Happy New Year, folks!
Given that it’s that time of year for resolutions that typically involve weight loss strategies, I thought it was a great time to post my thoughts on fad diets.
In an earlier post I covered the pros and cons of the two diets that each played a role in my healing and staying healed, Paleo and Plant-Based. Today I’ll give my two cents on the ocean of trendy fad diets that are floating around out there.
Keto, Raw Food, Mediterranean, Caveman, Atkins, The Zone, Macrobiotic, South Beach, Grapefruit, Alkaline, Juice Cleanse, etc., etc., etc.. It’s enough to make your head spin. No wonder people are confused.
Fad diets have been around as long as our modern society, and as is still the case, almost always target weight loss for vanity purposes rather than real health and disease prevention.
For the most part, these fad diets are just that, FADS. Just like the Disco craze of the 70’s, the Miami Vice suits of the 80’s, the crimped hair of the 90s, and our own questionably unkempt hipster beard trend of today, a fad is “the shiz” today and “way uncool” tomorrow. This too shall pass and will be laughed at incessantly in the future.
As it was with Tamagotchis and slap bracelets, many of these diets appear to be birthed out of corporate brainstorming sessions and then spread through influencers and clever marketing ideas. Advertising tricks us into believing the “magic pill” has finally been found (for real this time!), and then we spend our money on all the things (diet-branded packaged snacks/meals, a weekly weigh-in/public shaming, books, cookbooks, online courses, seminars, etc).
Eventually we realize that we’ve probably been conned and go on with our lives, not any healthier, but with less money in the bank. It’s a shameful, greedy system that obviously stretches well beyond diets and food trends.
So how do we tell whether a diet is just a fad or if it has real merit?
It’s actually fairly simple - start by asking the question: does this way of eating lead to sustainable, healthful, long-term wellness?
Any diet that only emphasizes short-term weight loss and fails to mention long-term wellness should be immediately and unapologetically dismissed.
If the diet pushes mass quantities of things that we know by our own God-given common sense AREN’T good for us (i.e. bacon) then run away. If it excludes things that we know ARE good for us (i.e. sweet potatoes or strawberries) then run away. If it pushes branded pre-packaged highly processed meals, snack bars, or powders as the bulk of what you would need to eat, run away.
A lot of successfully navigating the world of fad diets is done by taking a step back away from the crowd and using our common sense. Just because Aunt Sally lost 10 pounds on the whatev diet doesn’t mean Aunt Sally is any healthier (or that she’ll have kept those 10 pounds off by the next family gathering).
For those who are currently sick with autoimmune disease like Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease, seeking healing by following a restricted diet is a necessity (see my recommendations here). However, for those who have no need to follow a restricted diet then the healthiest diet is one that includes a multitude of veggies, fruits, and real whole foods, and excludes or greatly limits highly processed, sugary, non-real food.
Let’s ditch the fads and resolve to make the important, sustainable diet and lifestyle changes that lead us down the path to healing, disease prevention, and long-term wellness.
I believe that it all starts with this bullet list.
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