Where have all these diets over the last millennium brought us? Crazy diets are still popping up left and right and in between. Diet books, diet pills, diet support groups, and diet meals on wheels are bigger than ever. And yet people are more obese than ever. Does the popularization of fad diets make people fatter?
Maybe what we need—and maybe we’re on our way there, finally—is to learn about what’s really healthy and about what our bodies really need and what they don’t need. People are finally accepting that smoking is harmful to their health and that too much caffeine can be unhealthy. The importance of fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and eggs are on the rise, and overly-processed, artificially colored and flavored foods are making less of an appearance. Healthy options are springing up and people seem to be taking advantage of them. People are increasing their protein intake without totally neglecting healthy carbs and other food groups.
Sure people are still doing the fads—the Lemonade Diet is back, as well as new ones like the Maple Syrup Diet, the Coconut Diet, and the Mediterranean Diet—but will they really keep the weight off? You may be able to quickly drop 10 pounds, but if it’s not off to stay, then why should you put yourself through the misery of deprivation that so many of these diets call for?
Diet pills are also still popular options, with more and more choices out on the market every year, from Phentermine of the 1060s to newer drugs like Xenical and Acai Effect.
I think that this is what hundreds of years of dieting has taught us: Eat well-balanced meals and focus of portion control. EXERCISE—it’ll help you lose weight and it’ll keep your heart, muscles, and bones strong. And visit your doctor regularly—it could be that you have a hormone imbalance or that diet pills or a gastric bypass are good options for you.
