One of the most frequent questions I get from clients as well as fellow health practitioners is this: What ‘diet’ do you recommend?
In short, my answer is this: I don’t. Ever.
The dangers of fad diets are so numerous I could dedicate post after post to breaking down the specifics of each one and why you should stay far away from them. For the sake of brevity, let me just say this: Dieting, and this is especially true of fad diets, creates an extremely unhealthy relationship between yourself and food.
1. Most diets are based on restriction, deprivation, and eating practices that are unsustainable. This makes fad diets exactly what they are: Temporary.
2. As a result of this, the majority of fad diets result in feelings of guilt, shame and negativity. This fosters eating practices and emotions towards food that harm instead of help you.
This is exact OPPOSITE of what food is meant to do for the human body.
Food is meant to energize and enliven the body. It is meant to NOURISH. Think of the foods you eat as a life source that excite and support you on a permanent basis. Fad diets do the opposite.
Due to such eating extremities, the majority of fad diets cause a host of internal AND external health problems. Without proper, balanced nutrients that come from a variety of sources, your body will not receive the essential nutrients it needs to thrive. When this happens, the following results:
· Weight fluctuations: Weight loss from fad diets is temporary. Restricting entire food groups and depriving your body of much-needed nutrients forces your body into starvation mode, which is never a good idea. This type of thinking also sets the stage for eating disorders, which is a very serious, very dangerous issue. You are tricking your body instead of changing it. As soon as you begin to eat regular, well-balanced meals, the pounds not only come flying back, they are also that much harder to take off because your body can no longer regulate itself.
· Digestive issues: Tricking your body with supplements or eliminating specific foods result in constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and imbalance of bacteria needed to properly digest food. This causes immediate as well as long-term problems.
· Skin Problems: Drastic dieting accelerates aging and can even lead to acne, dryness and dull skin.
· Hormone Problems: The foods you eat directly affect your hormones. Fad diets can cause fluctuations in hormones that regulate hunger, sex drive, and fat storage.
· Mental and Emotional Instability: When you starve your body of essential nutrients by eliminating entire healthy food groups for the sake of weight loss, issues such as anxiety, lethargy, depression and hostility ensue.
· Metabolic Changes: Fad diets create a yo-yo effect on your metabolism. Up and down; up and down. The more you engage in extreme eating behavior, the more you damage the body’s natural ability to balance itself and burn through the food you eat.
· Chronic Health Problems: Eating well and being mindful of the foods that enter your body isn’t just about being skinny. It’s about being healthy, both now AND in the future. If you constantly trick your body and confuse your metabolism and digestive system with fad diets, you are setting the stage for SERIOUS health problems, weight issues and chronic illness and disease down the line.
Eating Clean is a Lifestyle.
Eating clean is not a fad diet or gimmick. It is a permanent, sustainable, nourishing choice you make for your body. It is about supporting overall health and wellness by eating a balance of clean, whole, delicious foods from a variety of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein and whole grains. This supplies your body with the nutrients, vitamins, fats, proteins and carbohydrates it needs to thrive.
Healthy eating is about supporting your body, not punishing it. Increased vitality, energy and weight maintenance result when you LOVE yourself enough to nourish your body with fresh, clean, delicious whole food. It’s not about one-sided food extremities or restricted food; it’s about HEALTHY, WELL-BALANCED meals that nourish your body with what it needs. If you do that, your incredibly intelligent body will burn off and eliminate what it doesn’t need, providing you with the lean, beautiful body you seek.
For additional support and nutrition information, please visit Eat Clean Health or contact Jodi directly to discuss your individual needs and concerns.
Happy, healthy eating.
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