It’s impossible to sit through an evening watching the boob tube or even a few hours without seeing the commercials for weight loss. The ones that really get my dander up show the before and after photos. You know the ones I’m talking about………before picture….fat lady………after picture…..bikini clad lady with rock hard abs. As John Stossel would say, “GIVE ME A BREAK”. Yet women and men keep spending their hard earned money on fad diets looking for a quick fix and the perfect body.
So lets define fad diets, what are they?
- Diets that promise to help you lose more than one to two pounds a week.
- Diets that promise weight loss without a healthy diet low in fatty foods.
- Diets that base claims on “before and after” photos that show dramatic weight loss.
- Diets that pitch testimonials from users or so-called experts.
- Diets that focus on only one type of food, and don’t encourage a healthy, balanced diet.
- Diets that require you to spend a lot of money on pills, seminars or prepared foods.
For us in the Northern Hemisphere it’s summer and we have an abundance of healthy food available. From urban to suburban we can buy fresh vegetables and fruit. I urge you to check out your local farmers market if you haven’t already done so. At the grocery store skip the snack aisle. Buy fruit instead, take advantage of this wonderful season. Blueberries and strawberries are abundant and packed with antioxidants. I’ve never met a kid yet who did not like fresh fruit.
Get your kids involved, take them to a farmers market. Buy fresh corn on the cob and let them shuck the corn or snap the green beans. Try something different, buy a vegetable you typically don’t buy. Years ago I never use to buy asparagus, now I could eat it every day.
It’s so much easier to eat healthy than waste your money on fad diets and quick weight loss schemes. More importantly, it’s never too late to start.
Technorati Tags: fad diets – farmers market – summer produce – healthy eating
Elaine, you are such an optimist.
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The people who need this message aren’t listening. Mother Nature is brutal to some who are genetically predestined to be very efficient users of every morsel of food they ingest. I feel for these people. With the onslaught of great-tasting, fat laden, very tempting food that is easily available, priced to sell, and perhaps even subliminally sold, these specimens don’t have a chance in Hell of not succumbing to the temptation.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the scientists, medical industry and merchants could figure this out for us. I’m genetically inclinded to be skinny. So I am munching on an 82% cacao bar an hour after dinner. But then Suzy and I went for a half hour walk after dinner too.
I agree with you Elaine 100%. I get tired of seeing those infomercials about diet products/programs in addition to the excercise equipment and program ones.
However, I can and do change the channel. Looking on it from another optimistic perspective. Hopefully the more of these that are viewed, the more people will take that first step, be it from the product they are watching or be it from just getting their attention about weight loss. Once people get started on something they look for reaffirmation from other people, once that occurs maybe we can further educate these people. Baby steps. I don’t care for all the informercials but they could have a redeeming value.
We do need more education and focus on your message from others like the news, the media and God forbid from our so called enlighten ones! Maybe, we can reduce Global Warming by being more health conscious. Al Gore, you should look into this!