Guest post by Dora Novak - Dangers of dieting and how to avoid them

Dear friends, here is a very informative article from Dora Novak, who is a freelance author of health and food related articles. This article definitely changed by perpective about dieting. A big thanks to Dora for all these useful points, which needs to be kept in mind, when starting a diet regimen.

Dangers of dieting and how to avoid them
Dieting is an obsession that almost everyone in civilized countries has. The current ideal body is seen as a tall, thin person with plenty of beauty and charm. On the other hand, an excess of sugary, fatty foods is making the modern person heavier than ever. This leads many people to try extreme diets for quick weight loss that may be unsafe for their health in the end. Before starting any extreme diet plan, you should always consult with a health professional, but you should also consider these four potential dieting dangers and how to avoid them to maintain your overall health.



Image courtesy of shutterstock.com

Eating disorders
One common problem that affects dieters is the creation of eating disorders. When eating is considered a “wrong” activity, it can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Women and girls are more likely to develop eating disorders than men are, but men can still fall into the eating disorder trap as well. Since calorie restriction is such a large part of many diets, it is easy for dieters to fall into the trap of further and further restrictions until they have passed healthy levels. Eating disorders can also lead to other problems, including muscle loss, hair loss, and even organ damage.

The best way to avoid falling into the trap of eating disorders is to realize that food is just fuel for the body. There is nothing “bad” about food, and nothing terrible will happen if you accidentally eat a few too many calories one day. Another way to avoid the trap of an eating disorder is to stay away from calorie-counting diets and simply stick to eating healthy foods most of the time without making a big deal about it.

Yo-yo health affects
Most people want fast weight loss results, so they try any number of crash diets to lose weight quickly. These diet plans can work for the short term, but rarely end in long-term weight loss. People who crash diet often have weight fluctuations of 30 pounds or more, continually losing and gaining the same weight each time. This is dangerous for the body, because extreme diets can lead to immune disorders, heart disease, depression, and high blood pressure.

The best way to avoid yo-yo dieting is to choose a diet plan that is manageable for the long term. This will help avoid binge eating and extreme weight loss, which your body can interpret as an illness or other problem and respond by attacking anything in the body-whether it is good or not.

Nutritional deficiencies
Many diets focus on excluding food groups, such as meat, carbohydrates, dairy, or certain other foods with different properties. The trouble with this kind of dieting is that excluding entire food groups can cause a severe nutritional deficiency in the body. The body is designed to eat a little of everything, and cutting out large chunks of food can lead to unwanted health problems and side effects.

The best way to avoid this problem is to make sure you are supplementing the nutritional loss from excluding a food group with a replacement food that has the same nutrients as the missing food. You can also take supplements to replace the missing nutrients in your diet.

Famine bodies
Another strange side effect of dieting is the famine body. If your body does not receive enough daily calories, it can go into famine mode. In famine mode, your body hangs on to every ounce of fat that it can, refusing to give up the fat reserves that your body has. This is designed to keep the body healthy during an actual famine, but in modern times it simply leads to weight loss plateaus that are discouraging.

The best way to avoid this problem is to ensure that you are getting enough calories to keep your body out of starvation mode. A doctor or a nutritionist can help you determine your exact calorie needs for your lifestyle and activity levels.

If you avoid these four dieting pitfalls, you are likely to see long-term success in your dieting goals. You may not lose weight as fast as you would like, but just like the tortoise in the old fable, slow and steady often wins the race in the end.

Article provided by Dora Novak, freelance author of health and food related articles, recently interested in everything related to sandwich franchise and food companies while still experimenting with healthy and tasty food recipes.

Diabetic Friendly Pumpkin Pie - Guest post by Alex Keriwn

A big thanks to Alex Kerwin for sending me such a wonderful recipe and also some key tips to watch out for when preparing desserts for diabetics. These tips are very useful and can be kept in mind when preparing any kind of diabetic-friendly treats. This pumpkin pie is definitely a keeper.  I am grateful for meeting people like him through my blog, who make a difference in our everyday life.

Diabetic Friendly Pumpkin Pie



Many people equate autumn with comfort food. The smells of roasted turkey, sweet corn, and fresh apples delight all of our senses. Unfortunately, many of these comfort foods wreak havoc on a diabetic diet. Luckily, diabetics can enjoy practically any food as long as they are willing to make some small changes.

It is well known that diabetics should avoid added sugars in foods. However, diabetics should also steer their diets away from white flour, processed foods, full-fat dairy products, and items that are high in sodium. This recipe for diabetic friendly pumpkin pie manages to combine all of the goodness of home-cooking with all of the necessities of diabetic living.

The first task the diabetic chef needs to tackle is the pie crust. There are plenty of pre-made pie crusts that can be purchased at supermarkets throughout the country. Unlike homemade pie crusts, they are generally high in sodium and other unsavory finds. Making a pie crust at home is easy, healthier, and can be a lot of fun.

Diabetic Friendly Cinnamon Whole Wheat Pie Crust
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ice cold water
1 tbsp sweetener
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil and blend. Add cold water in small amounts until the dough forms into a large ball. Flatten the dough into a small circle, cover and refrigerate until it is easy to handle. While the pie crust is chilling, begin working on the filling.

Diabetic Friendly Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
8 oz fat-free evaporated milk
2/3 cup brown sugar substitute

Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine all ingredients in one bowl and mix well. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle and place into a prepared pie pan and trim the edges. Do not pre-bake the crust. Pour pie filling into the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Serves 8. If your pie cracks once it begins to cool, you should reduce the cooking time by five minutes.

Written By: Alex Kerwin is a creative writer from Michigan. Aside from writing, Alex works closely with Christian drug rehab programs, helping people struggling with addiction.