Fad diets... or not so fad...

As a Clinical Nutritionist, a lot of my time is spent reading about different fad diets.  It is amazing how much of my time goes on reading about diets such as:

The Cabbage Soup Diet
The Peach Diet
The Air Diet (yes, this really does exist and consists of not eating anything but air... I won't go into that one).
The Paleo Diet
Vegan
Vegetarian
5:2 or Fast Diet
Low Carb
High Carb
The Dukan Diet
The Atkins Diet
Gluten Free

And so the list goes on... and on...

The science behind some of them is actually good, for example the 5:2 or Fast Diet that I have written about before, is a great anti-aging diet that reduces the production of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), by reducing the production of this hormone your body is able to concentrate on repairing itself instead of concentrating on multiplying cells continuously.  You can read more about it here.

The thing is that a lot of the problem with fad diets (and where they get their bad name from) is that people don't understand what they are doing.  How many times have you noticed a colleague at work has lost weight and you ask them how.  The answer you get tends to be a very abbreviated account of the diet they are on...

"I'm on the Dukan Diet where you only eat meat on one day and vegetables with meat the next and you alternate days like this."

So off you go and start eating meat and meat and vegetables on alternate days and end up with a whole host of health problems.  Mainly because your colleague didn't go into detail about the need for fibre or when you can and should introduce fruit, or the need for exercise and drinking lots of water... I'm not endorsing the Dukan Diet here, but if people actually took the time to understand what they are embarking on and how to do it correctly then there might not be so many problems.

Even the Paleo Diet, which is getting back to basics and only eating natural unprocessed foods and avoiding modern foods such as bread, pasta, cereal and dairy produce, gets a bashing from the British Dietetic Association (BDA).  This Association warns that by avoiding all dairy produce could leave people with dangerously low levels of calcium and weaken their bones.  I beg to differ... but only if those on the Paleo Diet do it properly.  It is a known fact that milk produce does not provide calcium for bones because of one simple bodily mechanism.  When you consume milk produce it produces a acid state in the body... something the body hates, it much prefers to be alkaline, so the body leeches calcium from the bones to lower the level of acidity in the body.  So, if you want to make sure you have enough calcium while on the Paleo Diet then you need to make sure you are getting enough leafy green vegetables, broccoli, fruit, and raw almonds.  Mother nature provides us with everything we need and she certainly didn't expect us to be guzzling milk by the gallon after weaning.

I have never been a fan of restrictive dieting, where entire food groups are eliminated (except milk produce).  Going gluten free is not a good thing unless you have Celiac Disease.  Whole grain cereals proved lots of vitamins (especially from the B group), minerals and fibre.  So keep bread as whole grain as possible and eat in moderation, you really don't need carbs with every meal.  Any type of processed flour such as pasta, white bread, doughnuts, white rice, white flour has been stripped of any "good things" it may have had to start with.  Most of the vitamins are found in the husks, when wheat is refined the husks are eliminated and bang goes the goodness.  So if and when you have carbs make sure they are whole grain - and that means brown rice, brown pasta, etc...

There is also an extremely wide range of gluten free produce, which means Celiacs have a much easier time of things nowadays, but take a look at the ingredients on some of those gluten free products.  Gluten free CAKE is still CAKE with all the sugar and fat a normal cake would have!!!

Atkins has taken a beating over the years because it is high in saturated fat... but then recent studies have proved that saturated fat isn't a problem and the rise in heart disease is due to vegetable fats such as margarines high in trans fats.

Vegans and vegetarians are just as much at risk as those on the Paleo Diet...

"I don't eat animal produce... none at all."

Ok, I can understand and respect that, but are you getting all the proteins your body needs to repair itself?  Are your children vegans because that's what you believe is healthy?  Ok, no problem, but are
they getting all the protein they need to grow and develop?  There is BIG science behind different diets.  Removing animal products as a source of proteins means you have to replace them with something else.  Plant proteins exist and very good ones too; legumes (chick peas, peas, lentils), quinoa, nuts, Tempeh and Tofu, leafy greens, hemp, chia seeds, sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds.... and so the list goes on.  Being vegetarian or vegan means making sure you are getting everything your body needs.... Hey!  Oreo cookies are vegan but they sure as hell aren't healthy!!!

Restricting certain foods to certain times of day also promotes bingeing.  According to the BDA, Beyoncé is on the "vegan before 6" diet which means only vegan food before 6pm and then you can eat what you like after that... um... well... that would probably make me binge too.

So, think rationally.  As humans we are omnivores.  Our bodies were built to eat fruit, vegetables, nuts and meat (all kinds).  Now, I do respect those who choose a meat free existence as long as they get everything their bodies need, but if you eat sensibly, lots of vegetables, fruit and moderate amount of meat/ fish, etc.., keeping refined foods to a minimum, you really can't go wrong.

So, what ever diet you decide you want to tackle after Christmas... please, make sure you read up on it, that you investigate it fully and that you completely understand what you are doing and that you are covering all your bases.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com