Describe the three common diet traps and explain how they can be harmful to your health

Answer 1

A multi-million-dollar industry thrives on marketing various diet aids, most of dubious value. Here is what you should know about some of the most widespread:
• Over-the-counter diet pills: An estimated 15 percent of adults—21 percent of women and 10 percent of men—have used weight loss supplements. The weight loss prescription drug orlistat at (Xenical) is available as an over-the-counter weight loss pill called Alli. The drug, which blocks about one-quarter of the fat consumed, works best with a low-fat diet. If dieters eat a meal made up of more than 15 fat grams, they can suffer nasty side effects, including flatulence, an urgent need to defecate, oily stools, and diarrhea.
• Diet foods: Diet products, including diet sodas and low-fat foods, are a very big business.Many people rely on meal replacements,usually shakes or snack bars, to lose or keep off weight. If used appropriately—as actual replacements rather than supplements to regular meals and snacks—they can be a useful strategy for weight loss. Yet people who use these products often gain weight because they think that they can afford to add high-calorie treats to their diets.
• Artificial sweeteners and fake fats
: Nutritionists caution to use these products in moderation and not as substitutes for basic foods, such as grains, fruits, and vegetables. Foods made with fat substitutes may have fewer grams of fat, but they don't necessarily have significantly fewer calories. Many people who consume reduced-fat, fat-free, or sugar-free sodas, cookies, chips, and other snacks often cut back on more nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables. They also tend to eat more of the low- or no-fat foods so that their daily calorie intake either stays the same or actually increases.