Dangers of dieting Everywhere we look we're surrounded by images of the perfect woman. On TV, in magazines and on posters - there she is, that wonderfully slim creature making the rest of the female population feel fat. But are these idealised women really healthy? Crash diets, as opposed to long term healthy eating and exercising are unlikely to help you lose weight in the long run and could be damaging to your health. By crash dieting you may deprive your body of essential vitamins and minerals. Clinging to these extreme ideals of body shape and dieting may lead to eating disorders, e.g. anorexia and bulimia. Both are very serious and can be life threatening. Both can also affect periods quite dramatically which may become very infrequent or stop altogether. The truth is, unless you make a habit of stuffing yourself with huge quantities of unhealthy foods and beverages (high-fat and sugary foods e.g. fried foods, crisps, French fries, chocolates, sweets, and alcohol) and you are obviously obese, you are very likely to be the correct weight for your height, build and genetic make up. Print Article Send Article back to top

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