A recent study states that women cut down on essential nutrients in the name of dieting, believing they are bad for them. Experts say that’s what causes multiple health problems

An average 45-year-old woman has been on 61 diets through her life, according to a survey. In a poll of 2,000 British men and women, more than three-quarters had embarked on a diet in the past year. However, women had tried the biggest array of eating plans to try to shift the pounds.

There are fears that fad diets are rubbing off on the next generation, causing potential future health problems. Six out of ten people surveyed said they had been asked by their children not to give them foods such as bread, potatoes and fruit, believing they are bad for them, when they are healthy as part of a balanced diet. Around half of parents did remove some of these foods from their children’s diet. More than 85 percent of those surveyed on behalf of the bread company Warburtons said they did not know calcium was important to their diet and around half did not know the mineral that was found in white bread. In particular, those aged under 26 didn’t realise the importance of calcium even though it helps grow and maintain bones which carry on developing until around 30. These findings have got experts worried. “An average of 61 diets over an adult lifetime could mean an awful lot of people have cut a significant amount of calcium out of their diet over the years especially if they’ve been avoiding calcium-rich food groups on a regular basis,” a daily quoted doctor Hilary Jones as saying.

“It seems the British obsession with dieting could be having a detrimental effect on our nutritional intake, as many people lose sight of what constitutes a healthy balanced diet.

“All breads contribute a range of essential nutrients from protein and calcium to iron and B group vitamins,” she said.

Ladies, if you’ve been gobbling up calories while on a diet, your foodie buddies are the reason behind it, claims a recent Dutch study. But there’s a larger set of people you might need to avoid to be bang-on with your diet plan. Here’s a list!

Most women know the basics of dieting. But now, there’s one more item on the list to be struck off – dining with friends who overeat. Scientists say the amount we eat is not just about the food on the plate, but who we’re eating it with. Women who dine with a companion are likely to eat a similar amount and at the same pace as the companion, found the study. Often, women use other people as their model for ‘appropriate’ eating. Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, Kareena Kapoor’s dietician, has often explained how we never count the food that we gulp down from a friend’s plate – the tiny brownie during a conversation, the samosa that the friend offered, and those malted biscuits with coffee – and later blame the diet.

BFF’S EMOTIONAL EATING

When one eats while chatting, especially in the company of someone whose appetite is bigger than yours, it leads to mindless munching. And don’t forget the depression pangs. It’s called ‘emotional eating group disorder’ when close friends meet up for lunch, and while discussing boyfriend troubles, peer pressure and even weight issues, end up overeating – without even realising it. “If one overweight friend is shedding tears over French fries, the rest will console her, saying that she is not so fat after all, and that she has the right to eat to her satisfaction at least once in a while. And that’s how she ends up overeating,” says Chahak Lakandpal, 21.

PARTNER IN CRIME

“Whenever I eat out with my boyfriend, I get this feeling that I am eating ‘less than normal’, for he packs away large meals, while mine is a small plate of brown bread sandwich. Then slowly, I begin to lay my hands on his plate, thinking, ‘Itne se kuch nahin hoga.’ Even he insists, ‘Tum kuch kha kyun nahin rahi ho…. eat something na. Later, I do regret cheating on my diet plan,” confesses Shweta Kaul, 24.

SOCIAL DINING DILEMMA

The study details that women adjust their eating pattern to others, especially at the start of the meal when they want to get along with each other and maintain a positive social relationship. Many homemakers, while trying to shed some kilos, quake at the thought of attending a cocktail. Mind you, not for the lack of a suitable evening gown, but because of the ‘whatwill-I-eat-there’ dilemma. “It’s confusing if you’re seated among a bunch of ladies who’re constantly tucking into paneer tikkas, spring rolls, manchurians, and you maintain a ‘No, I don’t want’ to all the waiters. And for the main course, if I pick up only the salads, I know I’ll be the butt of all jokes within seconds. They’ll laugh out loud, ‘Lo, ab inko dieting ka shauk chadha hai.’ So, I indulge in the buffet, then starve myself later of food as well as self-esteem,” rues Sunita Arora, 35.

CORPORATE MESS?

“Especially foreign associates – they happily order dal makhani and butter chicken, and if I stick to my continental salad resolution, I look like an idiot. It does affect my professional bond, so I end up loading on the Mughlai main course,” cribs Saloni Dhingra, 27. “Even if you’re dining with a boss who loves to eat, you can’t say ‘Look, I believe in healthy eating,’ and steer clear of the heavy sixcourse meal,” explains Malini Khanna, 30.

So next time you encounter a friend, relative or acquaintance who’s on a diet and doesn’t want to go out, don’t blame them – they’re just being wise!

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

• No dining with greedy friends

• No lunches with pot-bellied, foodie office colleagues

• Don’t meet your aunt who piles gajar ka halwa on your plate

• Avoid meeting clients over dinner

• Avoid the coffee date with your partner (you’ll end up munching brownies, chips, etc)

• No movies with old friends – you’ll eat nachos mindlessly

• Don’t go shopping with your mom – if you don’t get a good bargain, you’ll look for a fast food joint

With little time for wholesome, healthy meals, your eating habits go awry when you’re at work. Here’s how to fix them

Most young professionals lead fast-paced sedentary lives, packing in too many things in a day. With little time to cook and eat right, office drawers are stocked with junk food as we steadily replace our daily meals with processed takeaways and easy-to-cook meals. This high fat, salt and sugar diet leads to high rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Here is a list of the most common bad food habits and how to remedy them, for a fresh start to the year.

SNACKING
It may help you keep your energy levels up, but in a sedentary environment, snacking also aids your body in storing unnecessary fat. Salt content in snacks leads to hypertension and water retention.
FIX IT: Don’t turn your locker into a mini-pantry. Don’t carry the whole bag of chips to your desk. Bring limited snacks from home or buy small packets that help you with portion control. Mark a post-it each time you snack, to help you stick to five meals a day.

TOO MUCH TEA/COFFEE
Your daily fix of tea or coffee every two hours is a difficult habit to break. But excessive tea or coffee leaves you feeling jittery, irritable, dehydrated, and even interrupts your sleep pattern. If taken with your meals, tea and coffee inhibit the absorption of iron.
FIX IT: If you cannot reduce the number of cups, cut down on their size. Then, try alternating tea and coffee with healthier options such as green tea, warm lemon water, freshly squeezed juices, etc.

NOT ENOUGH WATER
Most corporate offices are airconditioned, making it impossible for people to sweat. This means we don’t feel adequately thirsty. As the body gets used to drinking water below its requirement, it learns to adapt. When you do start drinking a little more water, your body treats it as excess. In the long run, not drinking enough water can cause constipation, indigestion, gas, increased hunger pangs, dehydration and make your skin look dull too.
FIX IT:
Keep a litre bottle of water at your table and finish it before the end of the day. It may take you 2-3 days to adapt to an increased dose.

HEAVY MEALS
After a day’s work, it is tempting to head for a late night meal. Late night hunger is also the body’s way of letting you know that it’s exhausted and needs sleep, not food. A large meal, heavy on carbohydrates, is difficult for the body to digest before bedtime and the body invariably stores it as fuel for later. Additionally, if the body has met its calorific requirement for the day, it’ll add unnecessary calories to your diet.
FIX IT:
Eat light, a combination of veggies and lean protein before bed. High fibre vegetables and lean meat and proteins will make you feel full and cater to your limited calorie requirements. Lentils and vegetables without rice or bread will suffice.

WEEKEND BINGING
You’ve been good all week, but give yourself a whole weekend of guilt-free eating as a reward. It may motivate your diet, but it plays havoc with your routine.
FIX IT: Find other ways of rewarding your diet. Try relaxing massages, a good book, a trek, anything that feels gratifying and enjoyable. Try and reward yourself more often than only weekends.

DRINKING ALCOHOL ON AN EMPTY STOMACH
After a long work week, you head out to the cheapest watering hole with colleagues to whine it away. If the first thing you consume is alcohol, on an empty stomach, it is immediately stored into the body as fat. Even a few drinks are packed with harmful calories, and snacking along with drinks is the easiest way to overeat.
FIX IT: Eat a little before you head out to drink. Even a small salad or sandwich will do. If you don’t have access to food, a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt will do. Proteins help slow down the absorption of alcohol.

Article Published in Times of India on 6th Jan 2012