keep these concepts in mind, if they want to achieve their weight loss goals. Unfortunately there are several misleading myths about weight loss that need to be debunked. Here are 5 of the most popular dieting myths.

Myth 1: “A high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet is a healthy way to lose weight”.

The benefits of high-protein/low-carbohydrates diets are generally short-lived. These diets are often low in calories and they may cause short-term weight loss. However high-protein/low-carbohydrates diets are not balanced, because they don’t provide enough amounts of fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that are necessary to stay healthy. Moreover high-protein foods such as meat, cheese and eggs provide too much saturated fats and cholesterol, which may raise the risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Myth 2: “Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain”.

Many diets tell you not to eat late in the evening, because the body will store ingested calories as fat rather than burn them with physical activity. However, what is really important is not what time of day you eat, but how many calories you consume and how much physical activity you do during the whole day.

Myth 3: “Fasting is a good way to lose weight”.

Although fasting can make you lose weight quickly, it can have long-term harmful consequences on your health. Fasting not only removes fats, but also muscle and lean tissue. Moreover fasting deprives the body of all nutrients, thereby creating serious nutritional deficiencies, and causes a sudden release of toxins into the bloodstream from rapid fat breakdown. Only slow, gradual, long-term weight loss is a healthy way to lose weight.

Myth 4: “Low-fat or non-fat foods help you lose weight”

Low-fat or non-fat foods are not necessarily lower in calories than their regular versions. In fact they often contain added sugars or starch thickeners to improve texture and flavour, so their calorie content is often the same or even higher than full-fat varieties. It is therefore important always to check the overall calorie content of foods, rather than the calorie content coming only from fat.

Moreover fat-free diets are not recommended. Although weight loss diets must be low in fat, an adequate supply of dietary fat is paramount for human beings to provide them with energy and to allow intestinal absorption of liposoluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) and their transport around the body.

Myth 5: “Red meat and dairy products are fattening and should be avoided when trying to lose weight”

Although red meat and dairy products contain some cholesterol and saturated fats, they also contain many healthy nutrients such as proteins, iron, zinc and calcium. Eating lean red meat and low-fat on nonfat dairy products can be part of a healthy weight loss diet program. They are just as nutritious as their full-fat counterparts, but are lower in fat and calories.

These are only some of the many dieting myths that can mislead everyone who wants to undertake a weight loss program. What is important before beginning a diet, is to evaluate sceptically any tips you hear or read about weigh loss and make some research on them to make sure they are valuable and not simply marketing claims.