by Nick Perez

Created on: April 16, 2008

Diet is a four letter word in today's world, and like most four letter words, just because it is vulgar does not mean it isn't popular; on the contrary, diets have become a billion dollar plus industry, a trendy way to make us all look, and there by extension, feel so much better about ourselves. So why is that so bad? Well, just as with all those other four letter words, we use them colloquially and seem to forget what they actually mean. Ask most people what the word "diet" means and they will probably give you their own version of the following: "A diet is any short-term, complex set of rules and limitations on what and when I can eat." That's not entirely correct however. Diet refers to your overall eating habits, throughout your life. Problem number one; we need to stop thinking in terms of Atkins, or South Beach, and all the other references that have twisted the word diet into a one-two-three step self-help programming, and get back to the real meaning of the word.

There is so much information about dieting that its overwhelming. I know I've been more than frustrated in my own research, attempting to figure out I can eat that will not just help me lose weight but build up my muscles so that I can finally look like a hunk (ha!). And a lot of them come with all this scientific research and studies to back up there claims. Almost every day there seems to be a new miracle vegetable that fights off a specific type of cancer, or a breakthrough that tells us X amount of sugar in the morning causes abdominal fat! So who do you believe? And how much do you have to pay to lose weight? So many of these diets come with books and videos and charts; we've reached the point where now eating has developed its own paper work to be filled! But this is what American's thrive on; they want the most recently researched and most structured program that tells them what to do every step of the way. Simply follow the directions like a herd of sheep and in two weeks you'll lose ten/twenty/fifty pounds!

The first step in developing a diet that works for you is to think for yourself. Get away from all the marketing and advertising. Assess your current health. Are you actually overweight? What is the preferred weight range for your height and sex? How do you feel during the day? Do you tire around noon, do you feel fatigued all day? Do you have acne or other skin blotches? Do you digest foods well? Do you find you cannot think clearly at times? Your diet impacts your overall health.

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