Anti-diet day facts speak against diets

Facts speak against diets

05/05/2013

In Germany, there are more and more overweight and obese. Diets even increase their numbers, warn critics for May 6, the anti-diet day. Some diets can also lead to serious diseases, experts warn.

More than half of Germans are too fat
67 percent of men and 53 percent of women in Germany weigh too much. According to the federal government, more than half of the population is too fat. The figures come from a study of the Robert Koch Institute last year. Compared to the Nutrition Report 2008 of the German Nutrition Society, it becomes clear that about one in five adults is even obese, ie morbidly obese. However, overcoming weight with the help of diets usually does not lead to success. The emaciated pounds are usually faster back than feared. Many respond with a new diet. This can result in a so-called yo-yo effect, a cycle of starvation, loss of self-control, cravings with binge eating and a new diet with starvation. Diets can even lead to serious eating disorders, warns the Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA). Their director, Prof. dr. Elisabeth Pott explains: „Regular or uncontrolled diets can lead to a serious condition such as bulimia or binge eating.“ Binge eating is an eating disorder in which uncontrolled food is stuffed into it and, unlike bulimia, is not subsequently vomited. Eating disordered behavior occurs especially in young people. Approximately every third girl between the ages of 14 and 17 has evidence of this. The boys are slightly less noticeable with 13.5 percent.

Self-mortification through diets usually pointless
Since 1992, the annual International Anti-Diet Day takes place on May 6th. Britain's author, Mary Evans Young, had started him back then, with the goal of alerting to the danger that diets could lead to eating disorders. With the „International No Diet Day“ gives Mrs. Young, who suffered from anorexia herself, but also a plea for not running after a skinny beauty craze and accepting her own body. On the occasion of this date, the Freiburg sports physician Michael Lehmann: „Self-dieting through diets is usually not only meaningless, but also risky. "Diets make it more obese .. In addition to a balanced diet, especially sport is extremely important for a desired weight loss. „Cycling stimulates the metabolism, "says Lehmann, „and is especially suitable for overweight people.“ When cycling, the joints are relieved, as the body weight is carried by the bike. In addition, in principle, one decreases when more calories are burned than absorbed. „If this energy balance is right, no diet is necessary. "However, for both regular exercise and long-term dietary changes, one must adhere to one's own established rules to successfully lose weight.

Man eats what he likes
Professor med. Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer, Head of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) Potsdam-Rehbrücke and Head of the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition of the Charité explains: „Dietary concepts for long-term weight management have been developed in numerous studies, but have failed so far in the majority of people in practice.“ He further explains: „In the long term, people eat what they like best and it is extremely difficult to change their dietary patterns.“ The problem is that for many people, foods that are high in fat and sugars that are very energetic are appealing in flavor. In order to be able to counteract an increase in obesity and associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular diseases, healthier, lower-energy foods would have to be developed, but they would also saturate. „These would be beneficial for both patients with sugar metabolism disorders and for healthy people, "said Pfeiffer, adding that the development of soups, pasta, bakery products, bread and snacks containing a higher proportion of vegetable protein and insoluble, non-fermentable fiber are examples of this. A diet that has low and vegetable fat, as well as lean and vegetable protein, a lot of vegetables and a low glycemic index overall, can support a lasting weight loss most successfully, as the result of several studies According to the vegetarians of Germany (Vebu) can help a vegetarian diet lose excess weight. (sb)

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Diet in Naturopathy
Paleo-Diet: Food as in the Stone Age is healthy?
Study shows: a lot of protein helps to lose weight
Tricks for losing weight more successful than dieting

Picture: BirgitH