A Healty Issue

A Healthy Issue

It has been long debated as to what method is the best way to lose weight. Every day it seems there is a new diet craze sweeping across America. The birth of fad diets has brought hope to those wanting to lose weight fast. Which is the best diet plan? There are so many to choose from now, and there are not only diet plans. There are hundreds of dietary supplements now available as well as new-age surgeries to help us battle the bulge. Each method has its own positives and negatives. Some have lead to amazing weight loss, while others have lead to sickness and even death. With all of the different ways available to lose weight, is there a better solution than to simply follow a balanced diet combined with regular exercise?

Fad diets are the newest thing to hit our waistlines. They are notorious for being a fast way to lose weight. Some of these diets, just to name a few examples include: Atkins’ Diet, Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, South Beach Diet, The Zone, Subway Diet, eDiets, The Beverly Hills Diet, and the list goes on and on. All promise dramatic weight loss that is easy to keep off as long as you follow their regimen. Are they safe? Which one is right for you? To get a better understanding about what they entail, let’s take a look at a few of them.

The Atkins’ diet is probably the most popular in today’s society. Dr. Robert Atkins, a cardiologist, actually came up with his plan back in 1972. Unlike the many fad diets that followed, the Atkins’ diet survived the term fad, and has actually become more popular as the years have passed. In the Atkins’ diet, the formula is allowing foods that are high in protein and that are low in carbohydrates. To start, the plan requires you to go through an induction period for two weeks that will balance your metabolism. An individual is allowed to have as much fat and protein as desired, but the foods must contain less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Some of the foods allowed include: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, oil, butter and cheese. After completing the two-week induction period, the amount of carbohydrates allowed is doubled to 35-40 grams per day. When the individual reaches his or her goal weight, the amount is increased again, up to 60 grams of carbohydrates per day. Several major health organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association are against the low carbohydrate diet because it is high in fat as well as a lack of vitamins and nutrients that the diet does not provide. Food manufacturers, however, have embraced the idea, as the grocery store shelves have gradually become littered with low