Rosalee Brown
DIETS HAVE been around for a long time and have especially become popular with the epidemic of obesity. One definition for diet is 'usual food', but diets can also be a prescribed food regiment to treat a disease condition. Most persons nowadays associate the word diet with a weight-loss plan.
One of the first recorded dietary interventions was in 1087 - that of William the Conqueror and his alcohol diet to reduce his fatness. Then there was Sylvester Graham of 'Graham Cracker' fame, who in 1830, advocated a vegetarian diet, high in course, whole wheat flour. In 1890, Wilbur Atwater discovered calories, the basis for many-a-diet as we now know them. In the 1890s, doctors prescribed thyroid compounds to treat obesity and the first diet pamphlet was written by William Banting in 1850, about a low-carbohydrate plan. Saccharin, the sugar substitute, was manufactured in 1879 and by 1896, advertisements for diet aids which contain ingredients such as purgatives, were popular.
There was Horace Fletcher's idea of chewing food 32 times in order to reduce weight, and Dr. Lulu Peter's book on counting calories. In 1961, Jean Nideith lost weight on Dr. Norman Jollife's plan and started Weight Watchers, and in 1967, there was a high-protein diet called the Stillman diet. The idea of food combination started in the 1920s with Hay and Hauser and was expanded by the Diamonds with Fit for Life in 1970. The idea of fasting to lose weight was also made popular by Robert Linn in 1970 and today, we can find hundreds of diets from A-Z.
WHY IS THERE A PROBLEM?
We are often asked to do what is not normal in our lifestyle.
Persons most times only change their way of eating through force, often in the case of a chronic illness where adherence to a new way of eating may mean improved health or sustained life.
There are some cases where persons make the decision to change eating behaviour based on information on the benefits of this new particular lifestyle.
BARRIERS TO CHANGE
Unfamiliar foods and portion requirements.
Required schedule not suitable for lifestyle.
Close attachment to some foods.
Satisfaction gained from consuming some foods.
Can only now afford to eat some foods.
The belief that death is inevitable.
Belief that there is no harm in eating what you want, when you want and in the desired amounts.
Too much confusion as it relates to food.
Overriding desire to eat the things you enjoy.
Healthier options are costly and not as satisfying.
It is difficult to prepare different dishes to satisfy family members, so "might as well everybody eat the same thing."
So, should we all gorge ourselves with delicious foods? Of course not, but instead of going on a diet for a specified time period, look at making some changes in your life for the betterment of your total self for life. These should include dietary, physical activity and rest and relaxation habits along with all the other things you need to live your best life.
Do your self-evaluation and take it a step at a time. In a year, you will have made some changes and the point is, most persons will not be perfect but each year, you will get better. For instance, in the past, I had to have lime aid with all my meals, but not any more.
We all still have many mountains to traverse, but each hill we overcome takes us closer to doing better.
Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
