The harm of diets: the dangers and harms of diets for weight loss

To have a slim and toned body, women, men, and even teenagers often resort to fad diets. The desire to lose weight for your wedding, graduation or vacation is natural - we all want to look perfect at one of the most important moments of our lives. Moreover, the Internet is replete with recommendations on how to lose extra pounds in five, ten or thirty days. But most resources are silent about the dangers of diets and the associated health hazards.

What happens to the body during a diet

There are many types of diets: Kremlin, Japanese, kefir, single-product, etc. In most cases, they imply a sharp reduction in the amount of food consumed, as well as the complete exclusion of certain foods. If you cut your usual portion by more than 20%, the body will perceive this as stress. And during times of stress, the hormone cortisol is released into the blood.

Cortisol affects the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates. This hormone destroys protein molecules, increases sugar levels, and also provokes the formation of adipose tissue. That's why extra pounds always return after a person switches to their usual diet. But due to the stress suffered, the human body triggers a mechanism for more intense weight gain than before the diet.

In addition, sudden hormonal fluctuations do not have the best effect on our metabolism. Therefore, one of the dangers of diets is metabolic disorders. This can lead to various consequences: from excess weight to serious disorders that require long-term drug treatment.

What are the side effects of diets?

Due to an unbalanced diet, problems with the gastrointestinal tract may occur. Depending on the chosen diet, constipation or, conversely, indigestion, heaviness in the stomach, and gas formation occur.

Digestive problems

In this case, try to drink more fluid (2.5 - up to 3 liters). Eat small meals and more often. Don't be hungry. You can distribute meals every 2 - 3 hours. Drink herbal infusions and green tea. Herbal tea with mint and chamomile will normalize intestinal function, eliminate bloating and increase the production of gastric enzymes.

Or perhaps you chose the wrong diet. For example, a protein diet is not suitable for those who have impaired kidney function, gout, or digestive disorders. A protein diet is not suitable for those who are too obese. Protein increases blood clotting. This can lead to blood clots. Excess heavy protein is a serious blow to the digestive system, kidneys and liver. What to do? Eat light protein - chicken breast, fish and kefir.

Feeling worse

Decreased tone and deterioration in well-being are another side effect of diets. A person becomes lethargic, blood pressure drops, and those who are losing weight often suffer from insomnia, because it is difficult to sleep if you are hungry. The reason is decreased immunity. These consequences of diet worry many people who are losing weight.

To lose weight without harm to your health, you can take vitamins and minerals for women. Eat oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits, these are excellent immunomodulators. Pomegranate and pomegranate juice are also useful. It improves hemoglobin levels well. Pomegranate is useful for iron and glucose and prevents blood pressure from dropping too much.

Before bed, you can take a relaxing bath and drink a cup of herbal tea. By giving up sweets and bread, you risk harming your brain function. All of them are needed to produce glucose. Glucose is needed for brain function, without it memory suffers. Choose healthy carbohydrates, and a thin slice of bread with bran, smeared with honey is not a hindrance to your figure.

Headache, dizziness, heaviness in the eyes, nausea can also be a side effect of following the diet. Especially if you are on mono-diets. If you eat one product all day long. For example, rice, buckwheat, apples, etc. The body will not receive enough of the necessary nutrients, hence irritation and weakness. Do not sit on a mono-diet for more than three days.

Don't starve! Eating less than 1,200 calories a day risks side effects of the diet, such as metabolic disorders or ovarian failure, which leads to menstrual irregularities.

The reasons can be very different, this may indicate low blood pressure, lack of oxygen. Drink a cup of strong, sweet tea if your blood pressure drops. Ventilate the room more often, walk in the fresh air. It may be worth reconsidering your diet and eating a more balanced diet.

Problems with hair, nails and skin

Hair becomes dull, lifeless, skin begins to peel, and nails often break. The reason for this is too strict diets when the body lacks nutrients. And the hair and nails are the first to react. You can take vitamins and minerals in tablets containing a full range of essential substances. Hair can be strengthened with nourishing masks to which vitamins are added. For nails they make baths of olive oil, for hair they make masks from oils - olive or burdock with the addition of flaxseed and castor and vitamins in ampoules. It is enough to do them 1-2 times a week.

The harm of a low-carbohydrate (no-carbohydrate) diet

It is also called the protein, Kremlin or Atkins diet. Perhaps today this is almost the most popular way to lose weight. The essence of the method is that you need to almost completely eliminate any carbohydrates. But proteins and fats can be consumed without restrictions. There are also variations that require eating only low-fat cottage cheese and lean meat.

This low-carbohydrate diet works as follows: when there is a lack of glucose, the body itself begins to synthesize it, breaking down fat reserves. But such a condition is already a metabolic disorder, which will subsequently have to be treated. The main disadvantages of this diet:

an abundance of protein foods overloads the kidneys, which can provoke their dysfunction;
the digestive system cannot cope with large amounts of protein, rotting and fermentation may begin in the gastrointestinal tract;
Due to the abundant production of ammonia, a person’s mouth constantly smells characteristically unpleasant.

The insidiousness and harm of diets that exclude carbohydrates is also that many of their adherents appeal to the recommendations of doctors. Indeed, for metabolic syndrome, diabetes and other similar diseases, endocrinologists recommend limiting the consumption of sugar and other carbohydrates. In such cases, the person already has a disorder that requires immediate treatment and a special diet.

The other extreme is the keta diet, designed specifically for epileptics. In this diet, the body is constantly in a state of ketosis due to the exclusion of both carbohydrates and proteins. The keta diet was originally created for patients with serious disorders; it is not suitable for a healthy body.

What causes illness from dieting?

It would seem, what kind of problem is a few extra pounds? Nowadays there are so many different diets offered everywhere - choose any one and lose weight. This is a big mistake. Any of these diets does not teach the most important thing - to eat right. It does not make it possible to fully provide the body with all the necessary substances. Diets suggest giving up something for a while, and completely unreasonably. A person thinks that he only needs to be patient for a while, to exhaust himself. And then he returns to his usual diet, which was the cause of the excess weight.

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What happens during a strict low-calorie diet? Not only does excess fluid and excess fat disappear, but muscle mass is also lost. This leads to a decrease in energy expenditure and the rate of metabolic processes, because muscles spend more calories. And with a reduced metabolism, a person returns to his previous diet, so the lost kilograms are gained back. A common situation: let’s say a person lost 5 kg on such a diet, and then gained 7 kg over the course of a year.

Depending on the time of restriction, such diets can cause damage to health from reparable to irreparable. In some cases, it is necessary to resort to surgical treatment. For example, there are a number of diets called high-protein, where carbohydrates are eliminated as much as possible. They often have complications such as stone formation. By the way, gallstones can form from almost any diet due to the fact that thickening of bile very often occurs. Thick bile forms a sediment, and then stones. Kidney stones are also a common complication of high-protein diets. The fact is that such a diet is rich in purine bases (nitrogen compounds), which cause an increase in uric acid levels, the formation of stones and the development of gout.

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In addition, in the case of high-protein diets, the diet is dominated by foods containing animal protein, which is almost always associated with cholesterol. Naturally, the level of cholesterol in the blood increases, its excess is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, and then cardiovascular diseases occur.

Scientists have concluded that people who have been on low-carbohydrate diets for years have almost a third greater risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease. In particular, the popular Dukan diet increases the risk of death from heart and vascular disorders. I'm not even talking about diseases of the digestive and excretory organs. These include cholelithiasis, kidney stone disease, and disorders of purine metabolism - gout.

Low-carbohydrate diets increase the risk of depression. After all, carbohydrates give us positive emotions. But, of course, when consumed in reasonable quantities.

And the name - no-carbohydrate diet is at least illiterate. Almost no diet excludes vegetables - and these are also carbohydrates, and some of the healthiest. In fact, there are no carbohydrate-free diets. But if someone calls their diet a low-carbohydrate diet and offers it to others, then one should doubt the competence of such a “specialist.”

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Low-fat diet

In contrast to the previous approach, fats are completely eliminated in this way of eating. Some recommend removing only harmful animal fats from the diet, while others recommend eliminating vegetable fats as well. How dangerous and what harm does this diet cause?

Fats are a source of vitamins, so with this method of nutrition the body is at risk of hypovitaminosis.
Lipids are needed for the normal functioning of the reproductive and hormonal systems; if they are deficient, there is a high risk of hormonal disorders.
Vegetable fat is a source of “slow” carbohydrates, which help maintain stable blood sugar levels.

The harm of a diet that excludes lipids manifests itself quite quickly: a person’s hair and nails become dull, brittle, and there is a lack of essential vitamins. If the elimination of fats becomes a dietary habit, the risk of developing atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases increases over time, and a disruption in the production of sex hormones may also occur. As a consequence - hirsutism, ovarian dysfunction, infertility.

Single food diets

Most often we are talking about cereals. Other options are to eat only cottage cheese, only fruits, only raw foods, etc. One of the variations is a drinking diet, when you can eat liquid and semi-liquid foods: for example, tea, juices, milk, kefir, cream soups. This method of losing weight is considered one of the most effective, because almost from the first day weight decreases sharply.

But you shouldn’t be happy about this - first of all, water leaves the body. The same thing happens with a salt-free diet. Rapid weight loss occurs due to fluid, adipose tissue is still in place. The harm from constantly sitting on cereals or yoghurts is obvious:

the digestive system experiences an unusual load, which can provoke its disorder;
a lack of salt and microelements will very quickly have a detrimental effect on the functioning of the heart and other organs;
Fluid deficiency is a severe stress to which the body will react with a new portion of cortisol.

Harm of any diet: salt-free, drinking, kefir

Of course, when limiting certain foods is necessary according to doctors’ indications, it is better to adhere to the recommended diet. Doctor's orders are designed for long-term changes in your eating habits. And all the restrictions are related to helping the patient avoid serious conditions such as acidosis or hyperglycemia, but in no way helping the patient fit into his favorite dress.

The main harm of diets that involve extreme dietary restriction is that they cannot become a full-fledged habit. You cannot constantly live without vitamins, proteins, or on a thousand calories a day, while doing sports. This will lead to exhaustion. In addition, after returning to your usual diet, the weight will return, and in 80% of cases, it will also be in excess. The next diet will no longer be so effective, although the kilograms you lost with difficulty will return in double size. All this is a natural reaction of our body to stress.

The benefits and harms of diets

Any woman dreams of having an ideal figure, and in an effort to achieve the cherished parameters that famous models and actresses possess, some women are ready to “break into pieces.” To achieve this goal, women begin to torment their bodies with unreasonable diets, use various medications that are very harmful to health, and nutritional supplements that also do not bring any visible benefit. In an effort to become like modern screen stars, women forget that each of them is beautiful with their own special beauty, which does not necessarily have to meet generally accepted standards.

According to many medical professionals, there is only one reason why a woman should follow any diet - excess weight, which can cause disruption of various body functions. But remember, you should never follow the first diet you come across, because it is difficult to determine at first glance whether it will benefit the body or harm it.

Before choosing which diet you should follow, you must first understand that diet is a healing process that requires a specific approach. For example, when choosing a diet, remember that you should not radically change your diet, because this can lead to unpleasant changes in the body. Especially if you are allergic to any food products. Very often, an allergic reaction occurs if the metabolism is disturbed. In this case, even a tiny amount of the product to which you are allergic can cause an allergy.

The main thing when following a diet is the awareness that, in addition to its benefits, the diet can cause serious harm to your health. Therefore, before choosing a specific diet, you should definitely visit a nutritionist and get advice.

In frequent cases, people resort to a diet to lose weight, without taking into account the reasons that led to obesity. Choosing the most effective diet that promises to achieve results in a short time, they don’t even think about what consequences this can lead to. After all, an incorrectly selected table may not suit each individual organism. Many diseases, most often hidden, become aggravated during a diet aimed at losing weight, when the body does not receive enough necessary substances along with food.

Those products that are included in the daily human diet are raw materials used as vital energy and to maintain the body in normal condition. Each product has its own set of energy value, vitamins, microelements, which are necessary for the proper functioning of all systems. If a person is on a strict diet with a limited amount of food consumed, then the risk of depletion of his vitality increases. By limiting our consumption of meat, fish, and dairy products, we cause serious damage to our nervous system and brain function, since the proteins contained in these foods are the building material for nerves and organs, including the brain.

Without “healthy fats,” the immune and circulatory systems will suffer, metabolism, memory and even mood will be disrupted. Healthy fats are found in foods such as sunflower, olive oil, and some types of fish (trout, herring, sardines, salmon, etc.), which cannot be combined with a number of strict diets. This is where depression begins, which appears already in the first or second week of the diet, and deterioration in well-being, performance and physical activity.

The second negative side of a number of diets is following a strict set of products, which can neither be narrowed nor expanded, otherwise the effect will not be achieved. In this situation, it is not easy for people who are allergic to one or another food. Also, allergies can develop over time due to excessive intake of the same products into the body. The strictness of the diet can lead people with weak willpower to a breakdown, accompanied by excessive gluttony.

In order not to harm your body with an incorrectly chosen diet, you need to weigh the pros and cons, undergo a series of tests to identify disorders in the functioning of organs and systems, and, finally, consult with a specialist. Only a competent nutritionist will be able to develop a suitable diet, taking into account the presence of concomitant diseases in the patient.

But if the new diet is compiled correctly, then the benefits of the diet will be difficult to underestimate. Firstly, many diets (chosen correctly!) allow you not only to get rid of extra pounds, but also to improve your well-being. If one of the reasons for gaining excessive weight is eating fast food and poor quality food, then the diet will help cleanse the body of waste and toxins.

From the point of view of psychological implications, a phenomenon such as diet allows a person to develop a sense of abstinence, rigor, endurance, perseverance, and moral improvement. After all, you will have to limit yourself in many ways, impose a “taboo” on those foods that were previously included in the daily diet. If you manage to control yourself, then you can consider that your willpower has passed the test.

At the heart of every diet is an emphasis on limiting the intake of various nutrients: fats, proteins or carbohydrates. Diets are also distinguished according to other specific criteria. The most famous are therapeutic, sports, preventive, children's, and for pregnant women. In these cases, as when prescribing diets for weight loss, the help of a specialist is needed to determine the appropriate set of products for the patient. For example, athletes will be prescribed a table with an increased amount of proteins or proteins. This element will also be the main one in a children's diet aimed at strengthening the musculoskeletal system. Therapeutic diets are prescribed taking into account the disease and their main goal is to maintain a healthy state of the body and prevent exacerbations or relapses of the disease.

Thus, it is clear that diet is not only a way to lose weight, it is also an element of a therapeutic and sports program. But in any case, it will be effective only when we are able to find a balance between possibilities and desires. For each individual person, the diet has its own goal and should be selected taking into account the characteristics of the body.

Healthy diet for weight loss

And yet safe diets do exist. In order not to harm yourself, you need to review your eating habits and change them. Not for five days or a month, but for a long time. Eating healthy will help you stay in shape without extra effort. Balanced and healthy food can be tasty and nutritious. With a properly formulated diet, you will not experience a deficiency of vitamins, microelements and essential nutrients.

One of the dangers of diets is the high risk of failure due to the fact that the food is too bland and monotonous. The way out is a ready-made menu from LetBeFit. The best nutritionists are working on creating the optimal diet. The food is not only natural and healthy, but also delicious. In addition, you don’t need to constantly count calories on a calculator - specialists have already done everything for you.