Lesson 14 — Activity 1: Types of Diets
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Lesson 14 — Activity 1: Types of Diets
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High-protein diets. Low-fat diets. All-vegetable diets. No-carb diets. You may have heard about different kinds of diets and wonder if they are safe or effective.
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There are certainly many diets available for people to choose from. In this activity, you will investigate different kinds of diets.
Vegetarian Diets
People who follow vegetarian diets choose not to eat animal products. Strict vegetarians are called vegans and do not eat any animal products. Other types of vegetarians may eat eggs or dairy products. Because people who follow these types of diets do not eat meat, they must eat a variety of plant foods that provide protein. A well-balanced vegetarian diet has many health benefits because it is high in fibre and low in harmful forms of fat. But such diets can be low in B vitamins and iron. A vegan diet may lack calcium. Many vegetarians take vitamin supplements to fill these nutritional needs.
Fad Diets
Fad diets are diets that favour a current diet idea or craze about how or what people should eat. Such diets often involve weight loss. Popular fad diets include the "cabbage soup diet," the "grapefruit diet," and the Atkins or South Beach high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.
Athletes who want to gain weight are attracted to the Atkins diet because they believe that high amounts of protein help develop more body muscle. This, however, is not true. Athletes who want to increase their muscle bulk need to consume more energy from carbohydrates, not from more protein. At the same time, they need to work out to strengthen their muscles and encourage muscle growth. Consuming too much protein causes dehydration because it takes extra water to eliminate the excess protein from the body.
CC BY Steve Davis
People diet for many different reasons. Some people might be at an
unhealthy weight and want to pay closer attention to their eating and
exercise habits. Some people play sports and want to be in top physical
condition.
Some
people diet because they think they are supposed to look a certain way.
People in the entertainment industry often are thin, and most fashions
are shown off by very thin models. But this look is unrealistic for most
people, and it can be damaging to the models and stars who struggle to
maintain it.
By
the time many teen girls turn 12 or 13, they start to go through body
changes that are natural and necessary. Their hips broaden, their
breasts develop, and suddenly the way they look may not match girls in
magazine ads or on TV. Boys develop at different rates, as well. Those
guys with washboard abs you see in clothing ads are usually in their
twenties.
Any diet
in which you eat fewer calories than you need to get through the day can
be dangerous. Diets that don't allow any fat at all also can be bad for
you. Everyone needs a certain amount of fat in their diet — about 30%
of total calories — so no one should eat a completely fat-free diet.
Digging Deeper
Click below for tips on how to spot fad diets.
You'll know it's a fad diet if:
1.
The diet is based on drastically cutting back calories. Starvation-type
diets that require you to fast often promise fast results. But our
bodies are not designed to drop pounds quickly. In fact, doctors say a
healthy, normally active person should not lose more than 2 to 3 pounds
per week. Many low-calorie diets rely on that fact that the body's
natural reaction to near starvation is to lose water. So most, if not
all, of the weight lost on quick-weight-loss diets is not fat, it's just
water.
2. The diet is based on taking special pills or powders. These are usually just gimmicks that do not work. Some diet pills contain laxatives or diuretics that force a person's body to eliminate more water. So the weight lost with these supplements is mostly water, not fat.
3. The diet tells you to eat only specific foods or foods in certain combinations. There's no reliable scientific evidence that combining certain foods works. And limiting the foods you eat means you might not get all the nutrition you need.
4.
The diet makes you completely cut out fat, sugar, or carbohydrates.
Depriving your body of needed food groups is a bad idea (especially when
you're still growing). It's better to eat smaller portions of
well-rounded meals (meals that contain lean protein, whole grains,
fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy).
5. The diet requires you to skip meals or replace meals with special drinks or food bars. As with diets that ban certain food groups, skipping or substituting meals can mean you don't get the nutrition needed to support healthy development.
Do you think a diet like the one shown below would work?
Lose 90 lbs eating pizza all day!Scientists discover rare weight-loss "wonder Herb"
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You learned previously that eating
healthy meals and snacks combined with reasonable amounts of exercise
can help a person lose weight and develop properly. For many people,
being more active might help them lose weight without even changing what
they eat. Regular exercise also helps people feel healthier and better
about themselves.
The
best way to diet is to think about following Canada's Food Guide. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and eat a
wide variety of enough food to meet your body's needs. Aim to eat more
fruits and vegetables, cut back on meats high in fat (like burgers and
hot dogs), greasy fried foods, and sweets, and drink more water instead
of sugary drinks like sports drinks or pop. (It's okay to eat junk food sometimes, just not all the time!)
Digging Deeper
Click on the Play button to watch the choices that some teens make at the mall.
Then click on the Play button to watch a video about Brandon and his efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Self-Check
Try This!