Get Healthy for life: Part 1, Beware of fads

Part 1: Eat well and be active-Beware of fads.

Eat well, be active, and get healthy! How often have you heard that message? 

Who doesn't want to be healthy, but making changes in your eating and exercise habits, no matter how motivated and committed you are, is not easy. 

Where do you start: diet or exercise? Which diet and/or which exercise plan is best for you? Which is the healthiest? 

There is a vast amount of information about diet and exercise available on the internet, in magazines, self help books, and television programs.

How do you know which information is reliable and will actually provide you with the promised health benefits?

You've seen friends and relatives embark on various weight loss programs only to find their success short lived.

If you have been searching for an eating and physical activity plan that:

• fits into your life
• you enjoy
• you can follow without continually thinking about it
• which is sustainable
• and will provide you with health benefits into the future

our "Get healthy for life" articles can help you identify the fundamental basics of a healthy eating and physical activity plan.

This is the first in a series of articles entitled "Get healthy for life".

Part 1 draws attention to the deficiencies and potential dangers of fad and fictional diet and physical activity plans and the basic requirements of a functional health plan through eating well and being physically active.

Once you have made the decision to "get healthy" it is very tempting to embark on plans that promise quick, easy and lasting results, but beware of such claims. 

Claims made by authors of diets are rarely supported by research as to the long term effectiveness of the diet, and the authors often cherry pick existing research which they use to support their claims. 

Claims that the diet "works" are usually supported by testimonials, but testimonials of feeling better, and reaching a particular weight loss goal do not provide reliable evidence that the diet is healthy. 

Media diet and exercise reports are often contradictory and many journalists do not have the appropriate knowledge to determine, or interpret, the accuracy of nutrition and exercise research.

Follow the link to the full article...to learn about six criteria which may help you to identify healthy eating and physical activity plans.

The links to parts 2,3, and 4 are:

"Eat well and be active: Diet "know-how"", 

"Eat well and be active: Putting the “best” foot forward",  "Eat well and be active: Making changes".