There is no quick easy fix for weight loss,
but Americans search desperately for it as if the next popular
diet is going to be the one. This searching has gone on for
years, maybe centuries now, and has been a journey that has
been fairly circular. Diets popular today will lose favor
in awhile because they don't deliver on their promises and
don't produce long-term results. But never fear, wait just
a few years and these same diets will be back with a new name
and a slightly new twist to make their appeal fresh and new.
And unfortunately many will invest their energy, money, health
and emotional well-being in these "miraculous solutions."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture just released
a report on their review of many popular diet programs. This
review was a follow-up attempt to help the public sort out
the facts about popular diets. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman,
who organized a debate last year between the nation's leading
diet experts says some programs remain popular in part because
there isn't enough known about their effects and that it's
time for the government to sort out the conflicting claims.
The recently released report found "In sum,
all popular diets, as well as diets recommended by governmental
and nongovernmental organizations, result in weight loss.
However, it is important to note that weight loss is not the
same as weight maintenance," the report said. It went on to
say that only traditional moderate-fat, high-carbohydrate
regimens seem to keep the weight off and that long-term weight
control may be even more related to "psychological issues,"
such as dietary counseling and group support than actual nutrient
composition. The report concluded that diets that recommend
eating no more than 30 percent of your calories from fat,
limiting protein to about 20 percent of total calories, and
eating generous amounts of fruit, vegetables and complex carbohydrates
help satisfy hunger with the least amount of calories.
"A moderate-fat, high-carbohydrate diet over
a prolonged basis does seem, based on the evidence to date,
to produce better effects," says Secretary of Agriculture
Dan Glickman. The USDA study found that any diet that limits
intake to about 1500 calories per day produces weight loss,
but many low-calorie diets are not effective in lowering cholesterol
and blood pressure levels. There is weak scientific evidence
as to the nutritional adequacy of both the low-carbohydrate
and the extremely low-fat diet programs, the USDA found. However,
the study found that nutritionally adequate, moderate-fat,
high-carbohydrate diets lowered blood levels of cholesterol,
blood lipids and blood sugars. The results supported the dietary
guidelines set by the government. The latest guidelines also
emphasize the importance of exercise in weight control and
health.
Results of this government diet review are
consistent with the dietary guidelines and recommendations
of the American Heart Association and the National Cancer
Institute, as well as the balanced diet approach used by some
commercial weight management programs, such a Weight Watchers.
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