ACIDOSIS WHILE DIETING

Today the word ‘diet’ is associated with losing weight. However, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that it became popular to ‘go on a diet’ for this purpose. Fasting, on the other hand, has existed for centuries in many cultures and religions. Today, one of the most popular forms of fasting, intermittent fasting, has become extremely popular, not least in order to get rid of the ‘pandemic pounds’! There are as many different forms of dieting and fasting as there are people who practice them. Although the range of dietary supplement products are too numerous to be listed here, the best advice on them is found at the pharmacy.

PTA: Guten Morgen. Was kann ich für Sie tun?
Female customer: Do you speak English?

Yes, I do. How may I help you? 
I’d like to lose a few of my ‘pandemic pounds’ and I checked the internet, yesterday evening. The number of products and what they all promise was, to be honest, mind-boggling!

Yes, it is hard to see the wood for the trees! Were you considering fasting or something else?
I was thinking about doing some kind of fasting until I read about the dangers of acidosis, and I’m not into visiting my GP at present to see if it’s okay for me to fast! Anyway, a friend of mine told me about a diet powder that she bought at the pharmacy and that the pharmacy assistant was very well-informed, which is why I am here!

Good! If you follow me over here I can show you the products that we have in our assortment. This one here is our best-seller, and it is also one of the top-rated products. It’s ideal if you would like to lose weight slowly, and not suffer from pangs of hunger when using it!
Sounds good. How does it work?

I’ll just check the diet plan that we have in our system. Let’s see: there is a 5-week-plan where the first week you replace all of your daily meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a shake made with the powder. Then weeks 2 to 4 you can eat an evening meal, there are some really delicious recipes, and then week 5 you can eat breakfast, a diet shake for lunch and then your “normal” evening meal. Additionally, I recommend you these sticks with a base-powder to prevent from acidosis. By the way: you are not lactose intolerant, are you?
No, thank goodness, I’m not! I am prepared to try anything to get rid of those extra pounds!

This is the starter pack. Do you need the instructions in English?
No, I’m fine, I can check the internet for that. Oh, do I need a shaker for the powder?

No, there is one included in the package. There you are.
Thank you.

Good luck with your diet plan.
Thank you again, you have been very helpful. Goodbye.

Bye, bye.

You can find this article on page 116 in DIE PTA IN DER APOTHEKE 04/2022.

Catherine Croghan, Lecturer in English and native speaker