Old Rules, New Rules?
Doctor Mehmet Oz. Thanks to Oprah Winfrey he has become the go to authority on dieting especially for overweight and obese women. He promotes dietary supplements, foods and exercise that target problem areas and reveals “secrets” long kept from the American public by physicians, dietitians and experts with titles that can’t be found in any dictionary.
On a recent episode Dr. Oz discussed new and old rules for dieting. What he did not mention was that these rules were based on the typical American diet and the myriad of off the wall diet plans that have evolved over the decades to reduce the exploding American waist line. Two examples were drinking 8 glasses of water per day and eliminating desserts.
The human body is about 70 percent water and it is used to hydrate and remove wastes. The eight 8-ounce glasses per day rule or what many experts now refer to as a myth was not based on scientific evidence. The debate regarding how much water to drink continues, but the general consciences is to drink water when you feel thirsty. You can also use the color of your urine as a guide. If it is light yellow (straw colored) you are getting enough fluids. If it is dark and your are otherwise healthy your urine is concentrated and you need to eat or drink more fluids.
Dr. Oz’s New rule for drinking 8 glasses of water? Replace some of the water with fluids from fruits like watermelon and soups. If you are reducing calories to lose weight this rule replaces zero calorie water with sugar water (watermelon). One cup of watermelon (160g) has about 50 calories mostly in the form of sugar. Soups can range from low calorie broths which can be high in sodium to 500 plus calorie meal. If soup is a part of your diet, you may be getting the equivalent of 1 to 2 glasses of water.
Americans have been told to skip deserts especially high calorie desserts for years. Some desserts can add 1,000 calories to your diet. You won’t lose weight eating 500 to 1,000 calorie desserts every day or even every other day. Any dessert eaten after you eaten your bodies daily requirement of calories will be converted to body fat even if it is only 100 extra calories. Dessert are typically made with processed white flour, sugar and fats. Not the best combination but they sure taste good.
Italy is know for some of the best desserts and confections in the world. Like anything else, it is a matter of moderation. In my book, I emphasize eating dessert in moderation or starting the day with dessert. For breakfast, limit the amount to what you’ve allocated for that meal. Eating a 500 calorie serving of Tiramisu for breakfast provides your body with carbohydrates and fats to sustain you until lunch. Eating the same dessert after a heavy meal is excess calories headed for your hips or stomach.
What did Dr. Oz recommend to curb that craving for something sweet? A parfait of low fat ricotta cheese, cocoa, and fresh fruit. Except for the low fat ricotta and powdered cocoa, it was the same recipe my parents served for years and I included in my book. You can find the recipe with nutritional information on this website.
Some new rules have been around for decades.