Thursday, December 1, 2011

Nutrition: Myths vs Facts

A few months ago, I got this material under almost the same title presented by a well-known Malaysian dietitian from a reputable medical centre. I asked for permission to put the article on my blog and was told to modify it. I post a slightly modified version here for the benefit of my kind and appreciative blog readers, some at times wrote about their need to go on diet regime.

IS IT TIME FOR THE LATEST FAD DIET?
1. Overweight is becoming increasingly common in our country..
2. more than 20% adults are estimated to be overweight.
3. Do weight control diets actually delivered their promises?
4. How do you rank your weight control strategies?

HOW TO SPOT FAD DIETS?
1. Promote quick weight loss : 0.5 to 1 kg per week.
2. Promote miracle or mmagic food
3. Drinking cabbage soup everyday or eating only fruits for breakfast
4. Restrict or eliminate certain food group
5. High Protein Low Carbs Diet and No rice is allowed
6. Use testimonials from famous people & tie the diet to well-known cities
7. Beyoncé Maple Syrup Diet
8. The Beverly Hills Diet.


They are often expensive supplements!
1. Imply as cure-alls & work for everyone.
2. Claim that weight can be lost and maintained without exercise and other lifestyle changes.
3. No scientific research to back up claims.
4. Encourage people to look outside the medical establishment for correct advice.

PubMed indexes paper published from over 30,000 journals.
-A search for articles on Diet & Obesity finds more than 30,000 articles
So What’s The Best Diet Anyway?





GO FOR …..
1. Regular Exercise -Sensible and Safe
2. Commit yourself to a regular exercises program.

FORGET Crash & Fad Diets
1. No value to long term weight control
2. Short term losses are usually regained
3. Long term use can be harmful


FORGET Electronic Gadgets
1. No value to weight loss
2. No extra energy is used

FORGET Massage Belts, Sauna,Chemical Bandage Wraps
1. No value in weight loss.
2. Fat is not “melted” or broken down.
3. Fluid losses are soon replaced when water is drunk




FORGET Cellulite Treatments
1. “Cellulite” is nothing but plain fat.
2. Normal dietary measures with regular physical activity is the only sensible approach.
3. Avoid gimmicky devices and expensive treatment

FORGET Diuretics & Laxatives
1. Excessive use can endanger health.
2. They don’t aid fat loss !

Setting Realistic Goals
1. Don’t be overwhelmed with tremendous amount of weight to loose.
2. Break into smaller, more achievable short-term goals.
3. Genetics plays a key role in determining our body makeup.
4. Learn to love the body you have & keep your focus on ways to make it healthy !

L.The ScalesCan Drive You Nuts !
1. Don’t let the day-to-day fluctuations throw you into a state of panic.
2. Limit amount of times you weigh yourself.

Get Moving and Keep Moving
1. Exercise helps promote weight loss and weight maintenance.
2. Exercise relieves stress and can even psych up your state of mind to motivate you to make the smart food choices.

THE BOTTOM LINE……..
“For a lasting and healthful weight loss = a varied diet, reduced calorie intake and regular physical activity”.

Maintain a Healthy Weight and be Physically Active
A body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 – 25 is recommended.
Healthy weight results from a balance of calories (energy) in and energy expended.

Small, everyday changes matter most



Gradually transition from the old high calories plate...





to a better plate...





to a 3/4 plant-based food+ 1/4 animal protein





Eat Plenty of Vegetables, Fruits, Grains and Legumes
1. Eat 5 - 9 servings daily
2. Eat a variety of fruits and veggies; choose 100% juices.
3. Include dark green and orange vegetables, as well as dry beans and peas each week.
4. Enjoy whole grains, beans and peas with each meal
Do these foods prevent cancer?
Soy foods
1. Contain phytochemicals that may fight cancer (based on animal studies).
2. Soy supplements should not be taken to reduce cancer risk.
3. Women with breast cancer should consume only moderate amounts of soy. Source: The Complete Guide to Nutrition and Physical Activity.
The American Cancer Society. www.acs.org.


Tea
Some research (animal studies)
suggests that tea may have
antioxidant properties and
prevent cancer. Studies in humans
have been less conclusive.

The bottom line
1. Maintain a healthy weight throughout life
2. Adopt a physically active lifestyle
3. Eat a healthy diet, with emphasis on plant sources
4. If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit consumption
5. Focus on the overall content of your diet rather than specific nutrients
6. Don’t just take vitamin supplements to prevent disease



Hopefully some of you might benefit from this entry.



Thank you & Have a nice diet day !

19 comments:

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang,
Thank you for info. Hmm...why is it whenever we lost a bit of weight, someone somehow will never fail to ask: makan ubat apa? They'd mati-mati tak percaya when told it's just exercise and portion control. Susahlah ini macam, eh? purrr....meow!

Mulan said...

thaaaanks ayoh wang...

bmi ok je all this while tapi kolesterol 7 tak nak turun2... turun time makan obat je.. hadoooiii....

Anonymous said...

ayoh wang

i've sent this link to the 'non-believers' of sensible dieting. my apologies not seeking prior consent.

good post, this.

alhamdulillah i've managed to stay fit with exercise and sensible dieting only.

Al-Manar said...

Do you seriously suggest taking a dog for a walk on the beach? I cannot find one here except hok lior. Get me one in KL and bring me next time you head east. Cats are plenty here but cats,whatever types and where they come from, are a nuisance to take for a walk, aren't they?

Lee said...

Hi Wan Sharif, my wife and I avoid those beef fast foods. 24 years here only been to McDonalds 4 times, 3 times have coffee with friends, once to try....and we live only 5 minutes walk away.

As well we drink lots of Chinese green tea, lots of green vegetables.....and tau fu, seafood.
None of those slimming whatever.....senang sikit on the pocket, ha ha.
Lee.

ninotaziz said...

Dear Ayoh Wang,
I love tea, tomatoes and fruits.

But am terrible at exercising as I was telling my good friend up there [bakal besan, Maknya Sebastian Vettel]

koolmokcikZ said...

Salaam,
thanks for sharing the info

School Of Tots said...

Exercise is a bit challenge for me nowadays...4kg overweight. Very good posting. Thx.

Wan Sharif said...

CfS dearest,
Agaknya pasal dah selalu sangat kita mengharapkan ubat untuk menyembuhkan penyakit.. Hinggakan obesity pun kita masih mengharapkan ada ubat yang boleh membaik pulih keadaan badan kita dengan kadar segera.. Interesting your portion control..
On people not believing that you lost weight because of portion control and exercise.. Depa kata " tak dapek den nak nolong" ;))

Wan Sharif said...

Mulan dearest,
Amboi panjangnya timakasih you.. Oh saya pun ada gak masaalah cholesterol ni.. Eish macam mana nak kawal ye?.. Belum jumpa cara lagi..

Wan Sharif said...

Noir dearest..
Welcome to my blog .. Thank you for linking.to non believer.. Apa apa yang baik boleh berkongsi.. Looks like you have been doing well as far as dieting is concerned..

P/s..You have interesting pen name..
Noir in French means black I think..
And in Arabic it means light.. or hidayat?..
Interesting non!

Wan Sharif said...

Bang Hassan dearest,
I wanted to suggest exercise.. I could not find picture of father and son doing exercise together, neither can I find a granpa with grandchildren through the search engine.. Mm ayoh wang pun dok berani dengan anjing .. Ngan kucing pun terkadang geli gelemam.. Berjalan/ berlari dengan kucing.. Mm a waste of effort maybe.

Wan Sharif said...

Brother Lee dearest,
I trust you have been one sensible person.. And I love that MacDonald part... I did participate with my children on many occasions only to satsfy my sweet tooth.. Taking sundae only... I just love the vanilla ice-cream laced with the chocolate.. Heaven..oops
Wow..I did not know that saving money while dieting.. May I did not think from that angle..
Have a nice And merry holiday season..

Wan Sharif said...

Sensibe food you have there Ninot...
I am also as terrible with my exercise, hence the 15 minutes exercise I posted earlier..heard that 10000 steps walking is equivalent to 30 minutes exercise.. So I tried to walk as much as possible in the office;)).
Berbesan dengan mak sv... Getting your cat hitched to sv.. How cute..;)

Wan Sharif said...

Wa'alaikumussalam CoolmokcikZ,
Thank you for your visit and kind comment . The pleasure is mine ;))

Wan Sharif said...

School of Tots..
Remember to do good thing is difficult, medicine is normally bitter. To do bad deed is easy and at time satisfying.. Fitrah nya begitu.. Thank you for your kind comment and visit.

Cheqna said...

Ayoh Wang,

Informative. I've tried many of the regimes but the best one for me is to control my food intake, do little bit of exercise (nowdays its rope skipping for me :-)).

During Ramadhan I lost a bit due to less food, lots of plain water and lots of walking..and my nephew remarked something like ~ if I go through another month of Ramadhan (i'd reach my ideal weight)..hehe..

Wan Sharif said...

Cheqna,
Maaf baru intai ..
Tell u what.. I believed you nephew ;) scientifically he is right..

Wan Sharif said...

Susan dearest,
Thank you for your walk on water comments. A comment like yours make all the effort put in sofar very worthwhile indeed!. Appreciate that..