Coined from the Greek word ‘diaita,’ the word diet has much hype. The urge to look slim, remain well-maintained, and be presentable has gained prominence among many. Social media and being influenced by fitness and film personalities have garnered more interest among the masses. In doing so, many have adopted dieting that is more prevalent in women than men and has led to catastrophic results for many.

 

Losing weight more smartly is attributed to dieting, which invites many ill effects while continuing the process. A healthy diet is a necessary process where the body can perform its functions accurately. Easy straight forward access to various social media platforms has made many look for the easy way to lose weight, only to realize later that it is doing more harm than good.

 

Belly fat may look awkward, and to get rid of it, the body is deprived of various healthy foods. Also, health websites provide easy solutions for a strict diet, with the consumer not realizing that healthy, nutritious foods must be supplied to the body in sufficient amounts.

 

A balanced diet makes the body function properly and helps the body fight certain diseases.

 

The health hazards

Most diets help for short-term weight loss and are not sustainable in the long run. Not following a particular dietary pattern may result in weight fluctuations, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure. With restrictions in place, the likely changes in the body are binge eating, purging, increased cravings, reduced bone density, menstrual issues in women, fatigue, hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, and, in the worst-case, heart diseases, cancer, etc.

 

A high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet has become popular these days, which is doing more harm as the cholesterol level goes up and has short-term benefits on weight loss.

 

The pros

Getting a medical professional’s advice on a proper diet will help in the long run. A busy schedule makes it difficult for those who are moving most of the day, thereby increasing the chances of missing certain food intakes. However, many patients who have undergone bariatric surgery or have been operated upon for cardiovascular and cancer diseases are recommended a strict diet to speed up the recovery process.

 

Point of view

One has to remember that there is no easy way to achieve weight loss, and haphazard dieting adds to the woes, stressing the body further. Consulting a healthcare provider and avoiding social media suggestions on dieting will help. One has to remember that there is no magic wand to dieting.