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Jan 24

Trying out a new fad diet? Its the same old thing. – Monterey County Weekly

Diets that Work Comments Off on Trying out a new fad diet? Its the same old thing. – Monterey County Weekly

IF YOURE HOPING TO FIND THE KEY TO YOUR IDEAL 2020 BODY IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SMASH YOUR SCALES AND BREAK YOUR MIRRORS AND HAVE A SEAT ON YOUR PELOTON, because walking into a fad diet by yourself can be a hard-learned lesson in history, science and self-esteem especially for women. According to dietary and lifestyle consultant Stephanie Bouquet of SB Nutrition in Salinas, the image of the idealized body has always existed, even if its a moving target. If you look back in the 50s, everyone wanted to look like Marilyn Monroe. Then in the 60s, Twiggy was the big thing, Bouquet says.

Today, in the age of Instagram, we see idealized women figures all the time, many of them celebrating what at first glance looks like body positivity. There are muscular women (with big butts, always), because #fitspo (thats fitness inspiration, if youre not a hash-tagger). Theres a #loveyourbody craze, as if were finally pushing back against idealized figures, but there are still a host of fad diets and products to reach that ideal body.

Bouquet is a registered dietician who helps all kinds of people from working moms to super athletes and people with diabetes live a healthy lifestyle. She points out that most of these so-called diets and weight-loss products are built around restricting or eliminating something, which is often not just unnecessary and unsustainable, but also unhealthy.

Everyone has a diet because everyone has a pattern of eating, she says. If my clients want to do keto or whatever, its their choice, but these fad diets always cut something out.

Another thing about fad diets: Theyre not really new, theyre just rebranded. Going gluten-free without a diagnosis from a doctor? It looks a lot like cutting commercially available carbs. (See: the Atkins diet or paleo diet.) Venturing into a ketogenic thats high-fat, some protein and low-carb diet? Most arent truly following the diets medical findings (training your body to burn fat, by consuming fat) and are just doing some version of low-carb, high-protein, Bouquet notes. That diet was made for children with epilepsy, she says. Could you imagine those poor children, being forced to eat sticks of butter because thats howhigh fatit really is.

Then there are all of the apps and gadgets. It might be new technology, but its old-school calorie-counting by another name. Tracking became popular in the 1920s, but today we can pull up the exact nutritional breakdown of a food in an instant. Oh, and they make apps for children now too, to help them identify good and bad foods. What else would we expect from a $70 billion industry?

While there can be initial results, there are some glaring problems in the long run with fad dieting. Ninety-five percent of people cant sustain a fad diet, Bouquet says. She points out a common problem with jumping from diet to diet, or yo-yo dieting: reducing calorie intake.

You may lose weight really quickly in the beginning because your body isnt used to functioning with that little fuel, she explains. But then your metabolism wants to re-balance, reaching an equilibrium with the amount of food youre consuming. Our bodies are really smart, Bouquet says. Suddenly its not progress, and thats the point where people get frustrated.

Cravings, shes found, work in a similar way: If your diet says you need to be super-high fat all the time [on the keto diet], youre eventually just going to want an apple, because your body wants carbs.

Dieting, and our bodies ability to counterbalance the effects, are nothing new. What is new is the constant surveilling of our bodies with social media, which is giving rise to a dangerous eating disorder called orthorexia: an obsession with healthy eating and living.

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Thats actually when I recommend [a client] see a mental health specialist, Bouquet says. Its a control thing. The things they put in their mouth are one thing they can control.

So what diet does she recommend? She doesnt. But she does have a recommended mindset: 80/20, or eating 80-percent whole, minimally processed foods like veggies, lean proteins and whole grains. The other 20 percent is whatever the hell you want.

With food come lifestyle changes, too. A lot of my clients put taking care of themselves last on their list of things to do, Bouquet notes. So its a slow thing you have to work up to and ask, every day: What is the bare minimum I can do to take care of myself? Bouquet finds most people arent in tune with how their body is functioning, and yet look to diets and fitness regimens as the fix. Being healthy is taking stock of your body functions, she says. If youre not getting enough sleep, or are constantly stressed, or not eating enough, how do we expect our body to work?

In other words, dont skip breakfast, sleep more, move your body, eat well most of the time and 95 percent of us are going to be OK. Its like that old adage, but its true, Bouquet says. Everything in moderation.

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Trying out a new fad diet? Its the same old thing. - Monterey County Weekly

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