The desire for instant gratification in a no-fail weight loss method can spur you into trying products that promise “miracle” weight loss. Among them are diet pills, vitamin supplements, herbs, and “thigh creams.” These products are advertised in the pack pages of magazines, on radio and on television. The sale of them is a million dollar industry.
There are some obvious advertising claims that signal a weight loss product is a fraud. Beware if a product promotes:
- “If you lose too much weight, discontinue immediately.”
- Wrapping the product around a specific body part to flush or burn fat from that area.
- Reliance only on testimonials from satisfied customers.
- “Magic” combinations of food and vitamins.
- Weight loss without diet or exercise.
Diet gimmicks continue due to the common belief that ad claims must be true or the products wouldn’t be around. But even with common food, there are a lot of weight loss myths. Some of these follow:
- MYTH – Margarine has less fat and calories than butter
- TRUTH – Both are 100 percent fat and the same amount of calories. Some light margarines are whipped with water to lower the fat per serving.
- MYTH – Chicken has less fat than beef.
- TRUTH – This depends on the cut of beef and the part of the chicken. Chicken thighs are just as high in fat as most beef.
- MYTH – Non-dairy creamers and toppings are low-fat alternatives to cream.
- TRUTH – These contain the highly saturated fats of palm and coconut oil. Evaporated non-fat milk is a better choice.
- MYTH – Choice and prime cuts of meat are lowest in fat
- TRUTH – These are highest in fat. Select less expensive cuts for lower fat content.
- MYTH – Brown sugar and honey are better than white sugar.
- TRUTH – All these sugars have the same amount of calories per gram (4) and insignificant amounts of nutrients. They all promote tooth decay.
- MYTH – To reduce blood cholesterol, stop eating eggs.
- TRUTH – Cutting back to 3 or 4 eggs a week is helpful, but reducing the total fat intake of the diet is most helpful for lowering cholesterol.
You can dismiss quick fix thinking and food myths and use a permanent approach to weight management. You can eat foods you enjoy, lower body fat, and keep it off. Moderate, achievable goals for weight management include:
- Balanced meals of a variety of high fiber, lower-fat food.
- Sufficient calories at regular times.
- Regular exercise.
- Lose only one or two pounds per week.
If there was one simple step that I would recommend to improve most people’s nutrition it would be VEGETABLES. In fact, one of my personal daily goals is to make sure I include 3-4 servings of veggies in my daily food intake. (Even us “experts” need to work on changes, too.) Here are some ideas to add plant life to your food without noticing them as much:
- Add extra grated veggies to spaghetti or pizza sauce.
- Add a layer of veggies to lasagna.
- Add two colorful diced veggies to casseroles.
- Add veggies to low-fat sour cream or yogurt for potato topping.
- Stuff veggies (squash, tomatoes, peppers) with rice, beans, or tuna.
- Add grated carrots or zucchini to cakes and cookies when baking.
