Yannie Yip Posting #3
Topic: Health
Title: Eat more 'superfoods' to lose weight
Author: Jacque Wilson
Publication: CNN
Date: April 10 2012
Length: 850
The editor-in-chief of SELF magazine Lucy Danziger advocated a new way of diet by consuming superfoods. She was a former triathlete, and she is the author of a new weight-loss book called "The Drop10 Diet." Superfoods are nutritious food that contain high level of protein, fiber, and other nutrients, examples include blueberries, nuts, beans, salmon, green tea, quinoa, broccoli, spinach, and dark chocolate. The concept behind superfoods diet is that people should focus on what they should eat, instead of what they cannot eat, so that diet becomes something more appealing rather than negative.
Dr. Steven Praff is the author to his first book in 2004, "SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life." In fact, the term "superfoods" was coined by him in 1994. According to him, a superfood has to meet three qualifications: it has to be readily available to the public, it has to contain nutrients that are known to enhance longevity, and its health benefits have to be backed by peer-reviewed, scientific studies. The doctor also said that these foods contain high concentrations of crucial nutrients, and they are low in calories, which can aid in diet. In addition, these foods have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known effects of aging, including cardiovascular disease, Type II Diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers.
On the other hand, Marisa Moore, a registered dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says that superfoods are healthy but they do not help with losing weight. Danziger agrees with the technicality, but she thinks that superfoods do help because they make people physically feel better and motivate them to exercise and eat healthier to achieve certain fitness goal. Dr. Pratt, who has been pushing for superfoods since the mid-1900s, concerns that the obesity rate and obesity-related disease in the United States are still very high. He believes that if people start investing in eating healthy, they can enhance their health and longevity.
The United States is one of the top countries in obesity due to its culture. Fast food restaurants, big portions, little exercise,ect. Truth is that people are so busy and have so many daily activities such as: work, school, going for groceries, paying bills; that diets end being broken each time. People's pace is fast and with little time left to preoccupy about diets. However, there are those who actually worry about it and try to improve their nutrition. The big question is, does food gain you weight or are your habits eating habits the cause? All foods in a way will get you fat if you do not portion your meals. I do not think that there is a real connection between loosing weight by eating certain foods, but I do believe that there are some healthier foods that give you more energy and make you feel good about yourself. A balanced diet and moderate exercise will keep you fit!
ReplyDeleteI agree that "The concept behind superfoods diet is that people should focus on what they should eat, instead of what they cannot eat, so that diet becomes something more appealing rather than negative." I have read a lot articles and heard many methods of diet. I remember there was a report said 90% of people describing their diet as healthy. But they have a tendency to give themselves more credit than they perhaps deserve. They drink more sweetened beverages than they should, which led a wrong way and become unhealthy instead. Also within 50% of them, actually only 10% people are obesity and really need diet. People should use an right way to diet, instead of follow the others and blinding themselves. There may be some connections between foods and loosing weight, but to eat healthy and balance their nutrition is more important. Sports, sleeping habits and many other issues in normal lives are also important. Foods are not the only factor to the weight. Also to women, you should trust yourself more and stop worried about your weight too much. Sports will be more helpful of loosing weight.
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