Society and Dieting

Since the dawn of human kind it seems that the word diet has been a problem. The word diet as a noun means; a regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss. as an adjective; of or relating to a food regimen designed to promote weight loss. Now the word used as a verb has two stages, intransitive; to eat and drink according to a regulated system, especially so as to lose weight or control a medical condition. The other being transitive; to regulate or prescribe food and drink (Dictionary).

Back in the 1800’s apart from rich merchants, bankers and the various ranks of royal personage, these types were often fat in body and wallet (Jacks ph1). Only the poor ever considered dieting, the rich did it when they couldn’t walk around on their own unaccompanied.

Nowadays, we are usually referring to a food regiment designed to change something. There are diets for those who wish to avoid certain chemicals in foods, such as salt-free diet or lactose-free diets. There are diets to increase the consumption of certain nutrients, such as a high-potassium diet. There are even diets designed to encourage weight gain – usually implemented by bodybuilders and those suffering from malnutrition (Dr. Gruber). Society over the years has told us what the prefect body is, women have to be a size 0, 1, 3, 5, and men a size 28-34 just to be accepted in the world today.

Dieting just to fit into the cosmetic societal perfect image, when you’re already in good shape and healthy by medical standards is an ill-fated venture.

There are over fourteen different kinds of diets popular in the world today, some work and others don’t. It is getting to the point where you can’t go to a news stand or even a store, without seeing someone on a magazine trying to show you the new size that is acceptable and how you can look that way too in just 7 days. The models themselves don’t look like that, airbrushing is a beautiful thing. Some have died from some kind of diet, their last thought being “just another 5 pounds”. Look at the word die-t correctly, and you can see how it can be risky.

When dieting just to fit in to an accepted image, this can have some side effect on the body; Dizziness, Gastroenteritis Disorder, meaning that the stomach secretes acid and prepares to accept food only at fixed times. Irregular meal times and skipping meals confuses the body, weakening digestibility and causing frequent burning sensations. If symptoms continue, it can lead to a stomach ulcer or inflammation of the stomach; feelings of helplessness and depression are natural and a general lethargic disposition can settle over a person when living on less than optimal caloric energy.

As this cycle repeats, the body droops and sags and a melancholy mood sets in, which can lead to increasing irritation and annoyance (Ecure); constipation, edema, undergrowth/malnutrition, skin abnormalities and countless other symptoms.

If you’re going to diet, do it for a healthy reason such as if you’re over weight to the point of being life threatening if you don’t start loosing the weight.

This should be the only reason for anyone to diet. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following: Hypertension, Dyslipidemia; high cholesterol, Type two diabetes, Stroke, Sleep apnea and respiratory problems (CDC). Bottom line diet if the doctors say it’s ok to do so, not because a runway magazine thinks you should.