Diets

Vocabulary

• Diet: The amount and types of foods one consumes.

• Organic foods: Foods farmed with natural fertilizers and pest control methods; animals are fed organic feed.

• Vegetarian: A person who does not eat meat or fish products; includes a variety of different classifications of vegetarian

Healthy Diet

• The amount and types of food one consumes

• Diets can vary greatly due to personal preferences and/or medical requirements

• Doctors and other medical professionals should help individuals determine healthy diets

Act of Dieting

• Changing eat practices

• Eating less or differently with a specific goal in mind

• Most popular goal of dieting is weight loss

• There are many different types of diets.

Possible Reasons for Dieting

• Lose weight

• Reduce fat

• Lower blood pressure

• Lower blood cholesterol

• Enhance athletic performance

Problems with Diets

• Difficult to develop new eating habits

• Must learn new foods to eat and how to cook them

• Following a diet can be challenging

• Potential health problems

Diets and Trends

• Fad diets

• Low-carbohydrate diets

• Liquid diets

• Fasting diets

• Diet pills

• Diuretics

• Surgical solutions

• Current trends

Fad Diets

• Diets that emphasize an extreme approach

• Only popular for a short period of time

• Usually call for eating only one type or group of foods

• Can have many negative physical effects on the body

• Weight is usually gained back
  

Low-Carbohydrate Diets

How does it work?

• Reduction or elimination of carbohydrates from diet

• Replaced with foods high in protein and fat

• Sugars from the carbohydrates are not available as fuel

• Body must convert storage fat

Potential Issues

• Increased fat intake can lead to heart disease

• High cholesterol

• Low energy levels that don’t support exercise regimen

• These diets are controversial due to safety concerns

Liquid Diets

How does it work?

• Meal replacement strategy

• Change primary diet to liquids rich in nutrients

• Some allow only liquids, while others replace only certain meals

• Calorie reduction leads to weight loss

• Also claims to remove toxins

Potential Issues

• Need to keep nutrients in balance

• Missing nutrients can cause dizziness, nausea, and weakness

• Lack of fiber can cause constipation

• Lack of protein can result in the loss of lean body mass

Fasting Diet

How does it work?

• Severity of fasting varies by diet

• Body must use stored fat for energy

• Some claim that fasting will remove toxins

• Potential Issues

• Body slows metabolism when no food is eaten

• Difficult to maintain for long periods

• May overeat to compensate after fasting completed

• Dizziness, nausea, constipation, and fatigue are common

Diet Pills

How does it work?

• Diets pills promise to suppress your appetite

• Claim to give you energy

• Most include stimulants

• Some include fiber, which expands to fill the stomach

Potential Issues

• Have been linked to heart problems

• Elevated blood pressure

• Difficulty sleeping

• Headaches

• Can cause complications leading to death

Diuretics

How does it work?

• Remove fluids from the body

• Designed to forced kidneys to increase urination

• Reducing water in body results in weight loss

Potential Issues

• Weight loss is not sustainable

• Dehydration will occur

• Potassium deficiency

• Compromised functionality of internal organs

• Fatigue, nausea, and weakness

Surgical Solutions

How does it work?

• Involve reducing the stomach size through stapling or banding

• Limit amount of food that can be consumed

• Some procedures block nutrient absorption in the small intestine

Potential Issues

• Restrictive procedures don’t help when high-calorie drinks are consumed

• Absorption-blocking forces key nutrients out of the body

• Must compensate with large amounts of vitamin pills

Dietary Trends

Convenience foods

• Prepared for quick consumption

• Easy to carry around

• Large amounts of sodium, sugar, and fat

• Little nutritional value

Organic foods

• Use natural fertilizers when farming

• Use birds and other insects to control pests

• Feed animals with organic feed - no growth hormones

Types of Special Diets

Health-Related Diets

• Diabetes

• Lactose intolerance

• Constipation

• Heart disease

Cultural Diets

• Vegetarian

• Kosher

• Lent

• Fasting

Health-Related Diets

Diabetes (cannot process sugar properly)

• Limit sugary foods

• Eat often

• Limit carbohydrates

Lactose intolerance (cannot process dairy)

• Limit milk or dairy

• May be able to consume with meals

• Drink soy milk

Heart disease (abnormality of heart or blood vessels supplying heart)

• Lower sodium

• Reduce cholesterol and saturated fats

Constipation (fewer than 3 bowel movements per week)

• Eat fiber-rich foods

• Drink plenty of water

Cultural Diets

Vegetarian (personal choice)

Lacto-ovo-vegetarians

• Do not eat meat products

• Eat dairy and egg products

Ovo-vegetarian

• Does not eat meat or dairy products

• Eats egg products

Lacto-vegetarian

• Does not eat meat or egg products

• Eats dairy products

Vegan

• Does not eat meat, dairy, or egg products

Cultural Diets

Kosher (religious diet)

• Only certain animals can be eaten

• Animals must be slaughtered according to Jewish law

• Meat cannot be eaten with dairy products

Lent (religious diet)

• 40 days leading up to Easter

• No meat on Fridays during Lent

• Must fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday