Call for your Health

Do you have a wedding in the family or a school reunion planned for this year? Are you worrying about how you will look? Do you need to lose weight fast? The answer to all these questions may be ‘yes’, but is it prudent to undergo rapid weight loss?

If you ask your family doctor or a dietitian, almost all of them will speak emphatically about the demerits of a rapid weight loss program. They will tell you that it may be dangerous- you may hurt your muscles and tendons, you may cause irreparable damage to your heart, you may suffer from overwhelming dehydration. Several reasons exist to prevent you from undertaking a weight loss program aimed at quick weight loss. The maximum weight that you can safely lose in a week is 3 lbs, and not a pound more.

If you search in the market, you may come across several options, such as diet pills and the neighborhood gym, which may promise you a miraculous weight loss of up to 6 lbs a week. That would mean a 24 lbs weight loss in the month. Who wouldn’t want to continue with their unhealthy eating practices and sedentary lifestyle and still lose 24 lbs in a month? Not only are there considerable health risks in this kind of rapid weight loss, but the weight lost is put on again, almost as quickly.

Since it’s established that you should not go in for rapid weight loss, you need to explore other avenues. How can you lose weight safely and effectively?
The ideal weight loss program combines the right balance of healthy eating and exercising. Drink plenty of water to flush your body of toxins. Eat a balanced meal with food items from all food groups. If you feel the urge to munch on something, grab a vegetable, such as a carrot.

Exercise is another key ingredient in a weight loss program. The ideal exercise regime will combine aerobic exercises with strength training. For a person who has led a sedentary lifestyle, getting into the exercise mode may not be easy. Taking help from a trainer may be a way out of inertia. A trainer will not only help you develop a suitable routine of exercises, he will also ensure that you don’t hurt yourself.

Remember, there is no gain without pain. It is important to get the inertia out of your system and take action.

As part of a 4-month investigation of vitamin and mineral supplements sold at 186 health-food stores and 310 other stores, 31 consumers were dispatched to 31 cities across the country. Some highlights of that study along with follow-up consumer tips are presented below.

Highlights

1. Of the products sold at health stores, 90% were of questionable medical value.
2. Many products contain extra ingredients, such as exotic herbal substances, that have no health value and may be harmful.
3. Health stores sold the 31 correspondents products costing $4,859.46. A full $4,590.42 worth of the products did not measure up to the health claims or had no expiration date.
4. Supplements of calcium, multivitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E cost the correspondents $0.77 a day at health stores. Comparison shopping would provide the same supplements at a cost of $0.12 to $0.21 cents a day.
5. Products that cost the most were herbal remedies.

For instance, an 11-ounce jar of jelly produced by worker bees cost $22.95. The craze for herbal supplements is not supported by scientific evidence. Fewer than a dozen of the 600-plus herbal remedies have been subjected to double-blind studies.

Consumer Tips

1. Shop for supplements that comply with strict scientific standards set by the US pharmacopoeia. These products carry the letters USP on the label.
2. If you take a multivitamin/mineral supplement, shop for the bargain price. Select one that provides 100% of the RDA with the exception of calcium, which is too bulky to be included in a multiple vitamin pill.
3. Calcium, which can be dissolved only in the stomach, is most effective when taken with food. Split intake of calcium by consuming one half of the supplement with breakfast and the other half with dinner.
4. If you take antioxidants for their possible health benefits, shop by price.
5. Look for an expiration date that shows how long the supplement should retain its potency.
6. Avoid supplements that advertise “sustained release” of nutrients. The delayed release may prevent the nutrients from being absorbed.
7. Don’t pay extra for herbal ingredients. They have not been proven to enhance the body’s use of supplements. About the only thing enhanced are store profits. The more money you spend on supplements, the more you tend to waste.
8. Don’t waste money following most health store recommendations. If you need a supplement, its most likely to be calcium, a multivitamin, and/or antioxidants.