IN THE TRENCHES: We should practice what we preach
IN THE TRENCHES: We should practice what we preach
"Lose 20 pounds in 30 days. Foolproof diet plan does not fail. Look great! Immediate results."
"Lose five pounds per day -- up to 25 pounds in a week. "
"Lose nine pounds every 12 days with these 10 simple rules. Limited time special this month only. "
"Lose 12 pounds in five weeks. Eat all you want doing it. "
"Lose pounds of excess fat while you sleep. Wake up slimmer each day with our new miracle pill. "
Lose, lose, lose!
Have you ever seen ads like these in newspapers, magazines, on televisio n or on the Internet? Are you on a diet? Have you ever been on one?
It seems that every time we turn around these days, there are reminders popping up about losing excess body weight. Somebody is always inventing another new special program that clai ms to miraculously change a person from overweight to slender in only a few days.
Low-fat diets, no-fat diets, low-carb diets, frozen-food diets, skin-patch diets, raw food diets -- the list goes on and on. These diets do not work and are nothing more than "starvation" gimmicks. They are also very harmful for your body if followed to excess.
I will admit that people who foolishly dish out money for these diet gimmicks usually do lose a couple of pounds fast. They become a little lighter in their weight and a lot lighter in their wallet during the process.
When the smoke finally clears after the starvation period, dieters usually return to chomping away again and putting back all the pounds they originally shed. Then the cycle starts all over again with another diet or exercise gimmick.
One fad that has been fading away is the low-carb movement that was championed by Atkins Nutritionals, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Remember how quickly this diet plan took off? Everyb ody got into the act, including restaurants, food manufacturers, specialty stores, supermarkets and even fast-food eateries.
Low-carb diets can be more harmful than healthful for people. When the body doesn't get sufficient carbohydrates, complicati ons can develop that include calcium depletion, dehydration, nausea and even kidney problems.
Ive been saying all along that potatoes are healthy for you. After all, who ever heard of greasy bacon, sirloin or cheddar cheese being good for you and ap ples, berries and carrots being bad? Thats utter nonsense!
People are overweight for one simple reason; they eat the wrong food and too much of it at the wrong intervals. Just look around when you are out in a restaurant. Those dinner plates deliv ered to the tables arent exactly lacking any food. In fact, the serving sizes are enormous and are getting bigger.
How many times have you heard someone brag about the huge food portion they experienced at a specific restaurant? In a recent conversa tion, an industry associate told me how much food he got at one of his favorite eating establishments. You get a steak about three inches thick and one foot round with a colossal lobster, a giant potato topped with thick melted cheese, two ears of corn, half a loaf of bread, and a giant piece of cake with four scoops of ice cream and whipped cream topping.
Whoa! No wonder waistlines are expanding these days. The serving sizes are expanding in both restaurants and at home.
Consider the people employed in the produce industry. Do they all eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for good health and nutrition? We constantly tell others to do it, but do we show good examples of it ourselves?
Ironically, there are a great number of people working i n produce who actually do not like or eat fruits and vegetables. None, zippo, zilch! Shocking, isnt it?
In addition, many eat nutritionally unsound meals and in amounts that are out of control. Need proof? How about all those big fancy restaurant d inners at conventions and conferences? Just look around the tables and youll see people eating like it was going out of style. Those plates are mounded with high-fat meat combined with cholesterol-filled shrimp, lobsters galore, and globs of dessert s loaded with calories. The only produce in sight is in the form of a thin orange wedge tucked somewhere under a sprig of parsley.
The obesity rates are continuing to climb, as 64 percent of adult Americans are now either overweight or obese. Each one of us in this produce industry needs to put on a stronger drive and set good examples of eating healthier.
We personally need to practice what we preach.
(Ron Pelger is the owner of RONPROCON, a consulting firm for the produce industry. He can be reached by phone at 775/853-7056, by e-mail at [email protected], or check his web site at www.power-produce.com.)?
"Lose five pounds per day -- up to 25 pounds in a week. "
"Lose nine pounds every 12 days with these 10 simple rules. Limited time special this month only. "
"Lose 12 pounds in five weeks. Eat all you want doing it. "
"Lose pounds of excess fat while you sleep. Wake up slimmer each day with our new miracle pill. "
Lose, lose, lose!
Have you ever seen ads like these in newspapers, magazines, on televisio n or on the Internet? Are you on a diet? Have you ever been on one?
It seems that every time we turn around these days, there are reminders popping up about losing excess body weight. Somebody is always inventing another new special program that clai ms to miraculously change a person from overweight to slender in only a few days.
Low-fat diets, no-fat diets, low-carb diets, frozen-food diets, skin-patch diets, raw food diets -- the list goes on and on. These diets do not work and are nothing more than "starvation" gimmicks. They are also very harmful for your body if followed to excess.
I will admit that people who foolishly dish out money for these diet gimmicks usually do lose a couple of pounds fast. They become a little lighter in their weight and a lot lighter in their wallet during the process.
When the smoke finally clears after the starvation period, dieters usually return to chomping away again and putting back all the pounds they originally shed. Then the cycle starts all over again with another diet or exercise gimmick.
One fad that has been fading away is the low-carb movement that was championed by Atkins Nutritionals, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Remember how quickly this diet plan took off? Everyb ody got into the act, including restaurants, food manufacturers, specialty stores, supermarkets and even fast-food eateries.
Low-carb diets can be more harmful than healthful for people. When the body doesn't get sufficient carbohydrates, complicati ons can develop that include calcium depletion, dehydration, nausea and even kidney problems.
Ive been saying all along that potatoes are healthy for you. After all, who ever heard of greasy bacon, sirloin or cheddar cheese being good for you and ap ples, berries and carrots being bad? Thats utter nonsense!
People are overweight for one simple reason; they eat the wrong food and too much of it at the wrong intervals. Just look around when you are out in a restaurant. Those dinner plates deliv ered to the tables arent exactly lacking any food. In fact, the serving sizes are enormous and are getting bigger.
How many times have you heard someone brag about the huge food portion they experienced at a specific restaurant? In a recent conversa tion, an industry associate told me how much food he got at one of his favorite eating establishments. You get a steak about three inches thick and one foot round with a colossal lobster, a giant potato topped with thick melted cheese, two ears of corn, half a loaf of bread, and a giant piece of cake with four scoops of ice cream and whipped cream topping.
Whoa! No wonder waistlines are expanding these days. The serving sizes are expanding in both restaurants and at home.
Consider the people employed in the produce industry. Do they all eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for good health and nutrition? We constantly tell others to do it, but do we show good examples of it ourselves?
Ironically, there are a great number of people working i n produce who actually do not like or eat fruits and vegetables. None, zippo, zilch! Shocking, isnt it?
In addition, many eat nutritionally unsound meals and in amounts that are out of control. Need proof? How about all those big fancy restaurant d inners at conventions and conferences? Just look around the tables and youll see people eating like it was going out of style. Those plates are mounded with high-fat meat combined with cholesterol-filled shrimp, lobsters galore, and globs of dessert s loaded with calories. The only produce in sight is in the form of a thin orange wedge tucked somewhere under a sprig of parsley.
The obesity rates are continuing to climb, as 64 percent of adult Americans are now either overweight or obese. Each one of us in this produce industry needs to put on a stronger drive and set good examples of eating healthier.
We personally need to practice what we preach.
(Ron Pelger is the owner of RONPROCON, a consulting firm for the produce industry. He can be reached by phone at 775/853-7056, by e-mail at [email protected], or check his web site at www.power-produce.com.)?
