Exploring the World of Diets

Diets are now as common as a hot dog on a Fourth of July
afternoon. However, it can be confusing for consumers to
identify different types of diets. The National Institutes of
Health have identified a variety of diet plans in existence in
the market today. Understanding these various diet programs can
be the first step to losing significant weight.

The fixed menu diet tells you exactly what you will consume
over a period of time. This makes it easy on the dieter, because
he or she does not have to shop for their own food. The
disadvantage to this type of diet is that the dieter fails to
learn how to choose food for himself or herself.

Also, the diet food you are provided with can be quite bland
and boring. Also, you may find it difficult to follow the diet
plan when you are traveling. A number of medical experts
recommend ultimately replacing the fixed menu diet with another
plan in order to keep yourself healthy.

In an exchange diet, you get to choose your food from a number
of different groups. In other words, from the starch group you
could select pasta, rice, or potatoes. As a result, the diet
offers a good deal of variety and you shouldn’t have any
difficulty following it while you are on vacation. Such a diet
also enables you to learn how to make healthy choices for
yourself.

With pre-packaged meal diets, you have to buy food in pre-set
portions. As a result, you are able to determine how much of a
given food item you are allowed to have on a given day. Still,
such a program tends to be expensive and makes food choices for
you, so you don’t get the experience of selecting your own meals.

If you go on a formula diet, you will be drinking your
breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or a combination of the meals.
These liquid formulas are often filled with proteins and
carbohydrates and have little in the way of fat. The formula
diet is convenient and can be economical. However, while
individuals tend to lose weight over the

According to federal health officials, questionable diets are
those that promote eating a certain combination of foods in
order t lose pounds. While such diets are low-cal, they often
lack valuable nutrients. In addition, they may be unworkable for
long-term weight loss.

In flexible diets, the dieter must decide what type of food he
or she will eat and the size of portions. Such diets can be
low-fat, low-cal, or both. However, one disadvantage of such a
diet program is that an individual might manage to cut out fat,
but might also end up loading up on sugars.

A study conducted last year showed that individuals could lose
weight through a low-fat, high-carbohydrate approach. The
research indicated that the pounds could melt away, even if you
didn’t exercise or reduce calories. However, the study was
refused by Gary Foster of the University of Pennsylvania’s
Weight and Eating Disorders Program, who claimed that consuming
large quantities of carbs without cutting calories could lead to
a “public health disaster.”

But the author of the study maintained that, since fats and
carbs might be metabolized differently, reducing calories does
not allows reduce one’s weight. The American Dietetic
Association maintains that it is possible to lose weight using a
number of different approaches.

Because of the variety of diets available–and the confusion
over which ones are truly effective–some physicians recommend
consulting with a dietician in order to obtain a personalized
weight loss plan. In this way, you can rely on expert advice for
your meal planning. The plan can also be individualized to meet
your unique nutritional needs.

Generally speaking, health experts say the best weight loss
programs combine diet with exercise. In this way, you can ensure
that your body is using food efficiently. You can build up your
strength and muscle tone, becoming more fit in the process. If
you have serious questions about the best way to go about weight
loss, it’s best if you talk to your family doctor.

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