I’ve been researching and writing about hoodia supplements for over a year now and I can’t believe I haven’t written an article about hoodia, 60 minutes, and the BBC reports. What sparked my interest in finally writing this story was because I was fed up with all the bogus 60 minutes and BBC endorsements of specific hoodia diet pills.

Visit almost any website that is selling or promoting hoodia supplements and you’ll likely see the words prominently displayed, “As featured on” or “Endorsed by,” followed by the CBS 60 Minutes logo and the BBC logo. What you are led to believe is that the hoodia diet pill being promoted was featured or endorsed by these two media programs. Not only was a specific hoodia supplement not featured or endorsed by 60 minutes or the BBC, but no hoodia diet pill was tested or endorsed at all!

Leslie Stahl, a 60 Minutes reporter, featured a story on hoodia on November 21, 2004. Ms. Stahl traveled to the Kalahari Desert, where the hoodia gordonii plant is grown in the wild, and actually ate a small piece of the plant. She said after eating the plant she noticed a marked appetite suppressant quality. She said she wasn’t hungry all day. Ms. Stahl concluded that natural hoodia probably worked as an appetite suppressant.

That’s all she said about hoodia. 60 minutes did not endorse any specific hoodia supplement. The CBS program didn’t even feature a hoodia supplement to begin with! You would never know this unless you actually read the transcripts of the 60 minutes program yourself. Unfortunately, all too many hoodia sellers have capitalized on this story and have twisted it to their advantage to sell more of their products.

The BBC report is another example where hoodia sellers have taken a story and have spun it to their advantage. The BBC did a documentary on hoodia in 2003. Tom Mangold, a well-known BBC correspondent, also traveled to the Kalahari Desert to try the hoodia gordonii plant himself. Mr. Mangold and his camera man each ate a small piece of the plant. The pair reported that they, “did not even think about food” for the rest of the day. Even more amazing, they reported that they didn’t want breakfast the next morning and their appetite during lunchtime was nearly nonexistent.

Again, you’ll notice the BBC story did not even test a specific hoodia supplement, let alone endorse one. Just as Leslie Stahl had done in her 60 Minutes story, Tom Mangold of the BBC actually ate the plant itself. Neither reporter tried a specific hoodia product. And they certainly didn’t endorse a specific brand.

The next time you visit a website promoting or selling a hoodia supplement that claims their product was featured or endorsed by 60 Minutes and the BBC, immediately click to another website. Any company that is willing to misrepresent a media story so that it works to their advantage so they can sell more of their products obviously isn’t honest. If they aren’t willing to be honest about something as simple as the media coverage of hoodia on 60 Minutes and the BBC, how honest do you really think they are about the quality and authenticity of the product they are selling?

Hoodia weight loss pills are some of the most popular diet pills sold today, but do hoodia and weight loss go hand-in-hand? Despite the marketing hype and the promise by so many supplement companies that you’re guaranteed results, hoodia diet pills may not work as advertised.

First, let’s have a quick primer on what is hoodia and then we’ll discuss its role with weight loss. While commonly referred to as the hoodia cactus, it is technically a succulent. There are 13 varieties of the hoodia plant but only the hoodia gordonii variety has appetite suppressant qualities.

The hoodia gordonii plant is found in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. The San tribe, or also known as the Bushmen, have been eating the hoodia plant for centuries to stave off hunger during long hunting trips. They cut off a small piece of the plant, peel it, and then eat it raw. A small piece will suppress their appetite for hours.

Seeing the opportunity to capitalize on the obesity epidemic, companies began making hoodia diet pills and products that contain hoodia gordonii. The idea behind these products is obvious. By taking hoodia weight loss pills your appetite will be suppressed so you’ll eat less. The end result is that you’ll lose weight.

In theory that sounds wonderful, but it doesn’t always work that way. That is why hoodia and weight loss isn’t necessarily synonymous. For starters, not all hoodia weight loss pills are created equal. While there are a few honest companies who are producing and selling authentic hoodia gordonii diet pills, the majority are selling products with very little of it – if any at all. Without authentic hoodia gordonii, these products are worthless. You might as well flush your money down the toilet.

The reason there are so many scams out there is because hoodia gordonii is very scarce. It is only grown in South Africa and there are tight restrictions on the exportation of the plant. On the other hand, the demand for it is very high. This has led to a rapid increase in the price of hoodia gordonii. Not too long ago, a kilo was under $20. Today, a kilo sells for over $250. In an effort to maximize their profits, some unscrupulous companies knowingly dilute their products with other ingredients and fillers, or use a different variety of hoodia all together.

Other companies may not even know they’re selling fakes. Brokers are getting in on the action as well. They’ll dilute their own stock of hoodia gordonii or use a different variety of hoodia and then trick companies into believing they are buying the real thing for use in their supplements and products. Since hoodia supplements are unregulated, companies and consumers alike need to be aware of what they’re buying. So if you’ve tried hoodia weight loss pills in the past and they didn’t work, there is a good chance you weren’t getting authentic hoodia gordonii.

The other reason hoodia and weight loss don’t always go hand-in-hand is because some people aren’t getting enough hoodia gordonii to produce the appetite suppressing effects. Experts say that it could take as much as 3 grams or more per day of it to suppress appetite. The largest pill available that contains 100% authentic hoodia gordonii is only 750mg. You’d have to take 4 or more pills per day to reach that amount. If you were to take pills with less than that (which most do), then you could be looking at taking 8 or more pills per day!

Another reason hoodia and weight loss may not be synonymous is because dieters have unrealistic expectations of what hoodia weight loss pills can do. They make the mistake of believing that all they have to do is pop some pills and the weight will disappear. If that were true, we wouldn’t be facing an obesity epidemic today. The reality is, hoodia diet pills only addresses one small piece of the weight loss puzzle – your appetite.

Hoodia supplements don’t change a bad diet, nor do they stop you from overeating. If you’re eating Big Macs and french fries all the time, or if you find yourself eating even when you’re not hungry, hoodia weight loss pills will do absolutely nothing for you. If this describes you, then save your money and instead invest it on a more comprehensive weight loss program that can address your diet and eating issues.

If you generally have a good diet and aren’t prone to overeating, then hoodia diet pills can play an effective role in helping you achieve your weight loss goals. Just don’t fall into the trap that a pill is the sole answer to weight loss. You still need to put in some effort. Also keep in mind that controlling your appetite and maintaining a healthy diet can only achieve so much. If you want optimum weight loss results, you really need to exercise on a regular basis as well.

A healthy diet is one of the main concerns of many people at present. This is due to the increasing number of illnesses that can inflict any human. A healthy diet would ensure your body’s need of nutrients such as vitamins. A healthy diet composes primarily of fruits and vegetables, cereals, rice and bread. These foods are the primary source of the nutrients that you will need to protect your body from illnesses. Furthermore, a healthy diet will help you lose weight. Maintaining a good body weight is important for doing physical activities. So if really you want to lose weight you need not only a good diet plan, you’ll also need exercise.

As for a healthy diet, you need to come up with a good diet plan. Or you could also follow one of the great and reliable diet plans and diet programs. And you might think of The Atkins Diet as a good option for a diet plan, but if you research on it more, you’ll find out the truth about the dangerous part of the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet is a diet plan that focuses on taking in protein and taking fewer carbohydrates. While it might sound good, it is actually more of a danger to your body. Why? Here’s why:

A carbohydrate is a main nutrient of any food in this world. The amount of carbohydrates that you could consume on different types of food varies. Some foods have low carbohydrates while some have the right amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are used by the body to burn and use as energy. In effect, you will need to consume a certain amount of carbohydrates in order to gain energy to use for daily activities. With less carbohydrate intake with the Atkins diet, you will lose a valuable amount of energy. While the body could get energy from burning excess fats, your body may not be able to burn the right amount of food most of the time.

Another problem with the Atkins diet is that it restricts you from eating nutritious and healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. The reason for this is that fruits and vegetables contain more carbohydrates than the recommended amount on this diet. Fruits such as berries are the only fruits that you can eat through this diet. Non starchy and low carbohydrates vegetables are the only types of vegetables that you can eat. If you do not eat fruits and vegetables, you will not gain vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to fight and prevent diseases.

The Atkins diet also requires you to eat their Atkins diet food. They say that the Atkins diet food would further improve the rapid weight loss promised on the diet plan. But this would also mean that you will cash out more on this diet since you will have to buy their specialized foods such as bread and energy bar. It’s not something that you can enjoy, however.

Overall, the Atkins diet is a bad diet plan that can actually damage you and make you susceptible to illnesses. So do not undergo this diet and instead go for the Fat loss for idiots program. Fat loss for idiots lets you lose weight fast and it is guaranteed safe.