If you watch television, see movies, read newspapers, or flip through magazines, you've probably noticed that diets are everywhere. High-protein diets. Low-fat diets. All-vegetable diets. No-pasta diets. But with all the focus on dieting, how do you figure out what's healthy and what isn't?

Many teens feel pressured to lose weight and try different types of diets, but if you really need to lose weight, improving your eating habits and exercising will help you more than any diet. Keep reading to get the down-and-dirty basics on dieting.

Why Diet?
People diet for many reasons. Some teens are an unhealthy weight and need to pay closer attention to their eating and exercise habits. Some teens play sports and want to be in top physical condition. Other teens may feel they would look and feel better if they lost a few pounds.

Some teens may diet because they think they are supposed to look a certain way. Models, actors, and actresses are thin, and most fashions are represented and shown off by very thin models. But the model-thin style is based on an unrealistic look for most people. By around ages 12 or 13, most teen girls go through body changes that are natural and necessary: Their hips broaden, their breasts develop, and suddenly the way they look may not match girls on TV or in magazine ads. Guys grow at different rates and may not be as muscular as the ads show until they are in their later teens or twenties.

Can Diets Be Unhealthy?
Any diet on which you eat fewer calories than you need to get through the day without feeling like you're going to keel over - like an 800-calorie-per-day diet, for instance - is dangerous. Diets that don't allow any fat can also be bad for you. You should have a certain amount of fat in your diet, up to 30% of your total calories. Although a low-fat diet may be OK, don't eat a diet completely free of fat.

Don't fall for diets that restrict certain food groups, either. A diet that says no to breads or pastas or allows you to eat only fruit is unhealthy. You won't get the vitamins and minerals you need and although you may lose weight, you'll probably gain it back as soon as you start eating in your usual way.

Some teens start dieting because they think all the problems in their lives are because of weight. Or some teens have an area of their lives that they can't control - an alcoholic parent, for example - so they focus excessively on something they can control - their exercise and food intake. Once these teens start losing pounds, they may get lots of praise and compliments from friends and family, which makes them feel good. But eventually a person reaches a weight plateau - and he or she doesn't lose as much weight as before because the body is trying to maintain a healthy weight. People may also find that although they aren't any happier, they still keep their main focus on their weight.

Some teens may find it hard to control their eating, so they control it for a little while, but then eat tons of food. Feeling guilty about the binge, they vomit or use laxatives. Eating too little to maintain a healthy weight (anorexia) or eating only to throw up the calories (bulimia) are both eating disorders, which are harmful to a person's health. A teen with an eating disorder needs medical treatment right away.

So How Can I Lose Weight Safely?
The word diet usually means restricting calories or certain food groups. When you're a teen, dieting can be dangerous because you may not get the right kinds and amounts of nutrients, which can lead to poor growth and other health problems. In other words, by not eating right your height could even fall short!

But eating healthy meals and snacks combined with reasonable amounts of exercise may help you lose weight and develop properly at the same time. And guess what - for a lot of teens, just being more active might help you lose weight without even changing what you eat. Even if you don't lose weight, regular exercise will make you healthier and you will feel better about yourself. So get moving - whether you're involved in sports or you just take a walk or a bike ride several days a week, exercise really helps.

The most important diet is to eat a wide variety of enough food to meet your body's needs. Try to cut back on meats high in fat (like burgers and hot dogs), eat more fruits and veggies, and drink more water instead of sugary drinks like sports drinks or sodas.

For many teens, just exercising more and eating healthy foods can help you stay in shape and achieve a healthy weight. But if you are concerned about your body's size or think you need to lose weight, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

A doctor or dietitian may reassure you that you are at a healthy weight. Or if you are overweight, he or she can sit down with you and determine the best way for you to reach a healthy weight.

Great Ways to Find Good Health
If you want to change your health habits, here are some tried-and-true tips:

• Exercise! Find a sport you like, walk to school, or take a bike ride a few times per week.
• Drink milk, including fat-free or low-fat milk. (Many teens mistakenly think that milk has more calories than other drinks like soda. But a cup of skim milk has only 80 calories as well as protein and calcium. A can of soda has 150 calories of sugar and no other nutrients at all.)
• Eat a variety of foods, including plenty - at least five servings a day - of fruits and veggies. Remember that potato chips don't count!
• Drink plenty of water (at least four to six 8-ounce glasses a day).
• Eat lean, high-protein foods, like lean meat, chicken, fish, or beans.
• Eat grains, which provide fiber, B vitamins, and iron.
• Eat breakfast. Studies show that people who eat breakfast do better in school and tend to eat less throughout the day and are less likely to be overweight.
• Choose smaller portions at fast food restaurants
• Watch out for excessive caffeine - it doesn't help you lose weight and can cause dehydration. Many soft drinks contain caffeine, so check the label.
• Stay away from fad diets - even if you lose 5 pounds, you'll just gain it back when you go back to your usual way of eating.
• Don't take diet pills, even ones you get over the counter.
• Don't get into an "I don't eat that" way of thinking, like "I don't eat dairy foods." If you eliminate entire food groups, you may miss out on important nutrients, like calcium.
• If you choose to become a vegetarian, talk to your doctor or dietitian about how to make nutritious vegetarian choices.

Dieting Danger Signs
How do you know if your diet or a friend's diet is out of control? If you or a friend does any of the following things, talk to a trusted adult or doctor:

• continues to diet, even if not overweight
• has physical changes, such as weakness, headaches, or dizziness
• withdraws from family and friends
• performs poorly in school
• eats in secret
• thinks about food all the time
• restricts activities because of food or compulsive exercise
• fears food
• wears baggy clothes to hide thinness
• vomits after meals or uses laxatives

Dieting and weight control can consume your life. By accepting your body and making healthy choices, you'll keep your weight under control and enjoy life.

Updated and reviewed by: Julie Metos, MPH, RD, CDE
Date reviewed: May 2004
Originally reviewed by: Diane Oliver, MPH, RD, CDN

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