Men and women should be wary of extreme diets

Some worrying statistics recently released by the National Eating Disorders Association in America show that there are many misconceptions about diet and eating disorders. For example while most people presume that deaths from anorexia tend to be focused on teenage girls in fact the majority of people who die from anorexia are 45+. The statistics in America show that almost 80% of anorexia deaths occurred in this age group.

Another interesting statistic is that the vast majority of teenagers eventually overcome their eating disorders and go on to live normal healthy lives whereas those adults who have eating disorders are far more likely to end up living with them. Eighty percent of teenagers recover from anorexia and associated eating disorders but only twenty percent of adults do the same.

Men and women should be wary of extreme diets which promise rapid weight loss and very unhealthy eating habits because these are the source of many eating disorders. People who start out on unhealthy diets often get into bad eating habits which are then difficult to shed and which lead to anorexia or bulimia. The National Eating Disorders Association estimate that over 10 million women in America suffer from some form of eating disorder and that this problem is likely to get worse.

If you are following a diet and it does not have a healthy compliment of carbohydrates, protein and fat you are putting your health at risk. A diet should first be healthy and should encourage weight loss only if you are overweight. If you are unsure about whether your diet is healthy you should check it out with a qualified doctor and be extremely wary of “nutritionists” and other individuals claiming to offer diet advice.

By eating unhealthily to lose weight when you are young you can open yourself up to a whole list of illnesses which are likely to materialise when you get older. There is no substitute for healthy eating and exercise when it comes to losing weight and anyone who says that there is, is not telling the truth.