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May 2, 2007 | Issue 114 |
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Diet Fads & Magic Pills
5 Tips For Dissecting the Latest "Diet Miracles"
Bathing suit time is fast approaching. Soon there’ll be more ads and infomercials touting “diet miracles” like fat-blockers, metabolism boosters, and protein shakes, all assuring you that the “pounds will melt away!”
PRITIKIN TIPS
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What works? What doesn’t? Here are five tips:
1. Avoid the "diet miracles" on TV and on your grocery store shelves. Instead, go straight to the produce section – and FILL UP YOUR CART.
Just about anything (including drinking a lot of coffee) can produce some weight loss in the short term. What’s far more important is 1) how healthy your dietary strategies are, and 2) if they work long-term.
What works long-term? Researchers at the University of Colorado and Brown Medical School have published excellent data on more than 5,000 men and women who have lost, on average, 66 pounds and kept those pounds off for at least one year. They’re part of an ongoing research project called the National Weight Control Registry.*
The vast majority of these successful long-term losers use strategies that are very similar to those practiced at the Pritikin Longevity Center® & Spa in Aventura, Florida.**
For starters, the men and women in the National Weight Control Registy move. They walk on average about an hour every day.
Secondly, their daily diets include a lot of fiber-rich, naturally-low-in-fat foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
It’s these two simple strategies – not $90 bottles of fat burners or $300 body wraps – that have helped these 5,000+ Americans lose a lot of weight – and keep it off.
2. If a claim sounds too good to be true, it is.
“Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”
“Watch your belly fat melt away!”
“Eat your favorite foods and still lose weight.”
“You’ll never have to go to the gym!”
We’ve all seen claims like these on “diet miracle” products. And sure, they’re tempting. “But no credible scientific data support them,” asserts Dr. Jay Kenney, Nutrition Research Specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center. “And a few, like those that contain amphetamines, ephedra, Ritalin, laxatives, or diuretics, are downright dangerous or illegal.”
The federal government is starting to crack down on these bogus claims. In January, Bayer AG and several smaller companies agreed to pay the U.S. government almost $26 million to settle allegations of false weight-loss claims. Bayer’s claims that its One-A-Day WeightSmart vitamins could increase the body’s metabolism were not supported by scientific evidence, the Federal Trade Commission criticized.
Other companies, including those that promote diet pills Xenadrine EFX and TrimSpa, were also slapped with multi-million dollar fines because of claims, like “rapid and substantial weight loss,” that were false and unsubstantiated.
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Copyright 2007 Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa. All rights reserved.
The Yacht Club at Turnberry Isle. 19735 Turnberry Way, Aventura, FL 33180
Phone (305) 935-7131
Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.
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