Facts on Fasting for Your Health

Ritual fasting has been part of religious traditions for thousands of years, from Muslims who fast during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan to Mormons who take a regular break from food the first Sunday of each month. But a recent growing body of research shows that abstaining from food intermittently may have physical as well as spiritual benefits — the latest, a study from Utah researchers that found that occasional fasts (defined as extended periods of time in which people generally abstain from all food and drink except for water) may reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Google “fasting for health” and you’ll get more than 7 million hits, ranging from doctors who recommend it in their practices to treat a range of diseases, spas that promise detoxifying food-free vacations, and message board postings from devotees who say that fasting makes them feel clearer mentally and more fit. “I fast whenever my body feels like it needs a reboot,” says Yoli Ouiya, 31, a New York City blogger who writes about eco-friendly living. She fasts once every few months.

But is fasting a good idea for your health? Possibly, says David Katz, MD, MPH, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University. Every day, organs such as the liver, kidney, and spleen work to remove and neutralize toxins from the body to keep our cells healthy. “When you fast, you eliminate input of additional toxins from food,” says Dr. Katz, “and there is a potential biological benefit to that.”

Leading researchers and experts share the details you need to know before you forgo food:

Your Body on a Fast

Thanks to our history as hunter-gatherers, human bodies are equipped to handle periods of not eating, says Benjamin D. Horne, PhD, MD, author of the Utah study and director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. And since the ancestors who made it through those lean times are the ones who survived, Horne suggests that our DNA may actually be coded to receive a benefit from fasting.

Here’s how your body reacts when you stop feeding it:

When you eat, your digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into the sugar glucose, the body’s major source of energy. Glucose is absorbed from the digestive tract into the blood, which then travels to your body’s cells to provide them with fuel.

If you haven’t eaten recently, the supply of glucose in your blood drops and your body turns to stored glucose, called glycogen, for energy.

Once the glycogen is used up, your body begins to burn fat and muscle stores to make its own glucose to fuel your cells.

After a few days without eating (which experts don’t recommend) your body kicks into ketosis mode, meaning you burn fat as the primary source of fuel, in order to spare muscle. You will lose weight in the form of body fat. However, ketosis also makes your blood will also become more acidic, and can cause bad breath, fatigue, and other unpleasant symptoms; long-term, it can lead to kidney and liver damage.

What Fasting Can and Can't Do for Your Health

Fasting may help your heart.
Fasting for a day once a month may prevent heart disease and insulin resistance, the precursor to diabetes, according to two studies from Utah’s Intermountain Medical Center presented recently at the American College of Cardiology’s scientific sessions. When researchers looked at the habits of 200 men and women, they found that those who fasted once a month were 58 percent less likely to have heart disease than those who didn’t (after they controlled for factors such as age, smoking status, and high blood pressure). They then set out to understand why.

In a smaller study, the scientists measured various blood levels in 30 healthy adults after one day when they fasted and one day when they ate normally. After they fasted, participants had huge increases in human growth hormone (HGH) — 13-fold in women and 20-fold in men, among other changes. HGH protects lean muscle mass and encourages the body to burn fat stores instead. “During fasting, your fat cells are being metabolized and used as fuel,” says Horne. “If fat is being used for fuel, in the long run you have fewer fat cells in your body.” This may mean less insulin resistance and a lower risk of heart disease later in life.

There’s a chance fasting can cut cancer risk.

Periods of fasting did slow the rate of cell division (a measure of cancer risk) in mice, according to an American Journal of Physiology study. The researchers aren’t sure why, but say it may result from a decrease in growth factors that results from nutrient deprivation. But since the science is preliminary, you shouldn’t fast solely for cancer-prevention purposes until there is more definitive research on humans, says study author Marc Hellerstein, PhD, MD, professor of human nutrition at University of California, Berkeley

The jury's still out on fasting for other ailments.

While there isn't much research on many of the diseases proponents claim fasting helps treat - multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies among them — doctors say that if you’re medically able to fast safely (which rules out those with more serious health issues), there's no research against doing it either.

In fact, one small Iranian study of 40 adults with multiple sclerosis found that there were no negative effects from fasting during the month of Ramadan compared with a group who didn’t fast. "If you’re not on prescription medicine, generally in good health, and want to fast periodically because you feel you get a health benefit from it, we don't have evidence that this would be harmful," says Katz.

Fasting won’t help you lose — and keep off — weight.

“Fasting for weight loss is just another form of yo-yo dieting,” says Joel Fuhrman, MD, board certified family physician specializing in nutritional lifestyle medicine and author of Fasting and Eating for Health. While you may see a small drop in the scale, don’t expect the weight loss to last.

“The pounds that come off on a short-term fast are mainly water and stored carbohydrates, which will come back as soon as you start eating again,” says Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, author of the bestselling book Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds, and Lose Inches.

And if you’re tempted to fast one day as a green light to eat whatever you want the next, think again. “Weight loss is about energy balance — if you have consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight,” Katz. “On the days you fast you have a calorie deficit. But what really comes into play is what you do on the other days.” In other words, you can negate the potential health effects of a fast by binging afterward.

Bottom line: True weight-loss success involves healthy eating (along with exercise habits) that you are committed to and can maintain over time.

Fasting can’t take the place of a healthy diet.
While there may be health perks to intermittent fasting, the research is still preliminary. Horne’s lab is currently working on studies that will evaluate how often and for how long people need to fast to see health benefits. One thing we know for sure about health: Eating well every day plays a major role in preventing heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. “Focusing on consistently eating enough nutrient-rich whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains snowballs into proven powerful benefits over time,” says Sass.

Another important thing to keep in mind: Just as fasting gives your body a break from toxins, it also saps your body of vital nutrients like vitamin D, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. “With fasting, you risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater,” says Katz. “As you create nutrient deficits on fast days, it may be difficult to compensate on the days you do eat.”

So if you choose to fast, you have to pack your diet with nutritious foods. “Fasting is not a way of fixing an otherwise broken diet,” says Katz. “It should be used only as a way of helping you establish a healthy way of eating, rebooting your body to focus on what’s important.”

Talk to your doctor before you start a fasting regimen

While fasting may have the potential to play a role in wellness, it’s definitely not for everyone. Specifically, if you have a history of eating disorders, diabetes, low blood pressure, anemia, are pregnant or nursing, or are on prescription medication, as well as other conditions/circumstances, fasting is not safe for you.

“If someone wants to use fasting as part of a medical intervention, they should discuss it with their doctor first,” says Horne. While there’s no evidence that fasting one to two nonconsecutive days per week is harmful for a healthy person, it could be dangerous for others, says Katz. See your doctor for recommendations that suit your needs.

When you talk to your doctor, make sure he’s aware of every drug you take, including over-the-counter meds and dietary supplements. A seemingly benign medication like acetaminophen can be harmful on an empty stomach.

Even if your doctor gives the go-ahead, don’t jump head first into fasting — it’s crucial that you understand how to do so safely, and in the context of a healthy lifestyle.

For instance, treat a fast day as a time of physical and emotional rest, not simply a day of not eating, says Fuhrman. You may feel fatigued and grumpy and face a higher risk of fainting, making fasting ideal for weekends and holidays as opposed to hectic workdays.zzz

Power of Protein

Protein is an essential element of a healthy diet. You may only think of meat when you think about protein, but this important nutrient actually comes in a number of different forms. Choosing a variety of protein-rich foods while still paying attention to your fat and cholesterol intake are the keys to healthy eating.

Why We Need Protein

Sure, protein tastes good, but why is it so good for the body? "It's an essential nutrient," says Anne Wolf, RD, registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Protein serves as a critical building block for cells and tissues throughout our body. "We need it for every function in our body — for healing purposes and for building muscles," explains Wolf.

Make sure you give your body what it needs, but don't overload on protein or make it your primary food source. Remember that a healthy balance of foods is your best bet for a healthy diet. Wolf says most women only need about 50 grams of protein per day, while men may need 60 to 70 grams — that works out to between two and three servings. Athletes, seniors, and pregnant women need a little more than that. But most people, notes Wolf, eat more than 120 grams of protein a day — more than twice what we generally need!

The Lowdown on Meat

As much as the body needs protein, not all protein-rich foods are good for you. You have to evaluate sources of protein for unhealthy factors, like saturated fat (unhealthy fat) and cholesterol. The saturated fat content of many types of meat is so high, you can exceed your daily fat allowance with just a few bites.

Wolf points out that skinless chicken breasts are an extremely lean source of protein. Red meat is a great source of protein, but it also contains cholesterol and can be very high in saturated fat, so you have to be careful about which meat sources you choose.

"Find lean cuts of beef and pork," says Wolf. Ask a butcher for advice on the leanest cuts and avoid meats like steak that are marbled, since that white marbling is actually fat. Processed meats, including cold cuts and hot dogs, should also be avoided because they tend to contain excess salt and fat.

The Healthiest Sources of Protein
To work protein into your diet, opt for healthier, lower-fat options. Fortunately, there are many healthy sources of protein, including beans, nuts, fish, and low-fat dairy products (these will give you needed calcium, too).

What's considered the ultimate source of protein? "We commonly use the egg as the best source of protein," says Wolf. If people are concerned about fat and cholesterol, Wolf says, they can still get their protein by just eating the egg white — the fat and cholesterol is all in the yolk.

Other healthy sources of protein include:

1. Low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products
2. Whole grains including quinoa
3. Lentils, beans like kidney and black beans, and dried peas
4. Fish
5. Fermented soy products including tempeh and miso
6. Protein-fortified pastas
7. Protein meal replacement bars
8. Nuts and nut butters, like peanut butter

Protein-rich foods are an integral part of a healthy diet. Just be sure to go for choices that are low in cholesterol and saturated fat so that you’re giving your body protein without those unwanted “sides.”

Your Diet, Your Health

We've all heard the old saying “you are what you eat.” And it's still true. If you stick to a healthy diet full of vitamins and minerals, your body reflects it. You feel healthy, energized, and just all-around great. However, people who limit their diet to junk foods will undoubtedly suffer the consequences of not giving their bodies what they need to thrive. The result is not only fatigue and low energy, but poor health as well. Understanding this clear connection between your health and your diet may spur you to make better dietary choices.

Your Diet and Your Health: What Your Body Needs

"Food is essential. People take it for granted, but we need nutrients," says Anne Wolf, RD, a researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Wolf cites as one example the old days when sailors crossed the ocean for months without proper nutrition. As a result, they ended up with scurvy because of a lack of vitamin C from citrus fruits. Vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals are necessary to keep all the different parts of the body healthy and functioning — otherwise, we get sick.

Every little thing that you do happens because of the nutrients that you give your body. Says Wolf, "Food gives us the fuel to think and the energy to move our muscles. The micronutrients, the vitamins, the minerals are there so that our bodies can function. You need food not just to sustain health, but to feel better."

And the only way the body will get the many nutrients needed to stay healthy and function is by eating a wide variety of healthy foods.

Your Diet and Your Health: The Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid and the daily food recommendations were established after extensive research and continue to be updated as more is learned about the role of nutrition in good health. Their goal is to make sure that people understand all the different nutrients their bodies need to stay healthy.

Food went from being a necessity to simply function to being the key to enabling the body to be at its functional best, says Wolf. Research shows that the right nutrition optimizes health and that getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals can also lower disease risk.

Your Diet and Your Health: Poor Diet, Poor Health

Many foods have a huge impact on heart health. Research has long shown that fruits and vegetables and a diet rich in whole grains and low in saturated fats can help protect the body from heart disease and high blood pressure, while a diet high in saturated and trans fats without enough fruits and vegetables can actually cause those diseases.

Even small diet deficiencies can have an enormously negative impact on your health. The most common health problem due to a lack of nutrients in the United States is iron deficiency, says Wolf. Menstruating women and girls need plenty of iron in their diets to replace what they lose each month during their periods. Iron is also an essential nutrient for infants, children, and growing teens.

Another example is calcium, needed to keep bones strong and healthy, says Wolf. Without it, the body can develop osteoporosis, a health condition characterized by weak and brittle bones.

Vegetarian Pregnancy

Many vegetarian women worry about the effect their diet may have on their developing baby during pregnancy. However, with careful meal planning, there may be no need for concern.

"Vegetarian diets during pregnancy can provide the mother and baby with all the proper nutrients they need," says Rachele Dependahl, RD, a dietitian at Cedars-Sinai Medical Group in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Dependahl, herself a pregnant "pescatarian" (a vegetarian who eats fish), worried that she would get carnivorous cravings during her pregnancy, but the opposite happened. "Meat has been more of a turnoff than it has been in the past," she says.

Pregnancy and the Vegetarian Diet: The Pros 

There are many positive aspects to maintaining a vegetarian diet during pregnancy. For instance, vegetarian sources of protein are easier on the kidneys. And being a vegetarian can help keep tooth decay — a common problem during pregnancy — at bay. In addition, vegetarian eating, in general, lowers the risk of the following conditions:

• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Constipation
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancer
• Gallstones

Another plus to being a vegetarian, says Martha K. Grodrian, RD, a nutrition therapist at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, is that "most vegetarian women eat fewer junk foods and a more nutritious diet."

Pregnancy and the Vegetarian Diet: The Cons
While maintaining a vegetarian diet during pregnancy can be a healthy option, it requires a little more effort.

"It may take more work and effective meal planning to follow a vegetarian diet that is healthy during pregnancy," says Grodrian. "In general, the more foods a vegetarian omits from the diet, the more difficult it is to meet nutrient needs." However, dietary supplements may be able to fill the void.

A lacto-ovo vegetarian (one who also eats dairy and eggs) can get all the nutrients she needs for a healthy pregnancy through diet and a multivitamin/mineral supplement. A vegan, on the other hand, who avoids all animal products, will need to take supplements of vitamin B12 and iron and might want to take calcium, zinc, and vitamin D, too.

Pregnancy and the Vegetarian Diet: Nutritional Guidelines
Nutritional guidelines for pregnant vegetarians are the same as for non-vegetarian women who are expecting. "All pregnant women need additional iron, calcium, folate, essential fatty acids such as DHA (which can be obtained in a vegetarian form), zinc, protein, and 200 to 300 calories more than pre-pregnancy," says Grodrian.

Specifically, pregnant vegetarians should consume the following:

6 to 11 servings per day of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta (choosing whole grain when possible)
four to five servings per day of vegetables
four or more servings of fruits
eight servings of milk and milk alternatives (one cup of cooked kidney beans as a milk alternative, for instance)
three to four servings of beans and bean alternatives
two servings of omega-3 fats for DHA (found in flaxseed oil, walnuts, tofu, and omega-3 fortified eggs, among other places)
Fats, sweets, and junk food should be eaten sparingly, and pregnant women should be careful to avoid the following foods:

Unpasteurized soft cheeses (such as brie, Camembert, and feta) and unpasteurized milk, because they carry the risk of listeriosis (a food-borne illness caused by bacteria).
Raw vegetable sprouts and fresh unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices, which can contain bacteria like E. coli and salmonella.
Even though it may take a little more effort, following a vegetarian diet while pregnant can be healthy. "My pescaterian diet has been easy to sustain," says Dependahl. "I have not faced any challenges, because I love eating vegetables, tofu, eggs, dairy, and fish."

6 Essential Facts About Aspirin Therapy for Your Heart

A study just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that more than 1 in 10 patients in their review of over 68,000 individuals from 119 U.S. medical practices were inappropriately receiving aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Primary prevention means reducing the possibility of having a first heart attack or stroke. Inappropriate use was defined by primary CVD prevention guidelines as use of aspirin therapy in patients with a 10-year cardiovascular disease risk of less than 6 percent.

This study is important because mounting evidence shows that aspirin won’t reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke if you’re healthy and not at significant risk. Furthermore, if you’re at low risk, the potential dangers of cerebral (brain) hemorrhage and gastrointestinal (gut) bleeding outweigh any heart benefits the aspirin might provide.

Here are 6 essential things to consider when it comes to taking aspirin for heart health:

1. Aspirin should not be taken regularly without a reliable cardiovascular risk assessment by a knowledgeable doctor.

 As the study mentioned above made clear, many doctors are inaccurately evaluating their patients’ heart attack risk and inappropriately prescribing aspirin as a preventive. That’s in part because too many of these physicians rely on the outdated Framingham Risk Score. It’s important to realize that each person’s risk of heart attack or stroke depends on multiple factors, both known and unknown, and how they interact with each other. Simply relying on an algorithm or formula to determine risk isn’t enough. Doctors need to look for the disease itself by doing a simple, safe, and relatively inexpensive test.

Today, getting a noninvasive CT scan of your heart to look for coronary calcium is considered by most experts to be the best predictor of a future heart attack — better than all other risk factors combined. The result of this scan is called a calcium score, and it reflects the amount of atherosclerotic plaque that you’ve built up in your coronary arteries over a lifetime. The higher your calcium score, the more plaque in your arteries and the greater your risk of a future heart attack or stroke.

This risk assessment is essential when it comes to deciding whether to place a person on lifelong aspirin therapy. I urge you to ask your doctor about getting this test if you are a man or woman in your thirties with a family history of early heart disease; a man over age 40; or a woman over age 50 who is postmenopausal.

Recently, a study in the journal Heart found that while the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding increases with age, the protective benefits of aspirin therapy also increase and outweigh the risks in women (but not men) over age 65. Despite the results of this study, I would not prescribe aspirin to an older woman unless she had some plaque buildup in her arteries. In addition to a calcium score, I often use a scan of the carotid arteries to look for atherosclerosis in the arteries leading to the brain in older adults.

2. If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, taking aspirin could save your life.

Reducing the risk of additional heart attacks or strokes is known as secondary prevention. In patients who have had a heart attack or stroke, or who have other evidence of coronary artery disease, such as angina, a coronary bypass operation, or coronary angioplasty, the known benefits of aspirin for secondary prevention outweigh the bleeding risk.

3. If you have diabetes, you don’t necessarily need to take preventive aspirin.

The American Diabetes Association recommends aspirin therapy for primary prevention only in patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes who have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (and no previous history of vascular disease) and who are not at an increased risk for bleeding. This includes men over 50 and most women over 60. In my patients with diabetes, I always recommend getting a calcium score to more accurately determine cardiovascular disease risk. Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you have plaque buildup. If you have diabetes, discuss aspirin therapy with your physician.

4. If your CVD risk is high enough for you to be on a statin, you should also be taking aspirin.

The reason: The drugs act differently. Aspirin does not lower cholesterol nor does it prevent the development of plaque the way a statin does. Rather, it’s an anti-platelet agent that limits the ability of platelets to clot, preventing them from becoming large enough to block blood vessels and cause a heart attack or stroke. Because aspirin reduces your blood’s ability to clot, your doctor may advise you to stop taking aspirin at least five days before any surgery, test, or dental procedure that may cause bleeding. Do not suddenly stop taking aspirin without talking to your doctor.

RELATED: A Surprising Reason Some Women Shouldn’t Take Low-Dose Aspirin

5. Aspirin is a powerful drug.

Even taking baby aspirin at a dose of 81 milligrams daily can increase your risk for cerebral (brain) hemorrhage and gastrointestinal bleeding in the esophagus, stomach, intestines, rectum, or anus by two to four times. That’s why you should never take aspirin without an accurate risk assessment. Furthermore, buffered and enteric-coated aspirin do not eliminate your risk of developing an ulcer. Aspirin can also interact with other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), or Motrin; blood-thinning medications such as warfarin (Coumadin); and antiplatelet medications such as clopidogrel (Plavix) or ticlopidine (Ticlid).

Red-flag symptoms of a bleed can include, but are not limited to, vomiting red blood, which can indicate upper GI bleeding; vomiting dark brown, granular material that resembles coffee grounds, which results from upper GI bleeding that has slowed or stopped; and black tarry or bloody stools. If you have any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately.

6. Aspirin is not a magic bullet.

Healthy lifestyle measures can help prevent a heart attack or stroke better than aspirin, especially if you begin them early enough in life. Make an effort to eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy weight.

And by all means stop smoking, if you do.

The bottom line: Never self-prescribe aspirin and make sure you get an accurate assessment of your heart disease risk. Only then will you — and your doctor — really know if the benefits of aspirin truly outweigh its risks.

7 Diet Habits You Should Drop Now

Read on for seven things you might think are helping you shed pounds, but could actually be sabotaging your weight loss and hurting your health.

We get it: With so much contradictory advice floating around about the best diets for weight loss, it's no wonder many of us end up confused about what we should eat for optimal well-being and a healthy weight.

Read on for seven things you might think are helping you shed pounds, but could actually be sabotaging your weight loss and hurting your health. If you can drop these harmful habits, you might just become a healthy eater for life.

7. Skipping breakfast

 About 10 percent of the U.S. population, or 31 million Americans, skip breakfast, according to a 2011 survey. But according to a recent study from Tel Aviv university, breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day -- especially for people who want to lose weight. The researchers put 93 obese women into two different groups and instructed them to eat a nutritionally similar diet of 1,400 calories a day. The only difference was that one group made breakfast their biggest meal (at 700 calories) and the second group made dinner their biggest meal (700 calories).

After 12 weeks, the group that had made breakfast their biggest meal lost an average of 18 pounds and three inches from their waist, while the big dinner group only lost seven pounds and 1.4 inches from their waists. Additionally, while both groups lost weight, those in the big dinner group actually had an increase in triglyceride levels, which is linked to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, reports Medical News Today.

6. Going on a juice cleanse

 Proponents of the juice cleanse claim that going on an all-liquid diet of pressed vegetables, fruits and a small amount of nut milk for days or even weeks will clear your body of toxins, help you drop weight and make your skin glow.

Don't believe the hype, warns the Mayo Clinic. Despite the appearance of hip juice bars in your city and the popularity of juice cleanses among some celebrities, long-term juice cleanses are one of the worst things you can do to your body if you want to shed pounds for good.

The reason? While long-term cleanses will make you lose weight, it's mostly water weight that will boomerang back once you resume your normal eating habits. And it could trigger other health problems, as well, including an out-of-whack metabolism and irritability.

If you genuinely like the feel and taste of liquified vegetables and fruits, then juice away for a meal here or a snack there. But don't juice exclusively for long periods of time, and remember that juicing strips many foods of their fiber and nutrient-rich skins while concentrating the sugar in fruit, warns Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D. of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

5. Filling up on diet soda drinks

 It makes sense. Fizzy drinks make you feel full, which could help quell the need to snack. But if you're turning to diet soda drinks for your fix, then you could actually be sabotaging your weight loss.

Drinking diet soda and other artificially sweetened beverages could be linked to weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, according to a2013 analysis of recent studies on artificial sweeteners by Purdue University.

The reason? Your body might be confused by artificial sweeteners, according to lead analyst Susan E. Swithers, Ph.D., a Purdue professor of psychological sciences and a behavioral neuroscientist. Swithers' research suggests that your body's natural ability to manage calories based on tasting sweet things is being seriously toyed with, thanks to the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas. Instead of diet drinks, try plain sparkling water for that fizzy full feeling.

4. Completely cutting out entire food groups

 Gluten. Carbs. Sugar. Meat. There is no magic bullet to weight loss, but for some people, elimination diets seem like a quick and easy way to feel in control of their bodies. Unfortunately, for those at risk for disordered eating, some elimination diets can actually just be a mask for eating disorders like anorexia and orthorexia, according to Yahoo! Shine.

The Mayo Clinic defines orthorexia nervosa as an obsession with "eating foods that make them feel pure and healthy," by avoiding things like artificial additives, pesticides, genetic modification, and unhealthy amounts of fat, sugar and salt.

But wait a second! Aren't all those ingredients good things to avoid? Yes -- but some people with the orthorexia could become so obsessed that they eventually "isolate themselves and often become intolerant of other people's views about food and health." Even worse, they could be missing out on key nutrients, especially if they fling themselves into gluten-free or vegan diets by focusing on the foods they can't eat, instead of doing research on the nutritious foods they can eat.

Of course, people who have diagnosed celiac disease must avoid gluten because itdamages the small intestine and prevents the body from absorbing nutrients. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, they can suffer from chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and weight loss, according to the National Institutes of Health. But be warned: just because a food is labeled "gluten free," doesn't mean it's healthy for you (check out MensHealth.com for some gluten-free foods loaded with fat and sugar)./p>

3. Opting for low-fat versions

 Intuitively, it makes sense: If you want to get rid of body fat, stop eating fat. But research shows that the fat you eat isn't really linked to weight gain and disease, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Instead, it's the total amount of calories eaten, as well as "bad" fats like trans and saturated fats found in meat and processed foods, that seem to be linked to health problems. HSPH notes that people who go on low-fat diets often end up cutting out the good fats too, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil and fatty fish.

Not only is fat good for you in moderation, but labels like "low-fat" and "nonfat" actually trick people into eating more, according to a study conducted by the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. Researchers found that people who saw snack foods with a "low fat" label ate up to 50 percent more than those who ate from bags without the label. Eaters also underestimated the calorie content of "low–fat" M&Ms and granola by 48 percent and 50 percent, respectively -- especially overweight people. Instead of assuming that low-fat or nonfat foods are automatically better for you, read the nutritional labels first. You might just find that low-fat or nonfat versions actually have more sugar or calories than the normal-fat foods.

2. Going hungry

 For people who want to lose weight fast, dropping too many calories could actually be an exercise in futility.

A meta-analysis of 31 long-term diets that averaged 1,200 calories a day found that while people lost weight, the vast majority regained it all back within four or five years, reports RealSimple.com. A better strategy would be to estimate the total amount of calories you use in a day, and then shave a small amount off that number.

"If you want to lose weight and keep it off forever, you need a modest calorie restriction that you simply continue and never stop," nutritionist Christopher Gardner told RealSimple.com. For example, if you figure out you need about 2,500 calories a day (using this formula), simply cutting out 250 calories a day could result in more successful, permanent weight loss over the course of a year than if you had plummeted down to 1,200 calories a day and could only stand to deprive yourself for, say, four months.

1. Thinking about it as a "diet" in the first place

This is the medical truth some weight loss professionals are scared to admit: The vast majority of people who lose weight won't be able to keep it off for good.

But for people who prioritize lifestyle changes over diet, there is hope when it comes to longterm weight loss, according to obesity expert Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D. of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Pagoto recently published an editorial calling for an end to the diet wars in the Journal of the American Medical Association, pointing out that no diet is better or worse at helping people shed pounds.

"The 'diet' used within a lifestyle intervention can be low-fat, low-carb, etc. It doesn't matter," Pagoto told LiveScience. "Adherence is key, and the way to destroy adherence is forcing foods on someone they do not like, do not know how to prepare, or can't afford."

The faster you understand this, the better your chances are of making small, realistic and sustainable changes that you can carry on for the rest your life, as opposed to adopting dramatic, short-term diets that can ultimately result in an unhealthy cycle of losing and gaining weight.

Foods You Should Avoid

By eliminating, or at least limiting, certain foods and ingredients, you'll improve your chances of avoiding a host of major health problems. Learn what to cross off your menu.

Bacon, doughnuts, French fries, ice cream — they’re all unhealthy foods you should avoid, right? The short answer is yes; the longer answer is, find out what’s in the foods you’re eating, whether you think they're healthy or not.

“Don’t look at cutting out a single food, but look at ingredients, processing, and preparation,” says Julia Renee Zumpano, RD, LD, who works in preventive cardiology and rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic. It isn’t easy, but by avoiding certain unhealthy foods and ingredients, you can reduce your risk of developing many chronic health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and even some cancers.

Unfortunately, many ingredients linked to serious health problems, such as heart disease, are hard to avoid. Salt, saturated and trans fats, refined sugars, and processed foods (because they can easily contain all of the previous items) are among the worst offenders. Here’s why, and how to spot them on food labels.

Unhealthy Hydrogenated Oil

“Hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oil would be number one” on the list of food ingredients to avoid, Zumpano says. The oils, both containing trans fats, increase LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the body, so it’s like a double whammy, she adds. Trans fats can contribute to atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol and other substances on the inside of arteries, resulting in narrowing or blockage of the arteries. Atherosclerosis increases the risk for stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.

Because they help preserve food, making it last longer and look better on store shelves, the oils are used in many different foods, including crackers, cookies, and packaged cakes. To avoid trans fats and other unhealthy ingredients, shoppers need to read nutrition labels carefully, both to see if trans fats are on the list and, if so, how much. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 percent of your daily calories should come trans fat — for a typical 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, that’s a max of 20 calories.

Food labels list ingredients in order of weight; the more there is of an ingredient, the higher it appears on the list. “If hydrogenated oil is one of the first five ingredients, avoid that food altogether,” Zumpano says.