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EAT SMART Dieting can help you get that gorgeous waistline, but the question is what kind of a diet are you following? VIJI IYENGAR

Look at that gorgeous body, isn’t that a waistline to die for! Wow, those clothes on that model would make me look like a diva! Is this reality, or reality TV? Today the Indian teen can truly be cited as living in a fantasy world where only their looks, dress mode and sex appeal seem to portend beauty. So what’s a teen to do? To diet or not to diet, that is their quandary! They face tremendous social pressure to be thin. Well, what’s considered cool? Is it starving to look good or eating to enjoy with no care in the world.Teens are easily swayed by the seducing power of an ad. A skinny girl draped over a jazzy car, creates a desire among a lot of adolescent girls to follow a radical diet to be skinny as well. Any diet will do. So what if it costs a mere Rs.1000 for each kilo lost!

Fad diets

There are numerous fad diets that offer a quick fix for weight loss. The common point of contention is that the demerits far out weigh the merits. They will all work for sure, but only temporarily. Typically, you stop the diet and you revert back to your old routine that may have included eating many more calories than your body required. The kilos soon return and this time with a vengeance. For many desperate adolescent girls, cutting out certain foods completely or using diet pills can make them develop eating disorders.

The dangers of irrational or drastic dieting range from simple dry skin to sadly even death. Here’s one fad for the record books:A popular diet that is low in carbs and high in proteins and fats causes an imbalance in the body’s need for basic nutrients. How come?

— The danger here is that the body uses protein food for energy and taxes the kidneys, leading to future kidney problems.

— Excess protein is also known to leach out the bones’ calcium slowly.

— Lower amounts of carbs in terms of roughage too can cause chronic constipation.

— Use of high fats leads to ketosis and increased ph of the blood (liver is taxed too) and consequent problems associated with it.

— High fats, especially saturated fats increase risk of heart diseases.

— Promotes loss of body water which if not replenished will slowly lead to dehydration (taxes the kidneys)

— It causes deficient intake of micronutrients and phyto-chemicals that give the body the necessary health boost.

So, next time you find yourself eating your ‘fav’ chow at your ‘fav’ dugout, go right ahead. Just eat a smaller more sensible portion, or if you are a truly brave one, pick something healthier. Better yet, work it off! Just use your commonsense guys and gals. If you eat too much, the weight will hang on you like a ton of bricks.

The author is a Dietician with NutritionVista.com

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