Marc Joseph Nutrition - Blog

Interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle discussing the disillusionment with dieting:

Eighty percent of the people who responded to a recent survey by Mintel International, a marketing research firm that specializes in food, said they are making up their own diet plans by trying to eat less fat and cut calories. Only 6 percent said they are on commercial diets such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and NutriSystem. Nearly 70 percent said they aren’t interested in the diets of celebrities…

…nutritionists and doctors are finding that many dieters prefer to go it alone. People are fed up with taking off the weight only to regain it, others are frustrated by the strictures of popular plans on the market, and then there are those who are just plain confused by the sheer volume of food do’s and don’ts.

Given both the proliferation of diet hype and the tripling of the obesity rate in recent years, it’s no wonder many people have said, “Enough!”

Steven Blair, a professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, is on the right track:

“People need to stop obsessing on the weight and start focusing on health…We’re not all going to look like models and movie stars. Get over it and get a life.”

That’s not to say people shouldn’t target a healthy body weight for their height and build, but the focus really does need to be on health and not just weight. There are many things that one can do to benefit health without obsessing about every calorie, including:

• Selecting healthier food choices when available, e.g.:
  • Whole grains instead of refined grains
  • Foods and drinks without added sugars
  • Lots of vegetables, organic if possible
  • Freshly prepared foods, rather than processed foods
  • Foods low in saturated animal fats and without trans fats
• Moderating portion sizes
• Eating smaller meals, each with some protein, spaced throughout the day to control blood sugar and appetite swings
• Getting adequate fiber and filtered water in the diet to help ensure the excretion of waste and toxins
• Getting regular, moderate exercise
• Supplementing with a core set of essential nutrients to ensure that your body’s cells have the raw materials to function well

Nutrition can seem complex and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. Taken incrementally, simple changes like those above can make a difference and help you to be healthier and feel better.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 8th, 2006 at 9:59 pm and is filed under Obesity, Other Diets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.