Common Myths About Dieting

Myth #1: High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are a healthy way to lose weight.

Fact: The long-term health effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet are unknown. But getting most of your daily calories from high-protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is not a balanced eating plan. You may be eating too much fat and cholesterol, which may raise heart disease risk. You may be eating too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which may lead to constipation due to lack of dietary fiber. Following a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet may also make you feel: nauseous, tired, and weak.

Eating fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrate a day can lead to the buildup of ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood. A buildup of ketones in your blood (called ketosis) can cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid, which is a risk factor for gout (a painful swelling of the joints) and kidney stones. Ketosis may be especially risky for pregnant women and people with diabetes or kidney disease.

Myth #2: Natural or herbal weight loss products are safe and effective.

Fact: A weight loss product that claims to be "natural" or "herbal" is not necessarily safe. These products are not usually scientifically tested to prove that they are safe or that they work. For example, herbal products containing ephedra have caused serious health problems and even death. Newer products that claim to be ephedra-free are not necessarily danger-free, because they may contain ingredients similar to ephedra.

Myth #3: Fast foods are always an unhealthy choice and you should not eat them when dieting.

Fact: Fast foods can be part of a healthy weight loss program with a little bit of know-how.

Tip: Avoid supersize combo meals, or split one with a friend. Sip on water or nonfat milk instead of soda. Choose salads and grilled foods, like a grilled chicken breast sandwich or small hamburger. Try a "fresco" taco (with salsa instead of cheese or sauce) at taco stands. Fried foods, like French fries and fried chicken, are high in fat and calories, so order them only once in a while, order a small portion, or split an order with a friend. Also, use only small amounts of high- fat, high-calorie toppings, like: regular mayonnaise, salad dressings, bacon, and cheese.

Myth #4: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight.

Fact: Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. This may be because people who skip meals tend to feel hungrier later on, and eat more than they normally would. It may also be that eating many small meals throughout the day helps people control their appetites.

Tip: Eat small meals throughout the day that include a variety of healthy, low-fat, low-calorie foods.

Myth #5: Lifting weights is not good to do if you want to lose weight, because it will make you "bulk up."

Fact: Lifting weights or doing strengthening activities like push-ups and crunches on a regular basis can actually help you maintain or lose weight. These activities can help you build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. So if you have more muscle, you burn more calories—even sitting still. Doing strengthening activities 2 or 3 days a week will not "bulk you up." Only intense strength training, combined with a certain genetic background, can build very large muscles.

Tip: In addition to doing at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (like walking 2 miles in 30 minutes) on most days of the week, try to do strengthening activities 2 to 3 days a week. You can: lift weights, use large rubber bands (resistance bands), do push-ups or sit-ups, and do household or garden tasks that make you lift or dig.

Source: www./arthritis.about.com

Fats

The fats normally occur in animal and vegetable tissue. Fats are designated as saturated or unsaturated, depending on whether the chemical bonds between the carbon atoms of the fat molecules contain all the hydrogen atoms they are capable of holding (saturated) or have capacity for additional hydrogen atoms (unsaturated).

Saturated fats generally are solid at room temperature; unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquids. Unsaturated fats may be converted to saturated fats by adding hydrogen atoms in a process known as hydrogenation. When saturated solid fats are added to the diet, the amount of cholesterol in the blood increases, but when liquid, unsaturated fats or oils replace solid fat, the amount of cholesterol decreases.

The American Heart Association recommends restricting the total fats in a diet, reducing the consumption of cholesterol-rich foods, such as milk and butter, replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, and limiting the intake of trans fats. Sterols are a compound containing a multi-ring (steroid) structure and a hydroxyl group (-OH). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are primarily found in vegetable oils and fish sources. Omega-6 PUFA is derived from vegetable oils and are liquid at room temperature. They include corn, sunflower, safflower, soybean, and sesame oils. Salad dressing, margarine, and mayonnaise containing these oils are therefore high in polyunsaturated fat. Omega-3 PUFA is found primarily in fish.

Monounsaturated fats are derived from plant sources. High amounts are found in olive, canola (rapeseed), and peanut oil as well as avocados, and certain nuts. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not increase serum cholesterol or LDL levels and are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. The foods in our diet with the highest energy density for fat are salad oils, butter, margarine, and mayonnaise. All of these foods contain almost 100% of energy as fat.

Well, that right there is good enough on fats. I could ramble on for even longer, but lets get to why a bodybuilder should incorporate fats; (unsaturated) into their diet. First, I am going to give you a brief overview of why we need EFA's, or Essential Fatty Acids in our diet. First, humans can't produce omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids; we get them only by ingesting them.

These fatty acids are essential for us to eat because they participate in the immune processes and vision, help form cell structures, and aid in the production of hormone-like compounds. Because we must get linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) from foods, they are called essential fatty acids, like I mentioned up above. If we don't get enough of these, our skin will be flaky and itchy, and diarrhea and other symptoms will occur. These fats provide energy for the body; they store energy, insulate and protect the organs, and transport fat-soluble vitamins.

Now you may ask, why do bodybuilders need more EFA's? Well, here is why you need more, especially if you trying to bulk up. If you are bulking, and only getting 15% fat from the diet, you better up it to 25-30%; here is why. A diet consisting of 30% EFA's can produce a better anabolic effect and higher nitrogen retention, than a high protein low carb low fat diet.

If you are having trouble consuming more calories in the day, try adding a little more fat. One Tablespoon of flax oil, or canola oil gives you 120 cal. If you are eating 3000 cal a day, you should be getting 83-100g of fat per day. This is for those of you who are bulking. What is also good about adding more EFA's to the diet is all of the health benefits. Just think, at the same time you are getting big, you are also staying healthy.

Source: www.bodybuilding.com

Water

Our bodies are estimated to be about 60 to 70% water. Blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. We need to drink water because water is needed to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all our organs. Water also transports oxygen to our cells, removes waste, and protects our joints and organs.

Signs of Dehydration

We lose water through urination, respiration, and by sweating. If you are very active, you lose more water than if you are sedentary. Diuretics such as caffeine and alcohol result in the need to drink more water because they trick our bodies into thinking we have more water than we need. Symptoms of mild dehydration include chronic pains in joints and muscles, lower back pain, headaches, and constipation. A strong odor to your urine, along with a yellow or amber color indicates that you are not getting enough water. (Note that riboflavin, a B Vitamin, will make your urine bright yellow.) Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration and in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty.

How Much Water do we Need to Drink?

A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. If you exercise you should drink another 8-ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink coffee or alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot. The best source of water is plain, pure drinking water. Sodas have a lot of sugar in them and aren't a good source, so if you drink them, they don't count towards your daily amount. Herbal teas that aren't diuretic are fine. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial, just look out for added sugar and calories that you don't need.

Source: www.build-your-body.net

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are sugars: some are simple and some are complex. Simple carbohydrates are natural sugars that come from items such as vegetables, fruits, honey and maple. Complex carbohydrates are made up of complex chains of sugars and are known as starches and fiber. The body is able to easily digest the simple sugars but complex sugars are harder to digest. The body needs and is able to process some complex sugars such as fiber.

'Carbohydrates are needed for the body to survive:' this is a misconception about the weight gain involved in consuming carbohydrates. When carbohydrates are consumed with other fattening foods or consumed in quantities more than the body could withstand, then the body would convert extra into fat.

The daily intake of carbohydrates has no set limit, but according to the government the daily intake should be fifty percent of the daily calories consumed per day, should come from carbohydrates such as grains, vegetables, and fruits. The body turns these carbohydrates into glucose, which can be stored in the body’s tissues and muscles. Regular exercise can help the body store glucose within the muscles.

Having a healthy body is essential but having stored glucose in the muscles insuring the ability of endurance. This is particularly important for athletes and people with high physical occupations.

Foods preparing meals remember some important foods for carbohydrates; breakfast could consist of a bowl of whole-grain cereal, a slice of toast, grapefruit or a six-ounce glass of orange juice, one bowl of cooked whole-grain cereal, one- fourth cup raisins. For lunch you could try two slices whole-grain bread, one large bowl of salad with lettuce, green pepper, cucumber and tomato, and one apple or a three bean salad consisting of chickpeas, red kidney beans and string beans, one- half cup rice and a banana.

Dinner could be a baked potato, one-half cup broccoli; one-half cup carrots, one peach and two oatmeal cookies. These are suggestions that will allow you to consume a healthy amount of carbohydrates and make the body healthier.

Source: www.essortment.com

Proteins

Protein constitutes three-fourths of our body tissue (excluding the water). Muscles, organs, antibodies, enzymes, and some hormones are largely composed of proteins. Other key body functions include tissue repair, fluid balance, blood clotting, and vision.

Protein is not a single substance but numerous chemical combinations. The basic structure of protein is amino acid chains, which can form many different configurations and can combine with other substances. There have been 22 amino acids identified in the protein of the human body. Proteins are constantly broken down in the body. Most of these are reused by the body. However, some need to be replaced. There are nine that are considered to be essential. These cannot be manufactured by the body and must be supplied by the diet.

The average protein requirement for women is 50 grams per day and 60 grams per day for men. Meat and other animal products are the most readily available sources of complete protein. The protein content of cooked meat and dairy products is between 15% and 40%. In contrast, cooked cereals, beans, lentils, and peas range from 3% to 10%. Vegetarians can get enough protein if they eat a well-balanced diet of grains and vegetables, like brown rice, whole wheat pasta, soy products, and beans.

What are good sources of protein?

Eggs, milk, fish, beef, peanuts, oats, rice, whole wheat products, corn products, soybean products, sesame seeds, peas, and beans are all good sources of protein.

Do high protein diets help people gain muscle mass?

You need adequate protein to build muscle, but if 10-15% of your diet is protein, you are getting enough to maintain and add new muscle and tissue. It is a myth that super-high protein diets assist in increasing lean muscle mass or give athletes a competitive edge. Any excess protein will be stored as fat, not muscle. Plus, the conversion of large amounts of protein to fat puts stress on both the kidneys and the liver.

Source: www.build-your-body.net