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Article Assignment
Millions of Americans diet each year due to several reasons. Lots of people feel
pressured to lose weight and as a result try different types of diets and/or supplements.
However, many fail to lose weight due to the conflicting information presented by the
media about the different quick fad diets and supplements. The company SENSA is one
example and has recently launched a new weight loss product into the market.
In the article, “How a New Food Sprinkle Convinces the Brain to Stop Over-Eating”,
captures millions across the nation in their weight loss scheme. This article is about a
doctor, Alan Hirsch, who has studied and is very knowledgeable in human senses,
especially those of smell and taste. He studied several patients that had lost their sense of
smell and taste and made the conclusion that smell and taste have an affect on the brain,
which control our appetite.
After researching and studying for many years, Dr. Hirsch, created a compound that
was odorless and tasteless. His product, a different type of weight loss supplement, is called
Tastants and known as the Sprinkle Diet. The SENSA Tastants work by traveling through
the nose to nerve receptors. The receptors send signals to the brain, which stimulate the
olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb then signals the satiety center in the hypothalamus,
which sends signals to the pituitary gland releasing hormones that suppress a person’s
hunger and appetite. This process is what causes weight loss. This product is sprinkled
over your food and used for a six-month period.
As I read the article, I noticed several misleading information that was presented.
Many of the incorrect information were given through the benefits of this weight loss
program. The article stated by taking these Tastants you are able to lose an average of 30.5
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pounds, while having no food restrictions or calorie counting, nor any change in exercise or
lifestyle habits. It allows you to eat what you want, because the product winds up making
you consume less food and fewer calories due to the senses it sends to your brain.
After reviewing and analyzing the article, I noticed major problems with the
information that was given to readers. The first problem was that there was no exercise
plan. “Diet alone may help you lose a few pounds, but long-term weight loss requires
regular physical activity” (Robbins, Powers, and Burgess, 2009, p. 408). Exercise is critical
to losing weight and maintaining weight. “The importance of physical activity in the
prevention and treatment of obesity receives less attention than restrictive dieting”
(Robbins, Powers, and Burgess, 2009, p. 409). Physical activity should be promoted
through this diet/supplement because of the long-term effects. Living a physically active
lifestyle will reduce the risk of or manage chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood
pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease. It will allow you to build strong muscles, bones
and joints, while improving flexibility and ward off depression that may cause weight gain.
The second problem was the lack of naturalness. They contain ingredients like
maltodextrin, silica, FD&C Yellow 5, Carmine, soy and milk ingredients, and tricalcium
phosphate (Can “Sensa” Really Help You Lose Weight, 2011). . These ingredients are what
make up the Tastants and cause the feeling of fullness. However, many of these ingredients
are not non-caloric, sugar-free, gluten-free, and sodium free like many of the
advertisements state. These Tanstants alter the chemical balance in your body, which in the
long run is unhealthy. To ensure a natural appetite suppressor when losing weight, you
should engage in physical activity. Exercise has the tendency to decrease the appetite for a
time after the workout because blood is diverted from digestive organs to skeletal muscles.
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To burn fat, you should keep your exercise at a moderate intensity (Robbins, Powers, and
Burgess, 2009, p. 410).
The third problem is there is no nutritional improvement. The article stated that the
Tastants don’t require you to make any lifestyle changes at all, allowing people to stick with
the same food diet. The whole idea to losing weight is not just to lose weight but to get
healthy as well. Consuming less food is good, but if the foods you are consuming are
unhealthy, this diet is going to do nothing to improve your general health overall (Physical
Activity and Weight Control, 2011).
To lose or maintain weight, it is essential to have a good framework for making
sensible, well-balanced food choices. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat
fewer calories and be active. This article should have promoted eating foods that were low
in saturated fats, sugar, and salt, but were high in complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables
and fibers. Many people use Tastants because they were eating fast or processed foods that
contained sugar, unhealthy fats, a lot of sodium etc, which caused them to gain weight.
Therefore, the article should not promote staying on the same diet to lose weight while
using the SENSA crystals. This does not promote any long-term results or improve health
(What does it take to lose weight? n.d.).
By this article promoting no lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise changes, while using
the Tastants, there will be a lack of personal growth and a lack of long-term results. The
Sprinkle Diet will not teach you why you overate in the first place, or what causes you to
gain weight. It does not promote personal growth or pride in the accomplishment that
comes with the achievement of healthy lifestyle changes, such as physical activity. As a
result, the article should have promoted food management, emotional management, and
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exercise management. These things will alter the behavior of people who continue to diet,
and will give them the necessary tools to maintain their weight permanently, improve
fitness such as their cardio respiratory and strength, prevent diseases, and increase
longevity.
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References
Can “Sensa” Really Help You Lose Weight?(2011, April). Retrieved April 25, 2011, from
http://www.healthhound.org/sensa
Physical Activity and Weight Control. (2011, April 1). Retrieved April 25, 2011, from
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/physical.htm
Robbins, G., Powers, D., & Burgess, S. (2009). A Wellness Way of Life (8th ed.). New York:
William R. Glass.
What does it take to lose weight? (n.d.). What it Takes to Lose Weight. Retrieved April 23, 2011,
from http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/food/improve/795.html