Diet Quiz Answers

November 8, 2008 – 1:24 pm

Welcome back!

Here are the answers to the Diet Quiz:

1. Eating snacks before meals can result in less total food intake? True. Consuming a low-calorie snack 30 minutes before a regular meal can cause one to eat less food. This light snack can cause the brain’s appetite controls to feel somewhat appeased. The best type of pre-meal snack includes such items as a small salad, an orange, or carrots. High fat foods, such as potato chips and cocktail nuts, should be avoided.

2. Eating slowly can help you eat less? True. By consuming the meal slowly and chewing the food thoroughly, the appetite control in the brain (indicating fullness or satisfaction) is usually triggered without consuming a large quantity of food. Consuming food too quickly results in the body feeling hungry and wanting more food. Thus causing one to overeat and gain weight. This is backed up by a study in Japan in which researchers concluded that when people eat quickly they are three times more likely to overeat and thus become overweight.

3. Occasionally starving yourself is a good way to lose weight? False. Starving can initially cause a decrease in bodily weight because the digestive tract is emptied. But this does not necessarily mean that the loss is all fat. Starving can also burn muscle as the body tries to conserve its reserves. So, the potential negative effects of periodic starving can out weigh the benefits.

4. It is possible to lose weight without seeing much change in your weight scale reading? True. It can be discouraging to diet for several weeks and only see a small decrease (or increase) in weight. This phenomenon can occur as the body loses fat and water tends to fill the plumb tissue as the fat disappears. The retained water can offset the weight lost, or perhaps cause a temporary weight increase. This can cause the dieter to assume the diet isn’t working and move on to another diet or give up. The best advice is to be patient and stick with the diet. Eventually the water will be released and the body weight will decrease.

5. Dietetic or low sugar foods are lower in calories? False. “Dietetic” or foods with low-sugar content are not necessarily lower in calorie totals. It is best to compare labels to see which product has a lower calorie content.

6. Low-calorie breads are generally lower in calories than regular bread? False. While it is true that some bread may be slightly lower in calories, one must compare labels to see which one truly has fewer calories. Some bread products may say they have “fewer per slice”, but that may be because the slices are thinner.

7. The juice from roasted meat should be avoided? False. The juice from roasted meat can provide good nutrition when used in stews and soups, provided the fat is skimmed off when the liquid cools.

8. 2% low-fat milk has much less fat than regular milk? False. “Two-percent” low fat mild usually has a little more than half the fat of regular fat which has three to five percent fat. So, in an eight-ounce glass, regular milk in most brands contain around 150 calories and two-percent around 120 calories. Not much of a difference.

9. Regular ice cream has many more calories than low fat ice cream? False. Comparing a serving of a typical vanilla ice cream to low-fat ice cream reveals only a small difference in calories, 120 calories (vanilla) versus 100 calories (low-fat). Consuming an additional ounce of the low-fat ice cream would make it equal in calories to the vanilla ice cream. Now, if you compare some of the extra creamy or rich varieties you’ll find they typically contain over 250 calories per serving which is a more significant difference.

10. Lowering your salt intake will help you lose fat faster? False. Although it is important to watch one’s sodium intake, for the dieter, salt affects only fluid retention in the body. But consuming less salt during the initial dieting period can help to diminish the extra water retained. This may help minimize the discouraging impression that no weight is being lost.

11. The manner in which food is prepared can have some bearing on reducing calorie intake? True. Utilizing cooking methods that minimizes or eliminates the use of oil, butter, or shortening are better for people who watch calories. Baking, boiling, and steaming are much better cooking methods than frying or sautéing. Stick-proof cookware can also be used to minimize the use of oils and butter.

12. The meal-in-a-can drinks can help one lose weight? True. While the meal-in-a-can liquid diets provide a quick solution for someone looking for a nutritionally, complete meal, they do have some drawbacks. Namely, 1) the calories they provide are typically low for the large or active person, 2) they do little to help a person change their eating habits and thus maintain their weight after the loss is achieved, 3) they are hard to stay with, and 4) they lack bulk, which can cause a slow down in bowel movements if continue for more than a short period.

13. Periodically consuming a large amount of alcohol can cause a fast weight gain? False. The body treats calories form alcohol just any other calorie. From a calorie standpoint, it is better to consume several drinks at one time than have a drink of alcohol every day. But this is in no way a recommendation as periodic heavy drinking can cause permanent damage to other body organs.

14. Smokers have a tendency to gain weight when they stop smoking? False. It is possible for a withdrawing smoker to gain some weight, typically five to seven pounds, but this weight can be lost with conscious effort. On the other hand, the negative impact of smoking to the bodily organs can be equivalent to carrying an extra 100 pounds.

15. Support groups and clubs can help one lose weight? True. But is best to consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. Your age and the condition of your health may require that you maintain a certain level of calories every day or that you limit the intensity of your exercise. The major advantage of group sessions is to help you stay motivated to lose weight and provide some accountability for sticking with your weight loss goals. But weight scales and mirrors are much cheaper.

16. The 100-calorie packs help dieters lose weight? False. A recent study at Arizona State University concluded that chronic dieters tended to consume more calories when foods and packages are smaller. They generally perceived these packaged snacks as diet foods and that perception caused them to overeat.

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