Sample Article

The Truth About Fad Diets And Teenagers

Try mixing fad diets and teenagers; you may well have set off a firestorm of which you have never seen the likes of. Now did that get your attention or what? If it did you should print this on the forehead of your adolescent "Danger! Danger! ...Fad Diets Why Are They Bad"? As you continue to read you will find several reasons for why teenagers and fad diets are so volatile.

As we all know puberty is one of the most difficult times that our child, female or male, must go through. With all of the chemical changes, raging hormones, spurts of growth, weight gain and acne, the typical teenager often times doesn't know if top is top or down is down. That's a little over the top but you get the idea.

Peer pressure from friends and even from "school enemies" can often play havoc with the average teens emotions. Many of today’s so called "fad diets" actually do the same thing. They take advantage of the emotional turmoil of those that perceive themselves over weight. And then direct their self serving, fad diets and teenagers, message to play upon the emotions of your child.

They advocate a very quick weight loss and promises of being a "beauty queen" with all problems solved. The truth is that message, is a long way from being true, nor could it be much more destructive to the well being of a growing adolescent or for that matter an adult, than if it was a loaded gun.

A great many of these weight loss programs advocate losing 10 pounds in just a few days. They do this by using appetite suppressors which restrict the desire for food. This in turn means that often times your teen is not getting all the necessary nutrition needed to remain healthy. But today’s teenagers, as well as adults, are looking for this quick fix.

However, studies have shown that losing more than one or two lbs per week can lead to major health problems. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to these effects and can quickly find themselves the victim of an eating disorder such as anorexia.

Anorexia will often times, over a long period of time, cause chronic health problems for anyone with the disease. Study after study has revealed where it can lead to heart disease, thyroid problems, kidney failure and other organ problems. These problems can become so severe that it can lead to pre mature death of your teenager.

Another problem with fad diets and teenagers, which is extremely difficult to see, is they do not promote what is extremely important for true weight loss. Everything is pointed at the “quick fix” and they don’t advocate the importance of exercise in their fad diet plan.

True weight loss for your teen or anybody for that matter is not going to happen without physical exercise of some type. The so called “quick fix” may work in the short term, but there is no way it can be sustained over the adolescent years. Permanent weight loss and a healthy body will only come when a lifestyle change occurs.

Fad diets and teenagers are not a good mixture. You can help your child by paying attention to what is going on in their life and observing their eating habits. A change to a healthy diet and exercise will work wonders for them.