A balanced diet is vital for promoting health and preventing disease. Nutrient-rich whole foods --- sometimes termed "health foods" --- play an important role in nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight. Diet products, like herbal supplements and over-the-counter drugs, can be useful in some cases, but may not be safe or effective for everyone. Understanding the nature of health food and diet products allows you to choose quality products that live up to their claims.
Types
The term "health food" is not strictly defined and may include any combination of organic, low-fat, nutrient-dense or high antioxidant foods. Examples of foods that are sometimes labeled as health foods include free-range chicken, organic spinach leaves and whole-grain breads.
Diet products can usually be placed into two main categories --- fat burners and fat blockers. Fat burners speed metabolism, raise body temperature and suppress appetite to increase the number of calories and fat burned, while fat blockers work by blocking the absorption of fat from foods. Diet aids come in the form of herbal supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medications, nutritional supplements and homeopathic preparations.
Features
Health food is usually low in fat and calories and rich in nutrients like vitamins, minerals or antioxidants. Phytochemicals --- healthy compounds found in plant-based foods --- are often used as a selling point for health foods.
Diet products are marketed primarily to aid in weight loss. Examples of popular diet products include green tea, stimulants like bitter orange and fiber-rich supplements that increase feelings of fullness to prevent hunger. Most over-the-counter diet products are not approved by the FDA for weight loss and may be unsafe when used incorrectly.
Benefits
Healthy foods are vital for all bodily functions, including growth, healing, energy production and cognitive functioning. According to My Pyramid.gov, a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables helps prevent cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancers of the stomach, mouth and colon.
Diet products vary greatly in effectiveness and safety. Some provide mildly effective or disappointing results while others can be dangerous. While diet products may be useful for jump-starting weight loss, they're not considered an effective long-term solution for weight management.
Health Risks
When prepared and stored correctly, health foods do not generally carry any serious risks. The main concern associated with health foods is false advertising and misleading labeling of products with no real health benefits.
The main danger of diet products is the potential for harmful side effects, which varies depending on ingredients. Bitter orange --- a supplement often marketed as "legal ephedra" --- carries many of the same health risks as the banned stimulant, including heart attack, stroke and seizure, according to MayoClinic.com.
Considerations
Manufacturers sometime use terms like "low-fat" or "organic" to sell products that contain large amounts of sugar, fat or other unhealthy ingredients. Diet products may also carry misleading labeling, making it all the more important to read ingredient lists and nutritional information.
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