Dieting

            At its core, dieting is simply controlling how and what one eats, usually in order to maintain or lose weight. Many diets exist, although only some are truly effective.
            One of the principles of successful dieting is limiting the intake of calories. The average human being requires around 2,000 calories a day to survive. Eating less than that forces the body to begin drawing on its internal fat reserves to make up the difference. However, since less calories mean less food, diets require careful monitoring of what is eaten.
            Human beings need to ingest food from five categories: vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats and minerals. These are all required for proper maintenance, and  diets that ignore these requirements can endanger the dieter’s life. Likewise, diets that emphasize vitamins and minerals may also be dangerous.
            There are many popular diets available for a potential dieter to choose. One of the most popular is the Atkins Diet, one of the “low-carbohydrate” diets available. This diet asserts that restricting carbohydrates switch the body’s metabolism from burning glucose to burning stored body fat, which supposedly begins when the body runs out of carbohydrates to burn. Another, the Zone Diet, requires the dieter to eat specifically to balance their hormones and insulin levels. Once these levels have been properly balanced, the body will begin to naturally lose weight.
            These diets have all received their share of criticism. The Atkins Diet has particularly been criticized for the increased heart disease risk of its dieters, while other scientists have charged that the main reason for the rapid weight loss in the Atkins Diet has to do with water loss more than fat loss. Dieters following the Atkins Diet have also found that they experience more problems with their digestive system than other dieters. In the meantime, the Zone Diet has been criticized by the American Heart Association for its lack of essential nutrients, and more importantly its lack of explanation of long-term effects on the dieter.
            In order for any diet to be truly effective, however, exercise must play a part. Aerobic exercising for at least thirty minutes, three times a week, can enhance a person’s weight loss efforts considerably. Even though exercise is necessary, adding exercise will not magically make a diet twice as effective.

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