These 3 Healthy Eating Trends Might Be Blocking Your Goals

There are a bajillion (to be exact), healthy eating trends out there. Some are based on facts and have merit in the health and fitness world, and in your life. Others are based on marketing buzz and dollar bills and have no place in your routine. Read on – because these 3 healthy eating trends might actually be more harmful than helpful when it comes to reaching your goals.

Why Do We Fall For Fad Diets?

We know better. We do! Deep down we all know that we should be eating less junk, and moving more. That we should be getting 7-8 hours of sleep and choosing high-quality, homemade dinners over fast food. So why is it so damn hard to ignore the latest diet trends?

To start, all of that “eat less, move more”, advice is inherently life long. LIFE long! That’s a lot of time to have to be healthy and make smart choices. Plus, fad diets promise a quick fix. Ignore the fact that the “fix” is short term and possibly detrimental to your mental and physical well-being. It’s much easier to commit to 2 weeks or 30 days than it is to a life time.

Finally, marketing – we fall for fad diets over and over again because big companies know how to market a product to sell. The most popular public figures endorse this diet, or had success with that diet, and we want that!

But without investigating further first, we take major risks with our bodies and health in order to drop a few pounds, fast. Sometimes that hastiness can keep you from reaching your goals and potentially be startlingly dangerous.

3 HEALTHY EATING TRENDS THAT MIGHT BE BLOCKING YOUR GOALS

This list is by no means complete but it’s a start.

Extreme Dieting

Speaking of things you know: to lose weight you need to consume less energy (fewer calories), than your body expends. This is a law of physics. Your body can’t defy physics. So it’s easy to infer that when it comes to weight loss, the fewer calories you eat the better. The truth isn’t so cut and dry.

Extreme dieting: massively restricting calories and/or cutting out entire food groups in order to encourage weight loss. If you can cut 250 calories a day to lose weight, why not 500? 750? In other words, extreme dieting suggests that you should sacrifice your health for short-term weight loss.

Your body needs calories to function. Your brain, nervous system, and organs – calories are required to maintain the basic functions of daily life. Even digestion requires energy. That’s right – you need energy to break down and convert energy for your body. You need energy to grow hair and nails. And of course on top of all that you require calories for physical activity – the more you do, the more you need. Can’t run a car on empty.

“Extreme dieting suggests that you should sacrifice your health for short-term weight loss”.

So what happens, then, when you resort to extreme dieting to drop pounds quickly?

1. It can cause chronic fatigue. Think about how sluggish you feel during a workout when you haven’t eaten in hours. You’re running on empty! Now imagine feeling that way all day, everyday.
   
2. You have a tough time meeting your daily nutrient needs. Cutting calories means smaller portions at less frequent intervals. Severe restriction simply doesn’t allow you to meet your most basic needs. Even more dangerous is cutting out entire food groups. When an entire food group is cut from your diet you risk cutting out entire nutrient profiles.
   
3. You may be more susceptible to illness.
   
4. Consuming too few calories can lead to bone density loss. Extreme dieting affects the way your body produces hormones. Estrogen and testosterone specifically are involved in bone formation and if production is disrupted, bones are more susceptible to injury.
   
5. Your metabolism may slow down in response. Your body’s number one goal is to survive. To do that on too few calories, it will slow down processes that typically coincide with a high function metabolism.

Of all of the dangerous healthy eating trends out there, this is the one I have the closest relationship to. I spent years of my life struggling with extreme dieting and anorexia. It’s not an easy mindset to leave behind but I promise – it’s not worth the damage!

Juice Cleanses

“Detox” is an enticing word. The idea that you can boost your bodies innate ability to rid itself from toxins is exciting! But your body doesn’t need help detoxifying – it has a very complex and very well adjusted method of it’s own – no juice needed. In fact, detoxes in the form of juice cleanses can do more harm than good.

For many of the same reasons extreme dieting hinders rather than helps your goals, cleanses don’t give your body the energy or nutrients it needs. Moreover, cleanses can actually restrict the very same calories, probiotics and fiber that supports your own, built-in detox system (liver, gut, digestive system, etc), needs to kick butt!

If you are working out – running, rowing, strength training, playing a sport – you need protein. Without it, your body doesn’t have what it needs to adequately respond, recover and build muscle. Most juice cleanses actually suggest that you don’t workout during the diet. No good diet will suggest that you should move less!

To make matters worse, the act of eating itself – the smell of foods cooking, the act of chewing and swallowing – plays a role in helping you feel satiated. Juice cleanses eliminate that factor entirely, often leaving you feeling hungrier and more likely to binge eat post-detox.

Diet Supplements

There is no magic weight loss pill. Supplements, by definition, are meant to support your already on-going efforts. When my clients bring up supplements this is what I tell them:

• Use supplement to fill in the gaps. Cover the basics – make sure you are getting the nutrients your hard-working body needs! And YES, if you are working out harder than ever, you need more! That means multi-vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, protein powder and green juices are (usually), a go.
  
• When it comes to finding and buying supplements to support your goals, you are better off doing your research (or listening to someone you trust who has), and investing in high-quality, minimally processed supplements. Look for third party reviews.

• Most importantly, don’t forget that a supplements job is not to DO THE JOB, but to support YOU while YOU DO THE JOB.

No pill or powder is going to help if you don’t first develop the habits and practices it takes to get results.

And 3 Healthy Eating Fundamentals to Adopt Instead

The fundamentals might not be as glamorous, but they work. They support your healthy body, your fat loss goals, and your long-term health. These are the healthy eating trends that you can count on for life.

Balance is Better

Food is fuel. Nutrition is the components that make up that fuel. Good nutrition is the right balance of components to support optimal health, energy and longevity. A balanced diet includes lean protein, heart healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and of course water. Shoot for 3-4 servings of protein, fats and carbohydrates daily. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables in a wide variety of colors every day. And drink at least 8 cups of water each day (minimum!).

Practice Portion Control

If your goal is weight loss you need to pay attention to portions and keep your calories in check.

• 1 portion of protein is roughly the size of your palm (20-30 grams).
• 1 portion of carbohydrates (including fruit) fits in the palm of your cupper hand (20-30 grams).
• 1 portion of fat is about the size of your thumb (7-15 grams).
• 1 portion of veggies is about the size of your closed fist.

Count on Quality

If and when possible, fill your plate with minimally processed, high-quality, as close to their natural state as possible foods. The less a food has been processed, the more nutrients it will have in tact.

An apple picked straight off of the tree and eaten immediately provides an abundance of nutrients – vitamins, fiber and natural sugar. An apple that has been processed and turned into apple turnover filling really doesn’t have many similarities to that o.g. apple off the tree.

Simple ways to choose quality ingredients:

• Eat locally grown food.
• Eat in-season ingredients.
• Shop the perimeter of the store.
• If a food doesn’t require a label there’s a good chance it’s as whole as it can be.
• If a food does have a label, choose the product that a) has as few ingredients as possible and b) has ingredients that you recognize.