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Stop Dieting, Nutritionist Says

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@tampatrib.com

Published: March 14, 2009

Hate diets?

Skip it and move ahead with healthy habits, says Francie Berg, founder of the Healthy Weight Network and adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine.

"You can get your life back on track, improve your health and move on with what's really important to you," says Berg, who edits the Web site www.healthyweight network.com. She recently answered questions about eating better.

Shouldn't we cut calories and watch what foods we eat forever?

It's helpful if you change your style of eating if you're not eating well. But, in general, eat enough food and calories so your body is satisfied. The problem with cutting calories on a diet is that the body isn't satisfied and there is this continual drive to eat more.

But there are always diets, maybe always have been diets.

We've had diets for about 50 years. If any one of them worked we wouldn't have so many obese people. The truth is some people are thin and some are larger. A lot of thin people are restricting their food so their bodies are not as healthy as they should be.

The real problem with people 50-plus is a deficiency in nutrients. There's a lot of emphasis on not eating meat, and these people need the protein they get from meat.

So the answer is ...

Eat all the food groups. Eat moderately. Eat at regular times, three meals and one or two snacks a day. If people will do that and stop dieting, they probably will get their bodies in good balance.

Right now, it's politically correct to be a vegetarian. And for some people, it works. But most of us need animal products to get the full nutrition from the food we eat.

There's more to a daily "diet" than food?

It's important to stretch and work on balance to keep our bodies strong - especially as we age. Of course, physical activity is critical.

So you encourage people to make good food choices, eat enough to keep themselves satisfied?

And also to feel good about yourself and others, accept your own body. I hope we will accept and respect other people - people who are naturally larger. These people are harassed in our country. Eat good foods and stop when you are full.

The Orange County (Calif.) Register

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