IS
YOUR DIET WORKING?
You’d fire an employee if he or she started slacking,
so why not give your diet a performance review? Here are four signs that you
need to rethink what you have or haven’t been chewing on.
THE SIGN: You’re finding hair everywhere- except
on top.
THE LIKELY CULPRIT: A low-calorie regimen. “Dipping below 1,000
calories a day deprives your body of the energy and nutrients it needs to
regenerate your hair cells,” says Cindy Moore, R. D., director of nutrition
therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in Ohio.
THE FIX: Never drop below 1,800 calories a day. “A crash diet doesn’t
shed fat,” Moore points out. It strips your scalp and muscle.
THE SIGN: You’re snapping at coworkers.
THE LIKELY CULPRIT: A low-carbohydrate diet. Researchers at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that cutting carbs can lower
levels of the mood boosting chemical serotonin over time.
THE FIX: Eat fiber rich whole grains with every meal, advises study
author Judith Wurtman, Ph. D. These carbs also calm you by keeping
blood-sugar levels even.
THE SIGN: You can’t concentrate.
THE LIKELY CULPRIT: Skipping breakfast. Researchers at the University
of Bristol in the United Kingdom found that people who skipped breakfast had
focus problems and fumbled tasks later in the day. “After a long night of
not eating, you need to give your brain glucose, of food sugar, to
function.” says Moore.
THE FIX: Eat within an hour of waking. Rushed? Make it easy; a
handful of almonds and an apple.
THE SIGN: Too much toilet time.
THE LIKELY CULPRIT: A diet low in fiber, or an intolerance to dairy.
THE FIX: Slowly boost your fiber intake until you’re eating roughly
35 grams a day from whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Still sick? Skip
dairy completely for a week, then have milk or cheese. If you’re lactose
intolerant, you’ll find out fast.
Taken from Mens Health
