Diet And Body Image
How is your diet and body image linked?
What is dieting? Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion in order to decrease, maintain or increase your body weight. Individual's who are overweight or obese may include their diet with physical activity in order to lose weight. But some people strive to increase their body weight usually in the form of muscle while others go on a diet to continue maintaining a healthy body weight. The most common diets are those that promote weight loss, these are divided into four categories, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie and very low-calorie. These diets create a selection or limitation of foods that an individual is allowed to consume. Any diet consists of a selection of foods purposely designed or prescribed to improve physical conditions or to prevent or treat a disease such as diabetes.
What is dieting? Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion in order to decrease, maintain or increase your body weight. Individual's who are overweight or obese may include their diet with physical activity in order to lose weight. But some people strive to increase their body weight usually in the form of muscle while others go on a diet to continue maintaining a healthy body weight. The most common diets are those that promote weight loss, these are divided into four categories, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie and very low-calorie. These diets create a selection or limitation of foods that an individual is allowed to consume. Any diet consists of a selection of foods purposely designed or prescribed to improve physical conditions or to prevent or treat a disease such as diabetes.
What are fad diets? A fad diet is any diet that promises fast weight loss or weight gain without a scientific basis. A fad diet insists on a person to follow a set guideline of foods to eat and foods to avoid. The benefits of the diet promoted generally include, 'no exercise required', 'quick weight loss' and 'easy to follow'. These diets often neglect entire food groups not providing the dieter with a wide range of nutrients resulting in serious health problems. Examples of some of the symptoms of fad diets include dehydration, weakness, fatigue, nausea, headaches, constipation and inadequate vitamin and mineral intake. Fad diets may produce short term results but are difficult to sustain resulting in rapid and unsafe body weight loss and gain. A few popular fad diets that have been in society for a long time include 'The Cabbage Soup Diet', 'The Grapefruit Diet' and 'The Bread And Butter Diet' It is important that any dieter seeks a healthy and balanced eating plan in order to benefit their body in the short and long term.
What body image issues exist in today's society?
There are many body image issues that are evident in today's society. Body image is how we as individuals feel about our bodies. This is a big issue that is faced by many people and affects how they think and feel as a person. A positive body image is when person feels comfortable and confident in their own body and accepts the fact that everyone is unique. This helps them to not worry about unimportant factors such as food, calories and weight. A person with a positive body image expresses an understanding that physical appearance does not define character and value. But in contrast a person with a negative body image continuously compares their body to others and feels ashamed, anxious and self-conscious about their image. This can lead to feelings of unhappiness, emotional distress, low self esteem, dieting, anxiety, depression, obsession with weight loss and a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder.
Many individuals today, both men and women, are under constant pressure to measure up to certain social and cultural standards of beauty. The media presents an ideal that is extremely difficult to both achieve and maintain. Images such as model perfect women and muscular men are idolised by young society. The cosmetic and diet industries greatly benefit but the self-esteem of many individuals is not so fortunate. Factors such as youth, thinness and beauty are purposely promoted and have embedded a false message of body image into the minds of young people creating many emotional, mental and psychological problems in today's society.
There are many body image issues that are evident in today's society. Body image is how we as individuals feel about our bodies. This is a big issue that is faced by many people and affects how they think and feel as a person. A positive body image is when person feels comfortable and confident in their own body and accepts the fact that everyone is unique. This helps them to not worry about unimportant factors such as food, calories and weight. A person with a positive body image expresses an understanding that physical appearance does not define character and value. But in contrast a person with a negative body image continuously compares their body to others and feels ashamed, anxious and self-conscious about their image. This can lead to feelings of unhappiness, emotional distress, low self esteem, dieting, anxiety, depression, obsession with weight loss and a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder.
Many individuals today, both men and women, are under constant pressure to measure up to certain social and cultural standards of beauty. The media presents an ideal that is extremely difficult to both achieve and maintain. Images such as model perfect women and muscular men are idolised by young society. The cosmetic and diet industries greatly benefit but the self-esteem of many individuals is not so fortunate. Factors such as youth, thinness and beauty are purposely promoted and have embedded a false message of body image into the minds of young people creating many emotional, mental and psychological problems in today's society.