Essay/Term paper: Dietary guidelines for north americans and suggestions for food choices

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Dietary Guidelines for North Americans and Suggestions for Food Choices


In today's society nearly everyone follows some kind of dietary guidelines.
Whether it is in the goal of losing weight, gaining weight or just simply to
maintain it, people are jumping onto the dietary band-wagon. A diet is
basically to take food according to rule, a mode of living in reference to
nourishment. There are various types of diets that one can follow; a high or
low calorie diet, low fat diets, diets modified in protein, minerals, water, and
carbohydrates, and so the list goes on. Many business enterprises base their
entire corporations into the field of weight loss. Many of these diet programs
are merely fads that lure desperate people in with their guarantees to lose so
many pounds or inches in an " x " amount of time. There are also many pills
that one can take, but they are not always safe and can be very damaging in the
long run. It is not all people that are on weight loss programs though. Many
athletes are on strict programs to gain weight. However this kind of desired
weight is not measured in fat but in muscle mass. Many muscle and fitness
magazines will feature advertisements and articles for such gains in body mass.
Advertisements for diets can sometimes be very dangerous though. Pretty well
all the people used in these particular ads are slim and beautiful and it can
therefor be very misinterpreting to someone who is overweight. The pressure of
being fit can lead to very damaging disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
These two very serious conditions affect a very large amount of women and men in
North America these days and can be quite lethal if not cured. So it is
important to be careful not to do any physical or psychological harm to one self
when trying to lose weight.

When embarking into any kind of diet it is extremely important that one gets the
sufficient amount of nutrients from their food and/or supplements. A proper
diet must consist of more than simply a glass of water and a piece of fruit per
meal. One must have a certain daily intake of specific vitamins and minerals to
stay in good health. If one were to follow the RDA's (recommended daily
allowance) guidelines, one has to be sure that the food that is consumed
contains the proper amount of nutrients that is so suggested. A lot of the
foods that we consume today do not contain the amount of vitamins and minerals
that the U.S. RDA have claimed. The reason being our obsession with colour,
taste, and texture in the food we eat and our lack of concern about it actually
being nutritious or not. Thousands of damaging pesticides, preservatives,
chemicals and colouring are raping our food of its nutritional value these days.
Therefor someone who is planning on going on a restricted calorie diet must be
careful in how they plan their daily food intake. With the help of a
nutritional guide that contains a table of food composition one can keep an
accurate record of their daily intake of protein, carbohydrates, fibres, fats,
minerals, and vitamins (see page ). This will enable a person on a restricted
weight loss program to be assured that he or she is getting all the necessary
nutrients for a well balanced diet. Along with a proper diet one
must also have some kind of exercise program in order to lose the undesired
weight and keep it off. If a person restricts themselves to dieting alone
without any type of physical exercise the human body will eventually adjust its
metabolism to the reduced calorie intake. Thus when the person returns to their
regular calorie consumption they will gain the weight right back. Medical
professionals agree that 30 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise performed
three times a week will elevate one's metabolism, and a higher metabolism burns
more calories. In order to lose one pound of fat, one has to burn off an extra
3500 calories on top of the calories that they consumed in their meals. So in
most cases the phrase "No pain, no gain", still holds true.

However, many people elect to take the easier route in trying to lose those
extra pounds. Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet pills, fad diets,
and other weight loss promises. These enterprises thrive on the ever growing
amount of obese people and their need for a quick and easy solution. One can't
turn on the television or flip through the pages of a magazine without seeing
some kind of diet remedy, that according to the manufacturer works wonders.
"Guaranteed to lose weight or your money back" is a catch phrase that has lured
many into wasting their money in order to look good. These kinds of
advertisements are especially popular around the holidays, Christmas being the
main one. The weight loss companies pump out the ads during this time of the
year because they know that the average North American puts on a sweltering
seven pounds of undesired baggage over this short period of time. Companies
such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig have been successful because they
supervise and keep track of their customers. These kinds of weight loss clinics
also encourage their customers to keep a record of their progress and maintain
their diet schedule. Many other diet plans are merely fads that make too many
promises and have diets designed to bring about quick weight loss that are
usually unbalanced nutritionally and are sometimes dangerous. Diet pills are
another poor form of treatment choices for obesity. These pills depress the
appetite temporarily; often, physician-prescribed amphetamines (speed). It is
generally agreed that these drugs are of little value for weight loss and that
their use can cause a dangerous dependency. Another form of diet pills that can
often be seen used by bodybuilders is water pills. These are diuretics that
promote the excretion of water from the body. The water loss results in some
weight loss, but this loss can be dangerous because the overweight subject has a
small percentage of water than a person of normal weight. Bodybuilders
sometimes use these water pills to look more "cut" because they give an
appearance that the skin is tightly pressed against the muscle. Dehydration can
result from the use of these pills and are therefor can sometimes be considered
to be hazardous to one's health. To date there has yet to be a safe effective
and quick way to lose weight and keep it off, however with the extensive
research being made in this area it might not be long.

As we all know it is not difficult to put on weight, but to put on the proper
kind of weight can be just as hard as losing it. This proper kind of weight
that is spoken of is muscle mass. Muscle mass is the building of the muscle
fibres in the body and the only way to increase this mass is by hard physical
activity. A low fat, high carb diet is also necessary to be able to keep a high
energy level for the physical load that is required for building up the muscles.
For the muscle fibres to be stimulated to grow a certain amount of resistance
has to be applied to them. This is done by working out with weights is a gym or
elsewhere. In the recuperation phase, the muscles needs protein to repair
itself and grow. When trying to gain desired weight by firming up the body one
must also have a healthy and strict diet. This includes proper amounts of
vitamins, minerals and protein along with a low fat, low sugar, and low sodium
intake.

Many people cannot cope with the pressure of society's view of a healthy human
body. With all the slim supermodels and big muscular guys in every single ad,
people are desperately trying to obtain this hard to obtain feat. A major
concern of many teenagers, especially of girls, is dieting to maintain a slim
and beautiful figure. To accomplish this, many go on fad diets that are neither
safe nor effective. Two special eating disorders related to dieting often
arise: anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa is an extreme preoccupation with
weight loss that seriously endangers the health and even the life of the dieter.
It arises only in developed countries where food is abundant, suggestion that it
is a societal problem. Although no two persons with anorexia nervosa are alike,
certain features are considered typical of the condition. The anorexic is
almost always female and in her mid-teens. She is usually from an educated,
middle-class, success-oriented, weight-conscious family that is proud of her and
is surprised to see her develop a problem. The major problem with these young
teenagers is that even after they are well below the average weight they still
don't stop. Weight loss has by now become an obsession. If the victim does not
get treatment she may soon experience permanent brain damage and chronic
invalidism or death. Another serious eating disorder is bulimia, periodic binge
eating ("pigging out") alternating with intervals of dieting or self-starvation.
Bulimia may accompany anorexia or may occur separately. The binge would end
when it would hurt to eat any more or when the person goes to sleep, induces
vomiting, or is interrupted. Anorexia and bulimia often arise in young
people, but the problems don't always resolve in adolescence. People with
anorexia and bulimia may retain abnormal eating behaviours and fearful attitudes
toward food throughout their entire adult lives.

With so many different diet programs out on the market that promise to make you
lose weight fast it is hard not to be tempted. One must be careful however,
because many of the diets that promise it all are actually quite dangerous, so
one must not get suckered in without knowing what is involved. In order to
reduce body weight, all doctors agree, one must reduce their calorie intake
and/or increase their energy expenditure. Whether you consume them or burn
them - and whether it's protein, fat or carbs - every calorie counts, so you
might as well learn to count them. One can start by a book that lists foods and
their nutritional value, then bring it to the dinner table and look up the foods
their eating. Gradually, one will learn to compromise their calories and make
better food choices. Once that is done, weight loss will be obtained. Others
desire to gain weight which can also be very difficult, if he or she trying to
gain muscle mass that is. A proper diet and a hard physical workout program is
required and of course lots of dedication. The most important thing about
dieting is that one has to remember to do it for themselves and not for the sake
of others, and to also be careful in doing so.

Dietary Guidelines for North Americans and Suggestions for Food Choices

1. Eat a variety of foods daily. Include these foods every day: fruits and
vegetables; whole-grain and enriched breads and cereals; milk and milk products;
meats; fish; poultry and eggs; dried beans and peas.

2. Maintain ideal weight. Increase physical activity; reduce calories by eating
fewer fatty foods and sweets and less sugar and by avoiding too much alcohol;
lose weight gradually.

3. Avoid too much fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Choose low-fat protein
sources, such as lean meats, fish, poultry, and dried beans and peas; use eggs
and organ meats in moderation; limit intake of fats on and in foods; trim fats
from meats; broil, bake, or boil, don't fry; read food labels for fat contents.

4. Eat foods with adequate starch and fibre. Substitute starches for fats and
sugars; select whole-grain breads and cereal, fruits and vegetables, dried beans
and peas, and nuts to increase fibre and starch intake.

5. Avoid too much sugar. Use less sugar, syrup, and honey; reduce concentrated
sweets, such as candy, soft drinks, cookies, and the like; select fresh fruit or
fruits canned in light syrup or in their own juices; read food labels - sucrose,
glucose, dextrose, maltose, lactose, fructose, syrups, and honey are all sugars;
eat sugar less often to reduce dental caries.

7. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Individuals who drink should
limit all alcoholic beverages (including wine, beer, liquors, and so on) to one
or two drinks per day. Note that the use of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy
can result in the development of birth defects and mental retardation called
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Bibliography

Whitney, Eleanor Noss. Nutrition & Diet Therapy : Principals and Practice
(second edition). West Publishing Company, New York, 1985.

Whitney, Eleanor Noss. Nutrition & Diet Therapy : Principals and Practice
(first edition). West Publishing Company, New York, 1986.

Joe Weider's Muscle and Fitness magazine. January 1997 edition. Brute
Enterprises Inc.. California, 1997. (page 103)

World Encyclopaedia. Volume 2. Chicago, . Anorexia (page 34).

Rosenberg, Dr. Harold. Stora Lakarboken om Vitaminterapi. Lerchs Forlag AB.
Johanneshov, Sverige, 1975.

Footnotes

1. Whitney, Eleanor Noss. Nutrition & Diet Therapy : Principals and Practice
(second edition). West Publishing Company. New York, 1986. *Page 11.

2. Whitney, Eleanor Noss. Nutrition & Diet Therapy : Principals and Practice
(first edition). West Publishing Company. New York, 1985. *Page 552.

3. Whitney, Eleanor Noss. Nutrition & Diet Therapy : Principals and Practice
(first edition). West Publishing Company. New York, 1985. *Page 519.