By ANDY KRESS

Most American try a fad diet sometime in their lives; a few million even have eating disorders. They come in all shapes and sizes, and often are not even actually fat. Rather, they perceive themselves to be.

Fad diets, by their very nature, don’t last. These crash diets help people get quick results. Yet shortly after any quick weight loss, the body hits a plateau. Often these diets deny us certain nutrients the body needs for optimum functioning. Over an extended period of time, this can create major deficiencies, which can take a lengthy time to reverse. Worse still, while stuck at this plateau, most people give up and go back to their old eating habits, which created the problem in the first place.

The cure for a dieting plateau is to incorporate more natural and raw foods into your eating regimen. Eating smaller portions of these healthy foods more often throughout the day will deliver better gains while dieting and trying to lose weight. Add light to moderate exercise throughout the week and see even better results.

Next, incorporate a variety of other fruits, vegetables, and proteins high in vitamins and minerals along with plenty of water.

Hydrate to excess and savor the results, and do for 90% of your week. For the remaining 10% of the time, get out of the house, living and enjoying all the things you love to eat and drink. Life is short; do not deny yourself of anything.

Note: There is a huge difference between a diet and an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not within your control; dieting is. These disorders come from many different outside influences, including peer pressure to be thick or thin. The most common eating disorder is anorexia nervosa, a lack of appetite or eating. This is common enough to affect one in every 100 people.

Although it occurs primarily in young girls and women, five percent of anorexics are men. Gymnastics, ballet and modeling are consistent culprits that feed the anorexic disorder, particularly in young women. If you notice someone in these recreations who is consistently not eating, be aware they may have anorexia nervosa. This is a serious condition from which it takes years to recover.

Bulimia is the second most common eating disorder. Most bulimics have no problem eating. Bulimics can consume 1000 to as much as 5,000 calories per setting.

Often these calories come from sweets and sugars. Most times, remorseful of binging on so many calories, the bulimic will purge all of the foods consumed. This is very hard on the body, with stomach rotting out the teeth and esophagus by stripping the enamel and lining away. In time, the consistent lack of calories and repeated vomiting take its toll much like anorexia nervosa. Again, this takes years of slow recovery to overcome. Be aware if your friends binge on sweets or there is a constant smell of vomit in the bathroom.

Obesity is quickly making its way to the most popular disorder, by affecting millions of people in the United States. These people simply cannot stop eating large portions of unhealthy foods. This is one disorder that is usually taught. All children learn eating patterns from adults, usually parents, who teach these habits and accompanying poor nutrition through eating rituals of their own. Some adopt overeating to subdue emotional distress. These people create many deleterious health conditions and severely shorten their lives. A balanced diet and portion control is the simple cure to this disease. Be aware of your friends’ and family’s eating habits, and allow them to see yours. The life you save may be your own.