South Beach, No-Fat, Low-Fat, High Protein, All-Meat, No Meat, there are literally thousands of “diets” out there. It’s no wonder so many people are confused on what to eat. While I can find flaws in numerous diets, here are my top three offenders.
The Food Pyramid
Yes, this diagram that has been presented to you over and over again since you were a child is extremely flawed. According to The Food Pyramid the majority of your daily caloric intake should come from whole grains. The protein and fat recommendations are very minimal. There is an updated version of The Food Pyramid, however it still puts too much emphasis on carbohydrates. While carbohydrates are not the enemy, they should not be the majority of your diet. This Pyramid also reinforces the MYTH that fat is bad. I find this diet to be the most destructive and one of the main reasons why obesity is extremely previlant in today’s society.
No or Low Carb Diets
Any diet that completely eliminates a macronutrient cannot be good for your body. Your body needs carbohydrates to function properly. It is a matter of finding the right amount. For my clients that are focused on general fitness and are not training for an endurance event, I suggest they take in 40% of their daily caloric intake from Carbohydrate, 30% from fat and 30% from protein. This works extremely well for weight loss and maintenance, depending on the amount of calories they are taking in. Another issue with eliminating carbohydrates is people tend to binge on the foods that they think are “ok” to eat. Someone following this diet can easily intake too much saturated fat which is not beneficial to your body.
Detox Diets
There are tons of them out there, and they’re usually backed by celebrities. Remember these people are PAID to sponsor diets. There’s a good chance whoever is appearing in that diet commercial has never used the product they’re promoting. You do not have to starve yourself and drink nothing but a special elixir for three days to look and feel the way you want. You are actually doing more harm to your body than good when you starve it with one of these “cleansing cycles.” Truth is weight-loss takes time and if you are following a balanced healthy meal plan your body will not need to be “detoxed”.
I know it’s so tempting to believe the latest diet fad out there, I’ve been there and so have many of my clients. Remember the weight-loss industry is a billion dollar industry for a reason. I will tell you what does work, exercise, healthy eating and patience. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
What kind of diets have you tried?
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Diets all together are the reason this country is so over weight. They harp on people’s fear and desire at the same time. People respond to the idea of quick results and instant gratification and with the help of clever marketing diet fads strike a note with many people. Thanks for highlighting these.
My pleasure Rebecca, and I agree all diets need to die!