General Health Lifestyle

Unveiling the Ill Effects of Dieting – Risks & Finding a Balanced Approach

July 27, 2023
planetayurveda

ABSTRACT

Dieting is commonly used to describe people’s attempts at losing weight by limiting the quantity or types of foods they consume. The majority of men and women contribute to dieting  at a certain point in their entire lives, generally pursuing various dieting tactics across numerous attempts at losing weight. Although the weight loss sector is a multibillion-dollar industry, a large number of programs, pills, plans and prescriptions fail to result in weight loss. Psychologists and other healthcare providers who are aware about dieting advise people not to try to lose weight through dieting. For individuals concerned about their weight or health, increasing physical activity, getting at least 7–8 h of sleep per night, and eating more nutrient foods is encouraged. So in today’s article we will discuss the ill effects of Dieting, so let’s have a look!!!!

INTRODUCTION

In todays’ world dieting has become a fashion but actually in dieting a good nutrition is needed. There is a big need to work on these issues which a nutritionist must have to work on in today’s time. Basically one can do dieting for losing weight more than that of getting a healthy body. All this needs a good metabolism and it can only be adopted with regularity in eating habits. Nowadays people are moving towards Ayurveda as it is the latest health obsession. But they don’t know how to adopt it in the correct way. Let’s discuss further about some more obsessions of fads people adapting these days and how incorrect they are.

Ill Effects of Dieting

VARIOUS OBSESSIONS OR FADS FOR DIETING

FOLLOWING ARE SOME OBSESSIONS FOR DIETING THAT ONE MUST AVOID

  • Your personal freedom and well-being begin with a decision to go besides destructive public conditionings. It should be emphasized once more that while buying a new vehicle or a new dress annually or weekly basis may be appropriate, changing nutrition, like changing clothing, will cause serious health issues and can lead to chronic illnesses. So this obsession of changing your diet on a frequent basis must be avoided otherwise it may harm your health.
  • Following a harmful mental regimen is long-term suicide in terms of diet. Your empowerment is possible only from making a conscious decision, not from being manipulated by marketing. Dieting is a massive industry, as is the production of diet foods. Indeed, it is worth noting that our society’s entire psychological pattern stems from greed and our consumer society. So don’t ever be manipulated by consumer society rather that use your own mind while buying any dieting supplements.
  • In either case, the individual is a loser. Buying into a market-created image to sell products will only fit just over one percent of the overall population. Buying into the idea that you can lose 11 kg within a week is not only metabolically impractical, but it also sets you up for failure before you even begin. A large number of diet plans assure things that are practically unattainable for the body. This gives the dieter the impression that they are failing and have done anything wrong. In fact, it was the marketing that was incorrect, rather than the dieter.
  • There is a big myth of labeling, the thing is whatever is shown over a label is just to sell the product. There is nothing inside the product in the same amount as whatever is written on it, especially with respect to proteins, minerals, vitamins, etc. So be aware while purchasing any dietary supplement.

DANGERS OF DIETING

The danger of dieting involves the fact that it disrupts the body’s metabolism to the point at which it is difficult to maintain any kind of adequate health. This is a prevalent situation in Western nations today. It is far more common than you might think. Too many people have had their metabolism completely disrupted by attempting numerous diet plans. Following are some of the dangers of dieting, let’s read

  • There are multiple critical points to consider when dieting. The initial point is that numerous diets are not intended to be used for a long time and are only intended to be used for losing weight. When these diets are followed for an extended period of time, say over six weeks, the body starts experiencing serious consequences. These issues show up as digestive reactions to certain foods, poor skin quality, colic constipation, lack of lustre in hair and eyes and both bloating or bowel gas.
  • Dieting, according to Ayurveda, frequently harms enzyme function. It causes agni derangement, which is one of the known causes of all metabolic disorders. This is most common in Vata people. Dieting habits that lead to Agni derangement include the use of highly concentrated foods such as protein powders or small quantities of supplements, which will lower or disrupt enzyme function in a couple of months. Diets high in fruits, fruit or vegetable juices tend to weaken the function of enzymes after a few months.
  • Eating less or not eating in order to reduce weight is also challenging for the Vata and pitta types of people. It is important to note that clever fasting is very helpful in restoring agni function and removing ama toxins, but if used arbitrarily, it may interfere with the metabolism to a point where it can be difficult to restore its normal functioning.

So rather than dieting, do take diet in the proper way and correct your digestion and metabolism, it will definitely help you in maintaining your weight.

HOW TO CORRECT DIGESTION/METABOLISM IN A PERSON WHO IS DISEASE FREE

FOLLOWING ARE SOME POINTS THAT HOW ONE CAN CORRECT THEIR DIGESTION AND METABOLISM TO MAINTAIN THEIR BMI

  • If a person is free from any kind of disease and wants to lose weight, gain weight or to sustain the present weight then he or she must consume a proper diet.
  • According to Ayurvedic principles, weight loss occurs simply when the body functions normally and a balanced diet of nutritious foods is consumed. Weight loss can be achieved simply by restoring proper metabolic functions through diet, exercise and herbs.
  • One more thing it is not like that only diet is enough for a healthy living, there is also a need to change your lifestyle along with your diet to correct your metabolism. The main thing is that if you want to make something correct then there must be a need to know what’s wrong going on.

VARIOUS DIGESTIVE AND METABOLIC PROBLEMS

Mostly if a person becomes overweight somehow the reason behind it is any kind of Digestive or Metabolic health issue. As per Ayurveda if your body is not working properly then symptoms may manifest in the stage of particular dosha in your body. There are three main doshas whose aggravation or vitiation may lead to different kinds of malfunctioning symptoms. Following are common malfunctioning symptoms that one may experience on aggravation of any of the three doshas that are Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

  • Symptoms in Vata type of malfunctions: constipation, bloating, gas, colic pain, dry stools, gripping, bloating, dry skin, dry hairs, PMS, insomnia, anxiety, food allergies, etc.
  • Symptoms in Pitta type of malfunctions: Burning sensation in abdomen or stomach, ulcers, loose stools, hemorrhoids, skin inflammation, intestinal inflammation, burning eyes, etc.
  • Symptoms in Kapha type of malfunctions: Lungs congestion, heaviness in body, nausea, desire to take frequent meals, depression, urge to eat sweets, etc.

Above are some of the symptoms of metabolic disturbances, we can consider it a metabolic malfunction only if any of these functions are occurring on a frequent basis. So if you are noticing any of the above symptoms on a frequent basis you must correct your metabolism as soon as possible to avoid any serious complication.

HOW TO CORRECT METABOLIC CONDITIONS

  • The best way to fix any metabolic problem involves diet, lifestyle and exercise,  as well as by using medicinal herbs that stimulate your Agni. All four things help in managing Metabolic Conditions by providing Deepana and Pachan which includes liquefaction, transformation, assimilation and elimination. There is also a situation where two persons are eating the same, their lifestyle and exercising is also the same. But one is supposed to gain weight and the other one is remaining fit.
  • So it is a must to find out what the main cause behind all this and that needs to be corrected. This is a matter of health and nutrition because it continues for a lifetime and prevents the onset of most illnesses. This diet is a shamana therapy and a lifetime diet. Ahar Chikitsa, or dietary therapies, are diets that work on the Vikriti. These are temporary diets used to treat a specific problem; once the problem has been resolved, the patient ought to switch to the lifetime or Shamana diet that is appropriate for their constitution.
  • There is a great role of spices in maintaining metabolism so herbs that are used in the form of spices are needed to be added in daily diet to enhance the metabolism. You can take it in the form of herbal teas, it is beneficial especially in Vata and Kapha prakriti people. In Pitta Prakriti people, a bland diet is helpful – a diet which includes foods that are low in fibre, not very spicy and are soft.

FOLLOWING ARE SOME OBSESSIONS FOR DIETING THAT ONE MUST AVOID:

  • In Vata Prakriti: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), Cumin (Cuminum cyminum), Asafetida (Ferula asafoetida), etc.
  • In Pitta Prakriti: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Cumin (Cuminum cyminum), etc.
  • In Kapha Prakriti: Cumin (Cuminum cyminum), Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Black Pepper (Piper nigrum), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), etc.

Make a powder of above spices by grinding moderately because excessive grinding may harm the benefits of these herbal spices. Vata Prakriti people have to take ½ tsp of these spices before food, Pitta Prakriti have to take with meals and Kapha Prakriti have to take after meals. All the people with digestive problems must have to take this powder after meals so that food helps in preventing the strong effect of spices on the intestines rather than supporting the Agni.

CONCLUSION

This article is based on what dieting is, what are the ill effects of dieting, how to manage a healthy diet, how we can correct metabolism, what are metabolic conditions and how we can correct them. In todays’ world dieting has become a fashion but actually in dieting a good nutrition is needed. There are a lot of wrong obsessions among people regarding dieting which are mentioned above and who want to be on dieting must be aware of all this. Various dangers of dieting are mentioned that you have to prevent yourself from. Why do people do dieting – exactly for  weight loss, so to follow diet plans is not that much important, much important is to correct the metabolism. If better is the metabolism, better will be fat elimination and you will definitely achieve the goal of losing weight. So must follow the above mentioned tips to manage your BMI.