Fad Diets Take the Focus off Natural Foods
I am not a fan of fad diets or using unnatural foods for weight loss. Even when I was 305 pounds, the idea of eliminating entire food groups from my diet for a non-medical reason never appealed to me. I honestly believed that eating natural foods was the best thing for weight loss.
The cottage cheese diet was not practical, and the thought of exclusively eating a particular type of soup to lose weight never appealed to me either. I never jumped on the low-carb bandwagon back in its heyday when you could find low-carb breads, cookies, crackers, chips, and more gracing grocery store shelves. That fad lasted for several years, and then the proliferation of low-carb foods diminished.
There have been fad diets around for years. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics indicates that one of the first fad diets that eschewed natural foods to lose weight was the vinegar and water diet in the early 1800’s. Low carbohydrate diets showed up as far back as 1825, and one of the first liquid diets appeared on the market in the 1930’s.
The one thing all these diets lack is taking advantage of the wide variety of foods we have to choose from. The University of Rochester Medical Center recommends that to lose weight, you should focus on natural foods such as whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, greens, fruit and protein. They do not recommend limiting or eliminating any of those foods in order to lose weight.
Weight loss is difficult for many people, myself included. I probably tried to lose weight 500 separate times over the 10 years I was obese.
What finally worked was when I stopped trying to fit a diet into my lifestyle and instead changed my lifestyle completely.
Weight loss meals for me were the same meals I made for my family. The difference was that instead of using chicken nuggets and French fries as a meal, I made my own chicken nuggets using whole wheat bread crumbs and roasted potatoes in my own oven. Salads were filled with vegetables instead of croutons and large amounts of cheese, and I learned to control my portion sizes which naturally helped me control my calories.
As you consider how you are dieting to lose weight, I would encourage you to take a few minutes and analyze how many natural simple foods you include each day. Sure there is room for the occasional restaurant meal, dessert, or frozen dinner, but the majority of your foods you eat should be natural and healthy.
I estimate that about 80 to 90 percent of my diet is from natural foods. My one downfall is sweets as I do love a good piece of chocolate or a small slice of chocolate pie.
How are you doing with including natural foods in your weight loss or weight maintenance plan?
Be well!
Diane
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Apr 11, 2012 @ 04:07:00
This is the eating version of exercise trends. Fad diets sicken me as much as PX90, CrossFit , and Stand-Up Paddling. Not that there isn’t utility in all of those diets, and all of those activities. What gets lost in them though, is that weight loss isn’t about a mechanism — it’s about a choice, that final choice to say, “Today is the day”. And all the little choices from that day forward. That, THAT is a lifestyle change. Well said.
Apr 11, 2012 @ 04:21:00
I have to hang my head in shame and say that I was one of those people, who followed these fad diets. I tried the “Soup only” diet to the “No carbs” diet and with all of them, I failed miserably at losing the weight.
It’s not until I have sought (and received) valuable information on how to lose the weight the right way, that I lost it all. By not excluding anything crucial from my diet but to eat in moderation and healthy food, that I lost the weight.
So I agree with you – these diets make people fail and then give up totally in ever trying again.
Apr 11, 2012 @ 07:03:00
I try to eat as many natural, non-processed foods as possible. It helps that the farmer’s markets in our area just opened, and tonight, I’m planning a salad with all local-grown, organic ingredients. That said, I also believe in moderation, so if there is something I occasionally crave that is processed, I’ll eat a bit and not sweat it.
Apr 11, 2012 @ 08:29:00
The prob with the fad diets is that they do not teach people how to eat for life – long term – MAINTENANCE – to me the hardest part. Many can lose weight but a huge % put it back on. That says that maintenance is the hard part! I have been at this over 30 years & have had to relearn the food part when I was younger. I eat mostly all whole foods – very very few packaged ones. Fad diets just lead to people putting back on the weight & never learning really how to eat. People want the quick fix & that is the issue – it is not there. I just wrote about this yesterday – that magic pill people want – not there. Hard work & eating healthy & better.. that is the pill…
Apr 11, 2012 @ 10:59:00
This is such a good point Jody – fad diets really don’t address long-term lifestyle habits.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:11:00
That is a great point Jody. Fad diets may help you lose but will NEVER help you maintain.
Apr 11, 2012 @ 10:56:00
I generally agree with the fad diet issues being problematic. My rub comes in whe conventional nutritional wisdom doesn’t work – like low fat or high whole grains, that makes me ill! Is it a fad if it makes more sense from a health perspective or is supported by research (as higher fat diets and lower grain diets actually are)?
More and more, I am convicted that conventional wisdom regarding nutrition is nonsense and traditional diets and food prep techniques, like soaking and fermenting, are much more health supporting than modern foodways.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:11:00
Interesting points about the changing philosophies of nutritional science. That’s why I like just whole, natural foods as the basis of mine and my family’s diet.
Apr 12, 2012 @ 04:46:00
So true. Food is always going to be around and I’ve found there is usually healthy choices, but when attending a gathering I bring something I know is healthy and filling. My sis who is an R.D.’s first advice is just what you said, eat natural, whole, unprocessed food. That is the first step.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:10:00
That is a first step Marie. The more natural the food, the better it is for your body. Sometimes I’m surprised at the list of ingredients on seemingly healthy foods.
Apr 14, 2012 @ 19:32:00
Diane, I agree with you thoughts about fad diets. Even as continue to lose weight, I can recognize that many of the fad diets don’t make sense and aren’t healthy. Why would we throw out a complete food group, such as carbs? What we need to learn is balance, portion size, and eating whole foods that are healthier for us. I find that whole grains are more filling and help avoid excess snacking and stay committed to my diet.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:09:00
Thank you Donna. Fad diets certainly are tempting, but they also definitely do not work. You sound like you are on a healthy path to losing weight.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:12:00
Ours just opened a few weeks ago and I love visiting the local farmers and knowing where my food was grown.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:18:00
Please don’t feel shame Marleen because you have lost weight this time using healthy foods. You learned and now you are maintaining!
Apr 15, 2012 @ 04:19:00
It is about a choice. And the healthier and more realistic the choice, the more likely that the choice will become a lifelong habit.