Down with Diets!

Put down the diet book. Step away from the low-carb yogurt. Turn off the infomercials and relax for a moment. Remember what it was like before eating became a science project? All we did was eat sensibly and exercise and somehow we still managed to lose weight.

With the barrage of diet information we're faced with daily, it amazes me that we can manage to have a single meal without a mental breakdown. High-protein/Low-Carb, no carb, all grapefruit, no fruit,dairy or no dairy. Trying to remember the rules makes my head spin.

It's a good thing we can throw them all out the window. A healthy diet is simple, basic and it doesn't require a degree in nutrition. Nor does it require spending hundreds of dollars on books, meal plans or pills.The only thing you really need, you already have. Your own common sense.

14 pieces of bacon for breakfast? An all meat diet? A no meat diet? Those diet plans don't sound like a good idea because they aren't. They may be effective for short term, fast result weight loss,but those results won't last.

With every new fad diet we try we damage our bodies' ability to process vitamins and nutrients. We also disrupt our natural metabolism, which further impedes our weight loss success. The most important aspect of a healthy body has been completely ignored by the diet industry. Of course they can’t make a lot of money on it so don’t expect them to publicize it any time soon.

Here’s the big secret; our body needs food in order to function at its best. That means our brains need carbohydrates. Not empty carbs found in processed foods such as white breads, pastas and bleached grains, but the good, nutritious carbs found in whole wheat products like grain breads, wheat pastas and vegetables. Our bodies also depend on the fibers those foods provide. Dairy products are the best sourceof calcium and calcium is essential to maintaining total body health.Your body needs it every day not just to keep your bones and teeth strong over your lifetime, but to ensure proper functioning of muscles and nerves. Our muscles need protein in order to grow and repair the damage we do to them everyday.

The best diet is no diet at all. A lifelong eating plan consisting of moderation, healthy foods and exercise guarantees a fit, healthy body.

Donuts, fried foods, 3 bowls of ice cream, obviously a bad idea, but you already know that. Baked foods, steamed vegetables, salads andgrain breads, those are foods your body will thrive on. The added weight loss is just a bonus for treating your body right.

No more diets. No more low carb water. Burn the books and ban thepills. You know what your body needs better than the guy on TV trying to sell you 30 water pills for 300 dollars does. And guess what, it’s free! Just try eating sensibly and exercising for 30 days and see what happens. I think you’ll be amazed.

Next time you start to reach for a side of bacon and a bottle of cabbage juice, think how much more you’d enjoy some fresh fruit or a salad. Sit back, relax and giggle at the hungry, half crazed, food deprived woman hawking diet pills on your TV.