Diets that promise quick weight loss or those that restrict major food groups pose health risks that cannot be ignored. Taking nutritional balance into consideration should be an important part of your weight loss goals. Healthy diets include slight reductions in calories per day, encourage vegetables and fruit and a commitment to exercise.
Too Few Calories
Cutting calories is the way to weight loss, but reducing your calorie intake by too much can be risky to your health. According to Teens Health website, diets that restrict your calorie intake to levels as low as 800 calories per day can be dangerous. At these low calorie levels you are increasing your risk of becoming nutritionally deficient. The lack of nutrients can lead to problems such as fatigue, weakness and poor immune function.
Extremely Low Fat or No Fat Diets
Diets that strictly limit your intake of fat can result in various health problems if they are continued for long periods of time. Fat is necessary for a healthy well-rounded diet. The key is to take in certain types of fat in moderation and avoid or limit your consumption of unhealthy fats. According to Family Education website, consuming healthy fats can help prevent heart disease, reduce your chances of developing cancer, keep your hormones balanced and reduce fertility problems if you are a woman and keep your skin and hair healthy.
According to Teens Health, up to 30 percent of your daily calories come in the form of fat. The healthy fats to include in your diet are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
Diets That Don't Keep the Weight Off
Learning how to keep the weight off is an important aspect of a healthy diet. Diets that don't teach skills to keep the weight off many times result weight gain. According to the Daily Mail News website, two-thirds of dieters gain the weight back after they finish the diet and this weight gain can increase your risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Look for diets that teach you how to incorporate healthy habits into your life and don't simply promote rapid weight loss.
Diets That Strictly Limit Foods
Diets that promote the use of one type of food, such as cabbage soup or grapefruit, as your main source of nutrients can be unhealthy. According to Family Education, the lack of nutrients and calories in these diets can decrease metabolism and energy levels, cause dehydration from the loss of water-weight and rebound weight gain after the diet ends.
Using these diets for a short period of time may not have significant negative effects on your health, but limiting the types of food you eat to such extreme levels can be risky to your overall health if done for an extended period of time. Consuming a regular variety of foods is necessary for you to receive the nutrients your body needs.
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