I’m sure many of you will join me in saying I’m entirely and ultimately fed up with all the unrealistic diet claims out there. It seems we hear one at least everyday, am I right? This week I picked up two of my favorite women’s fitness and health magazines that I truly do love, but I was upset by the covers. On one side of the covers, I was promised to have the ultimate answer to getting rid of my butt fat, while the other side said on page 52 I could learn how to stop dieting. Seriously? The mixed messages we get today as women outrage me. It’s no wonder so many of us have eating issues! If you’re tired of all the unrealistic diet claims out there, join me in turning the other cheek and just eating a healthy, balanced diet. There’s nothing wrong with that, and in the meantime, ignore these top 7 hypes that are some of the most advertised claims out there.
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1. Raspberry Ketones
Yes, I know, Dr. Oz even promised you that this diet fad would work, but it remains to be one of the most unrealistic diet claims out there today. Raspberry ketones may be something that slightly increase metabolic burn, but not enough so that you’d ever notice a difference, and there haven’t been enough studies done on this for us to make a reasonable link to diets. A better bet? Eat low-glycemic foods, like raspberries, because they’re high in fiber, low in sugar, and brimming with healthy nutrients.
2. Fat-free Diet
This is an oldie, but one so many people still say works, and I hate it! Going fat-free wrecks your metabolism, whether you lose weight or not. It also makes you antsy, and eating more carbs instead of fat is not the way to lose weight. It can also lead to depression, poor digestion, and mood disorders. I don’t think you should load up on fat by any means, but going fat-free isn’t the answer either.
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3. The 80/10/10 Diet
Many people eating a plant-based lifestyle promote eating an 80/10/10 diet, comprised of 80% carbs, 10% protein, and 10% fat. I’m sorry, but doing all those ratios each day just doesn’t sound like living to me. I know that you need a certain amount of carbs, fat, and protein to find your optimal weight, but I believe that can differ for every person. Besides, I’m totally not into weighing my food before I eat it, or trying to decipher how much percentage a carrot is going to take up of my diet. Are you?
4. The Thermogenic Diet
This involves eating only thermogenic foods, which is said to raise the metabolism. Okay, sure, cayenne pepper may raise the metabolism by a small percentage, but I’m not about to douse all my food in it! Other thermogenic foods include green tea, eggs, and coconut oil. Sure, all these foods are healthy, but eating only those foods is not a healthy diet plan.
5. Gluten-free
Can gluten make you gain weight? Absolutely. Does a gluten-free diet always work? No. Loading up on gluten-free products is not going to help you lose weight, okay? I mean, seriously, some of those gluten-free foods are worse in nutritional value than ones that contain gluten. Gluten can trigger weight gain for many people, but not all. It depends if you’re sensitive to it or not, or possibly allergic. Foods that are naturally gluten-free that can help you lose weight include vegetables, low-glycemic fruits, gluten-free grains like quinoa and brown rice, lean proteins like fish, eggs, chia, almonds, and hemp seeds, and fat-free yogurt. However, don’t say you’re going on a gluten-free diet to lose weight. The title alone doesn’t mean anything for weight loss, unless you have an allergy or sensitivity.
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6. Juice Cleansing
Okay, I’ll probably get a few comments on this one, so let me clear things up. Juicing is a great thing to do. I do it every single day, twice a day. Yet, I don’t do it in replacement of meals, and although doing so might make you lose weight, it is terrible for you in so many ways. Doing so for one to three days actually is a good way to cleanse the digestive tract if you're suffering issues, but it must be done very carefully. Juicing instead of eating raises insulin and tells your body to store fat because it raises your blood sugar. Even strict green juice has sugar, but no fiber to slow down your digestion, leading to an increase in blood sugar. Juicing can help regulate your blood sugar in addition to meals, but doing it instead of eating all day will not. Besides, do you really plan to juice your whole life? I didn’t think so. When you start eating regularly again, you will gain weight, and likely be sick in the process from not eating for weeks before.
7. Going Vegan
Alright, again, I”ll probably get a few comments on this one too, so let me clear the air. Going vegan is actually a great way to become healthier. I’ve done it once before, and so have tons of celebrities, and guess what? You’ll drop weight- if you do it correctly. However, just going vegan and buying “replacement” foods for animal foods, like vegan butter, soy meat replacement products, proteins like Quorn (which really sounds gross), and eating tons of processed vegan foods like Oreos, is not going to guarantee weight loss just because it came from a factory or a plant. To lose weight on a vegan diet, you still need to get more vegetables than processed foods, eat more natural foods like quinoa, nuts, seeds, and brown rice, and avoid processed vegan junk food. That’s a smart way to go vegan- not loading up on vegan junk food. Going vegan may not be for you, even if you do it the right way. Try going vegetarian first if you can, to see how you do. This includes a couple variations, where some people eat eggs and fish and fat free dairy like yogurt, and others just eat eggs and fish, or just eggs. If you’d like to go vegan after that, feel free, but pay attention to your energy levels, mood, and weight in the process to see what works for you.
If you’ve had a terrible diet gimmick, let’s hear it! I want to hear what diet claims make you mad and which ones you wish would disappear. What diet claim are you sick of?
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