Archive-name: dieting-faq/part1

alt.support.diet Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List

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This FAQ List is posted to the alt.support.diet, alt.answers, and
news.answers newsgroups on the 7th day of each month. The FAQ is also
available:

   * by anonymous ftp at ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.support.diet
   * by WWW at http://www.ionet.net/~kchurch/asd/asd-faq.html

Corrections, updates, and suggestions for additions to the FAQ are always
welcome. Post your suggestions to alt.support.diet (preferred, so that
everyone can get in on the discussion) or e-mail them to me
(kchurch@ionet.net).
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This FAQ was last updated on: October 7, 1996

Changes from previous version:

   * Updated list of software available via the Internet
   * Updated mailing list info (corrected subscription instructions for
     Dean Esmay's low-carb mailing list, added Tony Miller's "natural
     dieting" list)

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Obligatory disclaimer: The information contained in this posting is in no
way guaranteed. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list is based largely
on the personal experiences of the members of alt.support.diet, most of
whom are not health-care professionals. As such, it should not be regarded
as a complete or definitive manual on weight loss or maintenance, but
rather as a concise collection of practical information and suggestions
that you may find useful in your quest to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Before beginning a weight loss program, you may wish to first consult your
physician to rule out the possibility of medical problems or conditions
which should be factored into your diet and exercise plans (e.g.,
pregnancy, thyroid disorders, diabetes, hypoglycemia, heart disease, etc.).
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Table of Contents

GENERAL QUESTIONS

   * What is the purpose of alt.support.diet?
   * Are advertisements allowed on a.s.d?

AM I OVERWEIGHT?

   * What do the terms "overweight" and "obese" mean?
   * Is using a standard height/weight chart a good way to tell whether I'm
     overweight?
   * I've decided to start a weight loss plan. How should I determine what
     weight I want to reach?
   * How often should I weigh myself?
   * Is using body fat percentage a good way to tell whether I'm
     overweight?
   * What's the best way to measure body fat percentage?
   * Are there any other ways to find out whether I'm overweight/overfat?
   * What is cellulite?

GENERAL DIET AND NUTRITION

   * I keep hearing that a low-fat diet is supposed to be good for me. Why
     should I eat a low-fat diet, and how low is "low"?
   * Should I eliminate all fat from my diet?
   * How can I tell how much fat is in the foods I eat?
   * How do the new nutrition labels on processed foods differ from the old
     labels?
   * What is fiber? Is it important?
   * Is sugar a no-no?
   * What about artificial sweeteners?
   * What is the new "Food Pyramid" I've heard about? Is it similar to the
     "Four Basic Food Groups"?
   * Is Promise Ultra Fat-free Margarine really fat-free?

WEIGHT LOSS PHASE

   * Are there any computer programs that will help me plan my diet or keep
     track of the foods I eat?
   * How many calories per day do I need?
   * Can I lose weight faster by consuming fewer calories?
   * Is it really necessary to drink 8 glasses of water per day while
     dieting?
   * Is skipping a meal a day an effective way to lose weight?
   * I'm afraid that I'll have to give up all my favorite foods in order to
     lose weight. Is this true?
   * Can I lose weight without dieting?
   * Are surgical procedures like liposuction or stomach stapling a good
     way to lose weight?
   * How many pounds a week should I lose?
   * Why do men seem to lose weight faster/more easily than women?
   * Some weeks into my diet, my weight loss just stopped, even though I
     followed the diet plan to the letter. What did I do wrong?
   * Once I've lost the weight, how can I keep from regaining it?

LIQUID DIETS AND FASTS

   * Are liquid diets a good way to lose weight?
   * Is fasting a good way to lose weight?

WEIGHT LOSS ORGANIZATIONS, PLANS, AND DIET BOOKS

   * How does Weight Watchers work?
   * How does Jenny Craig work?
   * How does Nutri/System work?
   * How does Overeaters Anonymous work?
   * How does TOPS work?
   * How does "Stop the Insanity" work?
   * What is the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet?
   * What is Dr. Atkins' diet?
   * What is the Zone diet?
   * What is the "TJ Soup diet" (a.k.a. "The Sacred Heart Hospital Diet" or
     "Cabbage Soup Diet")?

DIET AIDS (PILLS, ETC.)

   * I've heard about several weight loss aids like herbal teas,
     "fat-burning" pills, etc. Do any of these work?
   * What about prescription drugs (phentermine, fenfluramine)?
   * Do I need to take a supplement (vitamin/mineral pill) while dieting?
   * What is chromium? Can taking a chromium supplement help me lose or
     maintain weight?

EXERCISE

   * I need to lose weight, but I really hate to exercise. Can I lose
     weight by eating a low-calorie diet without exercising?
   * What are the most effective types of exercise for losing fat/weight?
   * How hard do I need to exercise?
   * What is anaerobic exercise?
   * How often and how long do I need to exercise?
   * How many calories do different types of exercise burn?
   * Does "passive exercise" (e.g., toning tables) work?
   * I move around a lot during the day; I try to use stairs instead of
     elevators, park my car on the far side of the parking lot, etc. Would
     I qualify as a "moderately active" person?

MOTIVATION

   * I've started a diet and exercise program, but I'm finding it really
     hard to stay on track. Any suggestions?

INFORMATION AVAILABLE VIA THE INTERNET

   * Newsgroups
   * Mailing lists
   * World Wide Web sites

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RECOMMENDED READING LIST

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GENERAL QUESTIONS

-What is the purpose of alt.support.diet?-

To provide emotional support, encouragement, and practical advice to those
who wish to improve their health, appearance, and/or self image through a
weight loss or weight maintenance program. The name of the group,
alt.support.diet, is somewhat unfortunate because: a) exercise is just as
important as diet in weight loss, and b) the word "diet" is often
interpreted as "a temporary regimen that's somehow expected to lead to
permanent weight loss," rather than its original meaning of "how one eats."

The membership of a.s.d ranges from those who wish to lose relatively small
amounts of weight (e.g., the 5-10 pounds that many of us tend to put on
over the holidays), to those who are 100 pounds or more overweight, to
those who have already completed a weight loss program and wish to maintain
their new, healthier weight and lifestyle.

-Are advertisements allowed on a.s.d?-

Because a.s.d is not a moderated group, there is no way to prevent
individuals or companies from posting advertisements for their products.
However, anyone contemplating posting such messages should be aware that
advertisements, particularly those for weight loss plans or diet aids (such
as Herbalife) are emphatically not welcome here. Many a.s.d readers have
already learned the hard way that sustained, healthy weight loss doesn't
come from over-the-counter remedies, and that "too good to be true" diets
are just that. (a.s.d readers who encounter advertisements posted to the
newsgroup should mail the advertiser a copy of this FAQ.) On the other
hand, please feel free to followup to questions about specific companies or
products with which you are personally familiar. That's what a.s.d is for,
after all--to benefit from each other's experiences. If you have a
financial connection (other than as a customer) to the company in question,
please make this clear in your post. Your first-hand experience is welcome,
but those who are considering taking your advice should be aware that you
could potentially profit from their actions.

There are a few newsgroups (those in the biz.* hierarchy, and those with
"marketplace" or "forsale" in their names) where ads are permitted.
Advertisers who are interested in reaching dieters or nutrition-conscious
readers should check out alt.forsale.nutrition in particular. An
alternative to advertising via Usenet is to set up your own site on the
World Wide Web. The URL (address) of your Web site can be included in the
signature file that you append to posts you make in alt.support.diet, but
please do not post articles that contain nothing more than pointers to your
Web site--such articles fall within the technical definition of
"advertisements." (Before including advertising in your Web site, be sure
to check with your Internet service provider; many ISP's prohibit
commercial ventures from personal accounts.)

AM I OVERWEIGHT?

-What do the terms "overweight" and "obese" mean?-

Physicians usually define "overweight" as a condition in which a person's
weight is 10-20% higher than "normal", as defined by a standard
height/weight chart. "Obesity" is usually defined as a condition in which a
person's weight is 20% or more above normal weight. "Morbid obesity"
variously means 50% to 100% over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over
normal weight, or sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health
or normal functioning.

-Is using a standard height/weight chart a good way to tell whether I'm
overweight?-

Your weight is only a very rough indicator of the amount of fat that your
body contains, and most physicians feel that the percentage of your weight
that comes from fat tissue is far more important than total body weight
(which includes not only fat but also muscles, bones, and bodily fluids).
Height/weight tables could indicate that a lean, muscular person is
"overweight", while a person whose weight is within the "normal" range
might actually be carrying around more fatty tissue than is healthy. Covert
Bailey states in The New Fit or Fat that standard weight tables can be off
by as much as 20-30 pounds for any given person.

-I've decided to start a weight loss plan. How should I determine what
weight I want to reach?-

Remember that your weight is just a small part of the whole picture. Other,
more valid, indicators of your fitness level are:

   * How do you feel--energetic or wiped out?
   * Do you have good muscle tone, or are you flabby?
   * Are you able to walk up a few flights of stairs without panting?
   * Are you able to accomplish the daily tasks that you want/need to do?

If you've been overweight since childhood or adolescence, you may not even
know what a "good" weight for you would be. Setting a goal of a normal body
fat percentage (see "Is using body fat percentage a good way to tell
whether I'm overweight?") or a certain clothing size is probably more
realistic than aiming for a specific weight, but even here you should use
your common sense. Most women would love to wear size 6 (or smaller)
clothes, even those whose large frames make this a totally unrealistic and
unhealthy goal for them.

-How often should I weigh myself?-

As mentioned above, weight is only a rough indicator of fitness. However,
many people engaged in a reducing or fitness plan find it desirable to
check their weight regularly. Opinions on how often one should weigh vary
widely. The natural tendency of a person on a weight loss plan is to weigh
frequently, perhaps several times a day ("I've lost a quarter pound since
this morning!"). It's important to remember, though, that your weight will
increase and decrease throughout the day depending on your activity level,
food and fluid intake, etc. Even your day-to-day weights will fluctuate,
mostly due to varying degrees of fluid retention. (Many women tend to gain
a few pounds during their menstrual periods due to "water weight," and men
and women both tend to retain extra fluids after ingesting large quantities
of sodium, e.g. Chinese food.) For this reason, many a.s.d members feel
that it is more reasonable to weigh less often, perhaps once a week or once
a month, to obtain a more realistic pattern of weight loss or maintenance.
Even this approach has some drawbacks, though--what if you just happen to
be heavy due to fluid retention on the one day per week or month that you
weigh?

If you do decide to weigh yourself regularly (at whatever frequency you
think is most appropriate for your emotional well-being), we recommend that
you: a) Weigh yourself under similar conditions each time. For example, if
you weigh yourself daily, do it at the same time every day, wearing
approximately the same clothes each day, on the same scale. Probably the
best time is in the morning, right after getting up and going to the
bathroom, before eating or drinking anything. b) Look not at specific
numbers but at trends in your weight patterns. If you weigh daily, you
might wish to average your daily weights to obtain one weekly average,
which you can compare to previous weeks. Try plotting your weight on a
graph, and look for a gradual downward inclination, ignoring the occasional
sharp peaks and dips, which are probably due to differing degrees of fluid
retention.

Some people have abandoned the scales entirely, preferring to rely on other
indicators, such as:

   * How well do your clothes fit? Are they tight or loose through the
     chest, thighs, or waist?
   * The "pinch test": Can you "pinch an inch" of fat at your waistline or
     at the back of your arm?
   * The "jiggle test": Jump up and down in front of a full-length mirror,
     nude. Does anything jiggle that shouldn't?
   * Overall muscle tone: When you put your hand on your thigh or hip, do
     you feel muscle or fat?

-Is using body fat percentage a good way to tell whether I'm overweight?-

Most physicians consider your body fat percentage to be a far better
indicator of overall fitness than weight. Normal ratios are 12-18% body fat
for men and 19-25% for women; very fit people (e.g., athletes) may have
much lower percentages. Unfortunately, body fat percentage is more
difficult to determine than weight (see below).

-What's the best way to measure body fat percentage?-

Several methods are in use, and unfortunately the same person is likely to
get different readings from different methods. As with weighing yourself,
your best bet is to pick one method, stick with it, and watch trends rather
than specific numbers.

   * Immersion: This method is based on the fact that lean tissue (muscles,
     bones, etc.) tends to sink in water, while fat floats. The client is
     seated in a chair which hangs from a scale, rather like a scale in a
     supermarket's produce section. The chair and the client are lowered
     into a pool of water until the client is completely immersed, and the
     client's weight (while immersed) is recorded. The fatter you are, the
     more you tend to float, and the lower your immersed weight will
     be--muscular people weigh more than fat people while immersed. The
     immersion method is highly accurate, but obviously requires a lot of
     equipment. Covert Bailey advises that you can estimate your fat ratio
     by seeing how well you can float on your back in a regular swimming
     pool: above 25% fat, people float easily; people with 22-23% fat (a
     healthy level for women) can usually float while breathing shallowly;
     at 15% fat (low for a woman, healthy for a man), one will usually sink
     slowly even with a full chest of air; at 13% or less fat, one will
     sink readily even with a full chest of air, even in salty ocean water.
   * Calipers: The physician or technician making the measurement gently
     pinches up folds of tissue in areas that normally accumulate fat
     readily (such as the back of your arm, your stomach just above the
     waistline, and your hip area), then uses calipers to measure the width
     of these folds. The thicker the folds are, the higher the fat ratio in
     your body. This method is only somewhat accurate since it measures
     just the fat which accumulates in these regions, not that which is
     imbedded between muscle fibers. However, it is a simple and
     inexpensive procedure.
   * Electrical impedance: This method is based on the fact that fat and
     lean tissues have different levels of electrical conductivity (muscle
     tissue conducts electricity better than fat tissue does). The test is
     simple, completely painless, and takes just a few minutes; a couple of
     sensors are attached to the body (e.g., to a hand and a foot) and used
     to measure the body's resistance to a weak electrical current.
   * Infrared measurement: This method is based on the fact that an
     infrared beam travels faster through muscle than fat. An IR beam is
     bounced off a bone (e.g., in the upper arm) and the time that it takes
     for the signal to return is measured. As with electrical impedance,
     the procedure is simple and completely painless.

-Are there any other ways to find out whether I'm overweight/overfat?-

If you're overweight you probably already know it, but there are a couple
of indicators that can let you know whether your weight increases your risk
for health problems like heart disease. Waist-to-hip ratio is a useful
indicator, and is simple to determine. Stand in front of a full-length
mirror so that you can easily see the areas you are measuring. Use a tape
measure to measure your waist circumference at the level of your navel.
Next, measure your hip circumference at its widest point. (Do not pull the
tape measure too tightly.) Divide your waist measurement by your hip
measurement to determine your waist-to-hip ratio. For example, if your
waist measures 26" (66 cm.) and your hip measurement is 36" (91.5 cm.),
your waist-to-hip ratio is 0.7. For men, a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95-1.0
or greater indicates an increased risk for heart disease. Women should have
a ratio of 0.8 or less.

Another useful measurement is your Body Mass Index (BMI). If you have a Web
browser (such as Netscape) which is capable of displaying tables, check out
http://www.loop.com/~bkrentzman/obesity/bmi1.html for a handy BMI chart. To
determine your BMI manually, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, then
divide by the square of your height in inches. For example, if you weigh
130 pounds and are 5'4" (64") tall, your BMI is (130 * 703)/(64 * 64) =
22.3. (If you use the metric system, divide your weight in kilograms by the
square of your height in meters.) A BMI of 25 or less indicates that you
are at low risk for heart disease; 30 or higher suggests that you are at
moderate to very high risk. BMI, like height/weight charts, does not take
into account individual physiques, body fat percentages, etc., but does at
least allow for a range of weights.

-What is cellulite?-

Strictly speaking, there's no such thing, although vendors of high-priced
creams, special scrubbing sponges, and exercise equipment would like you to
believe otherwise. The term "cellulite" was coined at a European diet spa
to describe the deposits of fat that many women (normal and overweight)
accumulate on their thighs and buttocks. Concentrations of fat in these
areas often have a wrinkled or puckered appearance because the fat bulges
out between the fibers that connect the skin to underlying tissues; the
actual fat itself is no different than that found anywhere else in the
body. Short of surgical measures such as liposuction, there is no way to
remove fat concentrations from one part of the body, although a diet and
exercise program targeted at reducing fat throughout the body may
eliminate, or at least reduce, such localized deposits.

GENERAL DIET AND NUTRITION

-I keep hearing that a low-fat diet is supposed to be good for me. Why
should I eat a low-fat diet, and how low is "low"?-

There is strong evidence that the high levels of fat consumed by most
Americans (and members of other westernized cultures) cause, or are a
contributing factor in, diseases such as gallbladder disease, cancer, and
diabetes. High levels of saturated fats, which are found in animal fats,
high-fat dairy foods, tropical oils, and hydrogenated (solidified)
vegetable oils, raise your cholesterol level and promote heart disease and
strokes. The "typical" American diet gets more than 40% of its calories
from fat, with the remaining calories coming from protein and
carbohydrates. The American Heart Association, the National Academy of
Science, the American Cancer Society, and many other groups and nutrition
boards across the country recommend a diet in which a maximum of 30% of
calories come from fat (no more than 10% of total calories from saturated
fats), 55-65% calories come from carbohydrates, and 10-15% of calories are
provided by proteins.

A growing body of authorities (Pritikin, McDougall, Ornish, et al.) suggest
that even lower levels of fat (10-20% of total calories) are much better
than 30%, and can actually reverse existing heart disease. Dr. Dean Ornish,
for example, recommends a 10% fat vegetarian diet of fresh fruits and
vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (peas and beans); nonfat dairy
products and egg whites are also allowed. Alcohol (which suppresses the
body's ability to burn fat) and processed sugars (which can trigger food
cravings in many people) are discouraged.

From a weight loss standpoint, a low-fat diet is ideal because it minimizes
the amount of fat that your body has to store in the first place. Excess
dietary fat can be directly stored by your body, no conversion needed (so
perhaps there's some truth in the adage, "Cheesecake goes straight to my
hips"). Proteins and carbohydrates, on the other hand, are usually burned
up immediately rather than being stored. They can be converted to fat if
they're present in sufficient quantities, but that's quite a bit of work
for your body.

-Should I eliminate all fat from my diet?-

You couldn't even if you wanted to, and you really don't want to. Even
"fat-free" foods such as raw vegetables and dried beans contain trace
amounts of fat, so there's no way you can totally escape the stuff.
Besides, your body does require small amounts of fat for lubrication,
essential fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins. However, you could
eliminate all pure fats (e.g., butter/margarine, cooking oils, etc.) and
high-fat foods (non-skim dairy products, red meats, nuts, etc.) from your
diet and still get all the fat that your body requires from those trace
amounts.

-How can I tell how much fat is in the foods I eat?-

For processed foods, check the nutrition information panel on the package,
which should indicate how many grams of fat one serving contains; each gram
of fat contributes about 9 calories towards the total number of calories
per serving. For example, one serving of crackers might break down as
follows: 60 calories, 1 gram of protein, 10 grams of carbohydrate, and 2
grams of fat. In order to determine what percentage of the calories in this
food come from fat, multiply the weight of the fat (in grams) by 9, then
divide this figure by the total number of calories in a serving. In our
example, 18 calories (2 g fat * 9 cal/g), or 30% of the total calories (18
cal/60 cal = 0.30), come from fat. The remaining calories come from the
protein and carbohydrate, which each provide only about 4 calories per
gram. (If the weight of a serving of food is more than the combined weight
of its fat, protein, and carbohydrate weights, the "missing" weight is
probably due mostly to water, which has no calories.)

NOTE: Take a closer look at those food products that proudly proclaim that
they're "85% fat-free!" Such statements can be misleading, since they
usually mean that the product is 15% fat by weight, not that the product
gets only 15% of its calories from fat. (Gram for gram, fat contains more
than twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates.) For example, a
serving of a brand-name turkey breakfast sausage which is allegedly "85%
fat-free" has 6 grams of fat in each 80-calorie serving, and therefore gets
more than 67% (6 * 9/80 = 0.675) of its calories from fat.

You may wish to purchase an inexpensive book on nutrition information to
look up foods which are not labeled with nutrition information. (Or, try
the Nutrition Analysis Tool at http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~food-lab/nat/--it
works best with browsers capable of displaying tables.) Fruits, vegetables,
berries, grains, legumes (peas and beans), and egg whites generally have
little fat. (Avocados, olives, nuts, soybeans, and seeds--such as sunflower
seeds, and even seeds from low-fat vegetables such as pumpkins--are
exceptions.) Any food which looks oily or leaves greasy stains on a paper
napkin is probably high in fat. This doesn't mean that you should never eat
high-fat foods, only that you should balance them with lower fat foods such
as grains, vegetables, and fruits. Keep the broad picture in mind; evaluate
your diet over a period of a day (or a couple of days) and aim to keep your
total fat intake under 30% at most (10-20% if possible).

-How do the new nutrition labels on processed foods differ from the old
labels?-

The new nutrition labels, which debuted in May 1994, may make evaluating
the nutritional values of processed foods a little easier for most people.
The new labels list not only the amounts (weights) of fat (total and
saturated), cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates (total, fiber, and sugars),
and protein in the food, but also the percentage of the "Daily Value" that
most of these provide. (The term "Daily Value" replaces the old term
"Recommended Daily Allowance," although the actual nutrition
recommendations have not changed.) Daily Value percentages are also listed
for vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron; depending on the food,
percentages for other vitamins and minerals may be given. A Daily Value
percentage is not given for protein. (FDA pamphlet #932260, "How to Read
the New Food Label," states that "most Americans get more protein than they
need"; presumably this is why no value is listed.) The Daily Value
percentages are based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet in which no more than
30% of the calories come from fat, so if your needs are different, you'll
need to keep this in mind when reading the labels. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration offers a simple rule of thumb: If the percentage of Daily
Value for a given nutrient is less than 5%, the food is considered low in
that nutrient. Therefore, you should look for foods that have low Daily
Value percentages for fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and high percentages of
carbohydrates (including fiber), vitamins, and minerals.

Other provisions of the new food labeling standards:

   * All packaged, processed foods must now carry nutrition labels.
     Previously, nutrition labels were voluntary, and many foods were
     unlabeled.
   * Terms such as "fat-free," "low-fat," "lean," "light" (or "lite"), etc.
     are now defined by the government. Previously, food manufacturers were
     free to describe their foods in any way they liked.
   * The serving sizes used to determine the Daily Value percentages are
     now more realistic (read "larger") and are expressed in terms that are
     easier for consumers to deal with. For example, serving sizes for
     chips and crackers are now expressed as "x pieces" rather than "x
     ounces."

-What is fiber? Is it important?-

Fiber (also known as "roughage") is simply the non-digestible portion of
the foods that we eat. (There are actually several different types of
fiber, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, and guar.) Fiber
is found chiefly in non-processed foods such as whole grains, legumes
(beans and peas), fruits, and vegetables, especially in the outer layers of
such foods. Fiber may be added to processed foods in the form of bran,
which is the outer coating from a grain such as wheat or oats.

A high-fiber diet has a number of benefits:

   * It speeds the elimination of fecal material from the body. This can
     reduce or cure constipation and intestinal polyps, alleviate
     hemorrhoids (which often result from straining during bowel
     movements), and may greatly reduce the risk of colon cancer. It may
     also prevent or alleviate diverticulosis, a condition in which the
     intestinal lining develops small pockets in which fecal material can
     be trapped.
   * It fills out the stomach and intestinal cavity. This produces a sense
     of fullness which is a real boon in weight control.
   * It can alleviate conditions such as spastic colon and diarrhea because
     fiber absorbs excess water and produces a bulkier stool.
   * Some types of fibers, particularly those found in whole fruits and
     legumes, tie up sugar molecules so that the levels of insulin normally
     produced after eating are reduced, a big advantage for diabetics.
     (This effect is most pronounced when fruits and legumes are eaten
     whole, rather than as fruit juice or ground beans.)

The typical American diet is high in processed foods, most of which contain
little or no fiber. Most people get only around 10-12 grams of fiber per
day, but you need 25 grams or more to get the real benefits. If your
current diet is low in fiber, it's important that you increase fiber
gradually over a period of weeks or months; sudden increases can cause
bloating, cramping, and gas. Try having a small serving of a high-fiber,
low-fat cereal with your breakfast; as your system becomes used to the
higher fiber levels, start substituting whole-grain breads, cereals and
pastas for the refined (white flour, low-fiber) varieties you've been
eating. Increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and
consume edible peels and skins (e.g., on apples and potatoes) rather than
trimming them.

-Is sugar a no-no?-

Sugar has gained a nasty reputation over the years largely because it is so
often found in combination with high levels of fat in foods such as ice
cream and pastries. Sugar is also a major source of "empty calories":
calories which are not accompanied by any appreciable nutrient value. In
terms of weight loss or maintenance, sugar is not necessarily
objectionable, provided that you can keep your intake of it down to
moderate levels. Since it is a carbohydrate, it is normally metabolized
(burned) by the body immediately, and is converted to fat only if present
in quantities too large to be used at once. Some people do find that even
moderate amounts of sugar stimulate cravings for yet more sweets, often of
the high-fat variety. If you are one of these people, you may wish to
eliminate processed sugars from your diet, relying instead on the natural
sweetness of fruits, vegetables, and grains.

-What about artificial sweeteners?-

Artificial sweeteners may be an effective aid for those who have occasional
cravings for sweets, but probably work against those of us who have an
active sweet tooth. The taste of artificial sweeteners can trigger sugar
cravings about as well as real sugar can. Some long-term users of
artificial sweeteners use sweeteners in addition to all the foods they
normally eat, rather than as a substitute for part of the foods.

-What is the new "Food Pyramid" I've heard about? Is it similar to the
"Four Basic Food Groups"?-

It replaces the "Four Basic Food Groups" plan, which was heavily influenced
by the meat and dairy industries. It's quite possible to eat a healthy diet
without using any meat or dairy products, which can be high in fats anyway.
The new "Food Pyramid" is a step in the right direction, since it
emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and grains, and suggests smaller amounts of
protein sources (meats, legumes, dairy products, etc.) than did the Four
Basic Food groups.

                                /\
                               /  \
                              /Fats\
                             / oils \
                            / sweets \
                           /(go easy) \
                          /============\
                         /      |       \
                        / Dairy | Protein\
                       /  (23  |  (23   \
                      /servings)| servings)\
                     /          |           \
                    /========================\
                   /   Veggies  |   Fruits    \
                  /             |              \
                 /     (35     |    (24       \
                /   servings)   |    servings)   \
               /==================================\
              /              Grains                \
             /                                      \
            /     (breads, cereals, rice, pasta)     \
           /             (611 servings)              \
          /--------------------------------------------\
(See http://www.ionet.net/~kchurch/asd/pyramid.gif for a large color GIF of
the Food Pyramid.)

If the quantities of food suggested here seem excessive (eleven servings of
bread and cereal a day?!), remember that the USDA's idea of a serving is
often much smaller than the portion that a typical consumer actually eats.
For example, a serving of vegetables is only 1/2 cup of cooked or raw,
chopped vegetables, or 3/4 cup vegetable juice, or one cup of raw, leafy
vegetables like spinach or lettuce. A serving of fruit is 1/2 cup of
bite-sized fruit pieces, 1/4 cup dried fruit (e.g. raisins), 3/4 cup of
fruit juice, or one medium piece of fruit (e.g., a medium orange, apple, or
banana, or one half of a grapefruit). A serving of dairy products such as
milk or yogurt (look for skim or low-fat varieties) is one cup; a serving
of cheese (which should be used in moderation or replaced with low-fat
varieties) is 1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese or 2 ounces of processed
cheese.


continued in part 2

