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Dieting has been important in our society
for many years now. Most often, dieting is associated with weight loss or
slimming.
Dieting is basically monitoring and
measuring what a person eats and the consequent effects upon that person's
weight or body shape.
Traditionally, dieting has involved the
counting and 'burning' of calories. This indicates the dual nature of
dieting. It is not just how much you eat but also how much you 'burn off'
through activity or exercise.
Dieting is not just a simple matter of
eating less. We each need to eat a certain amount to provide the nutrition
we require. Not only is it not a question of amount, it is also a question
of quality and variety. We each need a 'balanced' diet to provide the
necessary nutrients we need.
All this points to some of the dangers in so
called 'fad' diets, where certain foods are eaten and others avoided.
Generally, these do not provide the nutritional balance required. Also, we
have to consider the medical or psychological effects of dieting, as
evidenced in conditions such as anorexia or bulimia.
Dieting is both a health concern but also a
social concern. For many, dieting is considered necessary to reduce
overweight, which carries unnecessary health risks. By reducing weight, the
risks to overall health are reduced. For others, the issue is one of esteem
or social concern, where thin and underweight women are promoted in society
through the various media and aspiring girls try to emulate their idols,
leading to unhealthy diets and poor attitude to food and eating.
The whole world of 'dieting' is full of
charlatans and get rich quick scams. Beware of these and remember that your
life and health is most important to you.
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