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Veganism an option for young families, but make sure kids take their vitamins Miami Herald Veganism is a life choice made by some families that should be as respected as other diets like halal and kosher. It is important for vegan parents to seek out information and work hard to provide carefully planned, well-balanced, nutrient-rich diets ... and more »

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Veganism an option for young families, but make sure kids take their vitamins - Miami Herald

The past year presented us with countless crazy diet trends without much evidence to back them up. From the mono diet, to the taco cleanse, the most popular diets of 2016 were pretty outrageous.

Now, 2017 is proving that crazy diets are not going away: One woman recently opened up about her dramatic weight loss using the Teaspoon Diet, in which she measures out her portions and eats with a teaspoon.

Mathilde Broberg dropped nearly half her body weight with the method, starting at 268 pounds and nibbling her way down to 125 pounds over the course of two-and-a-half years. Following her weight loss, the 21-year-old is now a personal trainer and a sportswear model. "Firstly, my portions are around the size of a flat-out hand. I made sure my portions were no bigger than that. It stopped me piling-up a food mountain on my plate like before," Broberg, who estimates that she used to eat 3,500 calories a day, told the Daily Mail.

"I also started eating with a teaspoon rather than a tablespoon; that way, I was feeling full quicker. By eating with a teaspoon, it tricked my brain into thinking I was consuming way more than I really was. It worked well for me." She also cut junk food out of her diet. "I quit chips, candy, cake, bread, and pasta, as well as using a couple of great tricks to combat my greediness."

At 59", Mathilde was at the upper end of the obesity spectrum at her highest weight, and she qualified as underweight at her lowest. She had been obese since childhood, and after spending two and a half years committed to losing weight, she feared weight gain and developed what seems to have been problematic eating behavior, saying that she always wanted a model body. She admits she was often hungry during her weight-loss process and says she worked out "way too much." Mathilde has since put on 24 pounds of muscle and fat, but based on her daily food log, she continues to heavily restrict her portions, eating little more than 1,000 calories per day. Shira Lenchewski, MS, RD, a Los Angeles-based celebrity nutritionist, raised some pretty big red flags about this worrisome diet. "My food philosophy is pretty simple: food is nourishment and pleasure. I honestly dont believe you can live a happy, healthy life without both.

And you shouldnt have to choose. Part of achieving that balance involves getting in touch with your internal hunger and satiety cues," she shared. Eating mindfully can be the best way to nourish your body. Your brain takes 20 minutes to register the food in your stomach. And the palm of your hand can be used as a measuring tool for portion control; however, it is crucial to be sure you are getting enough calories and listening to the signals your body is sending you. "The problem for many of us is that we cant always pick up on those signals. So, although sensible portion control and dialling back on sweets and simple carbs can certainly be helpful," Lenchewski explains, "I would definitely caution against any type of extreme plan, especially one that promises to trick those internal signals, which we really want to be on point."

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What's the Teaspoon Diet and does it work? - Daily Times

Gluten-free options are common in all grocery stores nowadays. (Photo: Celiac Corner, MGNOnline)

Gluten is a tricky subject to discuss in the health world, because its one that cant be explained in black and white terms. Usually, people choose to take gluten out of their diets for what they think are real, genuine concerns. In reality, a lot of those same people probably see zero health benefits as a result. They only make their diets more difficult and complicated to follow.

However, for people with celiac disease or nonceliac gluten intolerance, gluten really is an ingredient they need to avoid. Friends of mine have such a strong response to coming into contact with gluten that even a few breadcrumbs finding their way into a meal can make them violently ill.

The key, of course, is finding out whether gluten is harming your health, because roughly 85 percent of Americans do not have adverse reactions to eating gluten. Id like to do my best to give you a quick rundown on where we stand, what the current research tells us about gluten and whats the best choice for your personalized diet.

Some facts about glutenAs of January 2012, roughly 30 percent of American adults said they wanted to cut down or be free of gluten in their diets. The market research company who reported on this, The NPD Group, said that since they started studying eating habits in1976, Americans have continually expressed a desire to consume healthier foods and beverages.For my parents' generation, that meant avoiding fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium in their diets. However, although many people still wish to cut back on those substances, they are not a growing concern among the population. But gluten has become an increasing concern, at least during the current decade.

Whats caused the rising interest in going gluten-free?Part of the rising concern is simply a growing awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and the potential health issues gluten can cause sufferers. In 2003, a large studyperformed in the United States found that celiac disease occurred in roughly 1 percent of the U.S. population, which didn't seem like a large number until people realized this was 10 times higher than thought at the time.

As a result, many more studies were performed. These studies showed that there were potential health benefits to avoiding gluten for people suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism and schizophrenia. For autism and schizophrenia, for example, 2025 percent of those with these conditions saw improvements while eating a gluten-free diet.

The changes related to gluten in recent yearsEven though we now know about 1 percent of the population suffers from celiac disease, many people remain unaware of their condition. Part of the problem is that the disease is five times more common now than it was 50 years ago. Many of our health professionals working today probably learned very little about celiac disease in school because there really wasnt any reason to. Though, certainly, most of them have become more informed over the years, all of that takes time to filter down to their patients and the population at large. So, while were going in the right direction these days, finding the right personal choice for you and your family might require some trial and error at home.

Figuring out if gluten really is an ingredient you should avoidThe symptoms of celiac disease can vary a lot from one person to the next. Both you and your child, for instance, could have celiac disease, but your symptoms might be entirely different. Making this even more complicated, some people may not have any symptoms at all.

In any case, the most common include bloating (or a feeling of fullness or swelling in the abdomen), chronic diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea, irregular bowel movements, stomach pain or vomiting. For children especially, celiac disease does need to be dealt with because it causes them to be unable to absorb the nutrients they need for their bodies to properly develop. If you notice any form of stunted growth or development in your kids, it's worth considering if celiac disease is the cause.

How do you figure out if you should be avoiding gluten?As I mentioned earlier, roughly 1 percent of the population suffers from celiac disease, and nonceliac gluten sensitivity affects between 5 and 13 percent of Americans as well. There are many variations of these sensitivities, but their health effects are very real. Both of these groups of people should work to avoid gluten and remove it from their diets entirely.

However, for the rest of the population, there is very little evidence that avoiding gluten will offer you any health benefits.Interestingly enough, one study found that out of 7,471 adults who were observed, the 73 eating a gluten-free diet had higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine and mercury in their bloodpossibly as a result of including more rice and fish in their gluten-free diets.

Trying the gluten-free diet yourselfCeliac disease remains difficult to diagnose, but it is attempted based on your medical and family history, a physical exam, blood test, genetic test, or a skin or intestinal biopsy. Nonceliac gluten sensitivity remains even harder to diagnose. However, sufferers who try a gluten-free diet do have noticeably positive physical and mental changes.

Still, its not going to be easy for you to switch to a gluten-free diet. It requires significant lifestyle changes. However, theres lots of information and foods out there to get you started. Persistence, your doctors help and an open mind remain the keys to your success.

Jay McKenzie loves soccer, history and feeling great. He's on a quest to eat better and exercise more, and he wants to share his experiences along the way. You can email him at jaymckenzie86@gmail.com with comments or questions. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.

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Fresh and Fit: All you need to know about gluten-free diets, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity - Nooga.com

If any of the several diets you read about, or worse still followed, worked, you wouldn't have to go on another diet ever again. Or to be clear, you could go on another round of the same diet. It's a little like looking for a cure for baldness. If it worked, then there wouldn't be so many silver bullet options advertised on billboards and in the newspapers. The competition is fierce and the cures are constantly churned out by the sellers of snake oil. We have come a long way but beyond the fancy explanations is the simple formula: Calories in, calories out. It's deliciously simple and doesn't require you to completely eliminate any food groups from your diet.

The question "Do you want fries with that?" seems to have become redundant in Dubai. Everything that could be served with fries is served with fries. You often cannot upsize your burger, but you can upsize your order of fries and your drink of choice. Cooking potatoes at the temperature in a deep fryer means that the fries you consume could be harmful. Starch undergoes deleterious changes at that temperature. But now there's a healthier option which is air fryers. There are already restaurants that serve air fried chips. What makes shallow frying difficult in restaurants is the sheer volume of orders to be handled. To spend time over fries as they cook slowly will take both time and effort as opposed to the ease of using a deep fryer to cook them in minutes. At some fast food joints you can replace your salad with a proportionate order of fries.

There are lunch deals and there are promotions at restaurants. You get a good deal but you're often consuming a whole lot of salt and fat. As a fast food fan myself, I don't mean to preach. I may just have to temper my views with the warning, "Do as I say and not as I do." But it's common in the dieting universe to know what's bad for you and eat it anyway. But you could wake up one morning and decide that you aren't going to punish your body anymore and actually listen to yourself. It has been said that we should take the advice that we give others. The advice that you should have been taken years ago yourself and that you still hand out unasked to anyone who broaches the subject of weight loss.

And what does this digression have to do with fad diets? Everything in all possible ways in all possible universes. It's important that we get out of the panacea mentality.

"Stay away from carrots and you'll be fine," said nobody ever. But does it make sense at all to vilify one food group and place the others on a pedestal? Or does taking a diet completely out of context and continent show great wisdom? It would be like reading a book about running a company in the US of A and then seeking to apply the insights to running a company in Dubai.

To return to the central point of this diatribe, watch what goes into your mouth and how much of it does. Also have as accurate an idea of how much exercise you would need to do to burn the calories you have eaten. Leave the obfuscating and the detoxing to the creators of fad diets. Some of them have gone bankrupt; others have become yesterday's news and adorn the racks of second-hand books stores everywhere. Oh, what tales they would tell, if they could, of failed diets and years of frustration.

The tragedy of fad diets is you have people going on different diets for decades. And at the end of these diets they are not sufficiently healthier to justify the hardship that they went through. It paints a sad picture of the human race if so many people are utterly miserable for so many years of their lives. Extreme diets and even moderate diets make you hungry, irritable and tired. If you lived in isolation then it wouldn't be a problem. But if you've got to be around people, accomplish things and be an adult, a diet can give you a nasty temper. That's something that won't endear you to anyone at all.

Of course, there's the school of thought that says you need to suffer. The championing of suffering is a trope in a lot of discussions on pretty much any endeavour. Make sure that you listen and you listen well to all well-meaning souls. Or better still just humour them. You know your life and your problems better than anybody else. When it comes to fitness, one size doesn't fit all. Another uncomfortable truth is that if you really want to lose weight, you will have to make lifestyle changes. Simple cosmetic or category changes will get you only so far as nowhere. That's the challenge: Changing your lifestyle. And to reiterate the painful truth: Calories in, calories out.

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Why fad diets don't work - Khaleej Times - Khaleej Times

Dietary patterns of the Mediterranean diet can be related to a lower diagnose of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

The study is the first scientific work dealing with the relation between the Mediterranean diet and ADHD in children and adolescents.

It evokes that some unhealthy eating habits could play a role in the development of this psychiatric disorder.

However, new researchers are necessary to establish the causality between nutrient-poor eating habits and ADHD, according to the authors.

One of the most common mental disorders among children and adolescents

The attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder belongs to the field of neurobiology, and affects around 3,4% of children and adolescents worldwide.

This is one of the most common mental disorders among children and teenagers, and its consequences can last until adulthood.

The main symptoms are hyperactivity, impulsiveness and attention-deficit, which show more intensely in children of the same age who dont suffer from this illness.

So far, the most efficient intervention for ADHD is a combination of the psychological and pharmacological treatments with the intervention of an educational psychologist.

The mechanisms that link a low-quality diet and ADHD are still unknown. Previous scientific studies have associated some dietary patterns (diets with processed food and low in fruit and vegetables) with ADHD.

However, it is known that an unbalanced dietary pattern can lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients (iron, zinc, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.) for the cognitive and physical growth and they seem to play an essential role in the etiology of ADHD.

A total of 120 children and adolescents (60 diagnosed with ADHD and 60 controls) were studied in this study, which has been financially supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Institute of Health Carlos III).

According to authors, this new research doesnt establish a cause-effect relation between dietary patterns and ADHD, but it can help determining specific dietary strategies to improve the quality of life for both the affected patients and their families.

A vicious circle: impulsiveness, unhealthy diets and ADHD

The relation between an unhealthy diet and ADHD could also be an example of reverse causation.

We dont know if these kids suffer from ADHD due an unhealthy diet, or if the disorder makes them to eat an excess of fat and sugar to balance their impulsiveness or emotional distress.

We believe this is a vicious circle: the impulsiveness of children with ADHD makes them to eat unhealthily; therefore they dont eat the nutrients they need and it all worsens their symptoms.

Mediterranean diet: nutrition and health

Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, provides most of the nutrients in the right proportion.

The new study doesnt state that the Mediterranean diet could be a protection factor against ADHDF but it indicates that children and adolescents need healthy diets, since this is a moment when their bodies need the best nutrients to grow properly and reach a healthy life during adulthood.

The authors of the study believe more studies are needed to determine if a change in dietary habits towards a healthy diet -such as the Mediterranean one- could serve to reverse or improve ADHD symptoms.

Like Knowridge Science Report onFacebook.

News source: Universidad de Barcelona. The content is edited for length and style purposes. Figure legend: This Knowridge.com image is for illustrative purposes only.

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Mediterranean diet linked to a lower risk of ADHD, study shows - Knowridge Science Report (press release) (blog)

You aren't getting enough calories istock/monticellloWait, isn't the point of a diet that you are supposed to cut calories? Yes, but according to registered dietitian and author of Belly Fat for Dummies Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, it's only a piece of the puzzle. "A calorie is not just a calorie," she says. "Depending on what you consume, calories from nutrients such as protein and unsaturated fat keep you full for an extended period, whereas calories from simple sugars digest rapidly." If you're cutting calories but not getting the proper vitamins, protein, and fiber you need, your weight loss plan is not going to work. According to a study from Japan, calorie restriction leads to slower metabolic rate, which means without enough calories, your body goes into survival mode, slowing down your metabolism to conserve energy and prevent weight loss. "Focus on improving the nutritional quality of your diet rather than your calorie intake for improved body weight and health," Palinski-Wade says. Doctors wish you'd stop following these weight loss "tips." You're skipping meals istock/_thesomegirlAs with cutting calories, cutting meals isn't effective for healthy weight loss. Being overly hungry throws off the balance in your body, as Laura Moore, RD, director of the dietetic internship program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, explains. "Energy intake, or what's consumed, and expenditure, or what's burned, is coordinated by signals from several systems, including the endocrine, adipose tissue, neurologic, and gastrointestinal systems," she says. Chemical signals that increase and decrease appetite are sent to the brain. "This weight regulation system helps maintain a healthy weight for most people by modifying hunger, activity, and metabolism to keep the body weight within a target," Moore says. "Moving below this target, or set point, by skipping meals can be challenging because the brain's energy-balance system goes into action, pushing the weight back to its set point or even above." That means you're basically fighting with your body over where your weight should be. Instead, Moore recommends listening to your body's signals, eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. Here's what happens to your body when you skip breakfast. You're not mindful when you eat istock/Eva-KatalinBut if your goal is to eat less, how can you still satisfy your body's hunger signals? The trick may be in changing how you eat as well as what you eat. Moore recommends "mindful eating," which means being acutely aware of everything you put into your mouth. "Take small bites of food and chew it slowly, stopping two or three times during a meal to determine if you are hungry or if you feel satisfied," she says. Reexamine your potions based on how big your plates areaccording to research from Cornell, serving food on bigger plates has a direct effect on how much is consumed. Be mindful of other triggers that promote overeating like noshing directly from a package, buffet meals, and food advertisements. And if you're paying attention, you'll be less likely to finish off those extra bites of mac and cheese from your kid's plate. Also, Moore says to eliminate distractions while eating. "Are you watching television, working through lunch, eating at your desk, or while driving in your car?" she says. "It is important to disengage and focus on the meal, which will allow a person to experience hunger and satiety." Read about the healthiest foods from every color of the rainbow.

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10 Hidden Reasons Your Diet Isn't Working - Reader's Digest

However the FSA said that the number of alerts it issued to consumers to let them know there may be an undisclosed allergen in food increased from 73 in 2014 to 92 in 2015. The main reasons for this, it said, weredue to the wrong product being placed in the wrong packaging, or the labeling not being in English.

The FSA is also concerned that "may contain" allergy labels are used so widely that people with allergies "indulging in risk-taking behaviour" and choosing to ignore the claim, risking an allergic reaction.

The NHS does not hold data on specific food allergies but figures show that overall allergies, which include food allergies, are rising sharply.

According to NHS Digital data there were25,093 hospital admissions for allergies in England in 2015/16, up by 36pc from2011/12 when there were 18,471 admissions.

Over the period there was also a rise in hospital admissions for anaphylactic shocks, a serious type of allergic reaction which can cause swelling of the tongue, heart failure, and death.In 2011/12 there were 3735 hospital admissions, rising by 19pc to 4451 in 2015/16.

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More adults suffering from food allergies because of 'exotic' middle-class diets - Telegraph.co.uk

We are now well into 2017. Many of us started the new year with a diet, likely with the intention of losing weight, or being healthier.

There are many different products and programs on the market that promise weight loss. Some require replacing one or two meals each day with a shake or bar and eating a healthy dinner. Others offer weight-loss supplements focusing on reducing appetite to help you eat less.

Diet programs guide participants through the process, sell them their food and supplements, and offer weekly weigh-ins. These programs are based on changing lifestyle, tracking food intake by using a point system, encouraging attendance at weekly meetings and weigh-ins and regular exercise. Also, online programs help track calories and daily activity levels.

Diets including high fat, low fat, high carb, low carb, Paleo and Mediterranean are available, as well as many others.

Most diets work, if followed, but many are very different to how people normally eat. For many dieters, after reaching a weight or fitness goal, they tend to go straight back to what they were used to before.

According to 2016 figures, the weight-loss industry was worth $60 billion, from diet book sales and the many programs, clinics and products available. The industry does not want anyone to know that while on a strict diet they are undermining their metabolism. Dieting changes the rate of a metabolism, which can work against people.

A slowed metabolism can cause people to feel like they are constantly hungry, though their body needs to eat less to maintain the weight loss they just achieved. The weight-loss industry has much to lose financially and continues to create new plans and programs to keep us hooked.

We need to find a way of eating and active living that works for us. We need to learn what our body needs on an individual basis. Our ancestors ate foods they found in nature. With stores so fully stacked we need to realize that just because food is plentiful it does not mean we should eat all we can.

Looking at what is available, we should ask ourselves whether it is working to our benefit or detriment. Is it feeding the body or only filling the stomach? We should look at food as the basis of healthy living, giving it the place it had before we became too rushed to eat a wholesome breakfast before heading out the door.

We need to look at eating meals at the table more often, rather than in the car while on our way to work or when dropping off our children at school. Maybe we are eating too fast to give our bodies the chance to break down and digest the food the way nature intended.

Eating healthy and maintaining a healthy weight should not require a science degree or a list of different plans or programs that are hard to maintain.

Look at what you are doing right and find where you can make small changes. Create a plan that works for you and include whole foods: lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Let your body respond the only way it can when it receives all the nutrients it needs to function, with a healthy weight, fewer health problems, more energy and optimal health.

In the end, the best diet is the one you can stick to in the long term.

Kitty Clemens is a board-certified practical holistic nutritionist and professional cancer coach.

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Healthy Living: Which diet is best? - Powell River Peak

Thank God flexitarianism is among the diets that work.

It is dedicated to those who are interested in going vegetarian, but are not yet determined to say goodbye! to meat forever.

Flexitarianism is ranked in the top 10 diets when it comes to efficiency.

In short, the flexitarian diet is a mix of two concepts: flexible and vegetarian.

Beyonce and Jay-Z fell in love with the flexitarian diet and said it out loud: this diet works!

Flexitarians weigh 15% less than those who prefer a carnivorous diet, have a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes and cancer and live, on average, about 3,6 years longer than those who eat meat products.

It encourages you to add more veggies to your daily menu. Even if those who embrace this trend are advised to replace the meat with protein-rich foods such as tofu, beans, nuts, seeds and eggs, meat is not completely prohibited.

You can add meat to your menu, from time to time, and no one will ever mind.

There is, therefore, a fixed schedule, the 3-4-5 type, which requires you to eat a breakfast of 300 calories, a 400 calories lunch and a 500 calories dinner, choosing from the accepted food groups.

Youre also allowed two snacks during the day, 150 calories each, making sure the total number of calories consumed during the day does not exceed 1,500, for women, and 1800-2000, in what concerns men.

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The flexitarian diet is so popular this year: see why all the celebrities love it - Stck Nws US

wbur Commentary

March 01, 2017

By Jean Fain

Ive been trying to bite my tongue about Oprahs new cookbook, I really have. Who am I to judge one of Americas wealthiest women for sharing her weight-loss secrets and her favorite Weight Watchers-friendly recipes? Who am I to question if one of the most famous "yo-yo" dieters in dieting history has made peace with food or has simply managed to call a truce?

Actually, who I am a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders is exactly why Ive got a problem with Oprah and every other celebrity who celebrates dieting. Because of who I am, Im painfully aware of the downside of doing as celebrity diet proponents say, but not necessarily as they do.

Which isnt to say I dont understand the appeal of celebrity diets. I do. Flipping through the pages of the new star-studded and fabulously adorned diet books, I found renewed inspiration to eat greens and grains. I also enjoyed sampling favorite recipes of various stars; some are as dull and diet-y as expected, but many are remarkably delicious and nutritious. Oprahs unfried chicken is yummy. Gwyneths detox truffles, heavenly!

When I say celebrity diet, I mean any structured eating plan endorsed by-- or in actress-turned-entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrows parlance, "curated by"-- a celebrity. Whether its a tailor-made plan that facilitates weight loss, like Paltrows organic, whole-food, sugar-free diet, or a more established program that a celebrity is endorsing, such as Oprahs own Weight Watchers, a diet by any other name is still a diet. However, one unusual food choice, like Kim Kardashians penchant for placenta, does not a celebrity diet make.

With their intoxicating blend of impossible expectations, misguided authority and restrictive guidelines, celebrity diets are predestined to fail spectacularly.

From where I sit, clean eating, lifestyle plans, weight management programs, juice cleanses, support systems... theyre all diets, and theyre all bound to fail. But with their intoxicating blend of impossible expectations, misguided authority and restrictive guidelines, celebrity diets are predestined to fail spectacularly.

So, while I see the appeal of celebrity diets, Ive also seen the disheartening and dangerous aftermath, and it aint pretty. Which is why Ive decided to damn the consequences and tell the ugly truth.

Here are my three main problems with celebrity diets:

1. Celebrities Dont Look Like They Do Because Of Their Diets

Stars look like stars because theyre either genetically blessed with high metabolisms and lean bodies, driven to perfection, or both. Whats more, actresses, models, celebrity yoga instructors and the like get paid the big bucks to look fantastic. And a good thing, because it costs a pretty penny to employ an entourage of experts to keep up appearances.

People with eating issues tend to believe their problem is limited resources. If they had enough time, money and a personal chef, theyd be all set. But the fundamental problem isnt inadequate resources, but unspectacular genes and wishful thinking. If only they could transfer meal planning and cooking to an expert, or so the thinking goes, theyll live slimly ever after. Somehow, they forget Oprah has had her pick of personal chefs, trainers and medical experts for decades now, and yet she still struggles with her weight.

2. Diets Dont Work

Diets reliably promote weight gain, not loss, thereby increasing the very weight-related health risks they aim to decrease. Its cruel but statistically true: A five-year study of 2,500 teens showed dieting is an important predictor of both obesity and new eating disorders.

The reasons why diets dont work are complex and intertwined, but suffice it to say the body couldn't care less about fitting into skinny jeans when it's protecting you from starvation, which is your bodys experience of dieting. It slows down your metabolism, ramps up hunger, activates stress hormones, and is hellbent on eating every last Dorito until it safely returns you to your enduring, higher weight.

3. Celebrity Diets Are Even Less Likely to Work

Celebrity diets backfire big-time for all the same reasons and more. Diets of the rich and famous tend to be expensive, costing dieters time and money they dont necessarily have. Some go to wacky extremes, eliminating such an idiosyncratic list of foods that social occasions become stressful events. Whats a restaurant-goer to order on Gwyneths 10-day detox, which excludes gluten, soy, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, red meat, white rice, shellfish, raw fish, peanuts, tomatoes, eggplant, strawberries, corn... ?

Celebrity diets are beyond doomed because of the toxic mix of negative comparisons, shame and self-criticism they inspire. As inspiring as it might be to watch your favorite celebrities diet down to size, the airbrushed photos of celebrity dieters looking like theyre doing better than you tend to make you feel worse and exacerbate the very eating issues their diets are meant to alleviate.

When youre self-compassionate, theres no need to count points or calories or carbs. Thats because you generally appreciate your body and the food you feed it.

Interestingly, Oprah and a few other celebrities do recommend, among many other things, the antidote to that whole toxic mix and the missing ingredient in most celebrity diets: self-compassion. But, as with her diet, O doesnt exactly practice what she preaches. She waxes poetic about loving her body, but also waxes euphoric about counting Weight Watchers points. Its a mixed message at best, and a misguided one.

Self-compassion means treating yourself like a beloved child with love and kindness. When your stomach cries out in hunger, you dont ignore its cries; you feed yourself. And when your stomachs full, you dont go back for seconds and thirds; you put down your fork.

Self-compassion also means never going on a diet. When youre self-compassionate, theres no need to count points or calories or carbs. Thats because you generally appreciate your body and the food you feed it. You naturally eat less and weigh less without dieting.

So whatll it be have what Oprah or Gwyneth or Snooki are having or have a little self-compassion? You really cant have both.

Jean Fain is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychotherapist and the author of The Self-Compassion Diet.

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The Big Problem With Oprah And Other Celebs Who Tout Diets - WBUR

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