|
Diet Aids
Never was
there a richer group of product selection that has produced a group of rich
retailers than diet aides. They are everywhere
and range from the usual foods that are reduced in sugar or fat, to supplements
and pills, to software. All of them say they work and, even if the active
ingredients have no value whatsoever, if a diet aide gives a person the right
blend of moral support and hope, it may well be worth its cost. Weight loss
involves the basics of nutrition and exercise, and will not be accomplished
without some program involving one or both of these. But here, we are
discussing aids to weights loss, things that just might make the sensible
regimen go a little faster and easier. Diet aids can be categorized as the
good, the fad and the ugly.
Good
diet aids are reduced fat and sugar items with
fewer calories that let us have that little treat while dieting without
significantly altering the caloric intake. Diet aides, whether they be foods
with increased fiber or supplements that contain soluble fiber, are good because
they add much needed fiber to our diets and trick us into feeling full. Diet
aides include herbal teas such as chamomile, sage, burdock and other herbs, that
calm an upset stomach which can easily be mistaken for hunger pangs. Meal
replacement bars and shakes can be a very effective aide to weight loss, since
they give the dieter a preset number of calories and supply vitamins and
minerals. They keep the dieter out of the kitchen and supermarket thus
preventing temptation. They give the dieter an alternative to meal planning and
take his or her mind off food. Appetite suppressants, like
hoodia, have no supporting scientific evidence
that they work, but may give a psychological edge to dieters, a placebo like
effect that makes their dieting successful. One substance that does actually
seem to suppress appetite is caffeine, which is the active ingredient in things
like Dexatrim.
Some of the
most popular diet aid fads are pills that claim to trap fat, juice diets and
lose weight while you sleep formulas. The only thing you really lose is money.
Fat trapping pills, which are supposed to
attract fat
like a magnet and carry it out of the body, actually causes very little to
happen. The tiny fine print disclaimer recommends that the product be taken in
combination with a program of diet and exercise. Juice diets that proclaim rapid
fat loss really cause a temporary loss of water, probably through dehydration.
When the fluids are restored, so is the weight. Body Solutions lose
weight while you sleep aid is a powder that is mixed with water and taken before
bedtime. It comes with a low calorie diet and exercise program that is
recommended for weight loss.
The ugly aspect
of diet aides is seen when products or practices are offered that can due actual
and significant harm to the user.
It is unknown how safe many diet pills and supplements are. The FDA, which is
responsible for verifying the safety of foods and medicines, does not check on
the safety of diet supplements before they reach the market and must wait until
it receives complaint before investigating a product. This has resulted in the
subsequent banning of ephedra or fen-phen, but after it was implicated in heart
problems and deaths in users. Many other diet aides, such as carbohydrate
blockers and amino acids fall into this untested, except by the consumer,
category. Another ugly diet aide is the abuse of laxatives and diuretics in the
hope of losing weight. These practices can result in permanent harm to the
kidney and other organs, or the development of serious conditions such as
haemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic diarrhea and should be
avoided at by all means. If you have this kind of habit, talk to your health
care professional.
|
.gif){kind=small}