Sunday, April 07, 2013

Why I Hate Fad Diets

Do Detox Diets Work? You Tell Me.

I hate fad diets. Hate them all. Which one? In my opinion, whether you're juicing, doing the "master cleanse", or the cabbage soup diet its all the same.



Here's what usually makes up a fad diet:

  • Lasts 2-7 days
  • Usually made up of a few hundred calories
  • Usually lets you have some fruit or veggies
And this is why I hate them.





1) There is NO detox here: I can imagine there is a spiritual aspect to things like juicing etc- I can admit that. When the whole world was gasping at Adriana Lima's pre-Victoria's Secret show diet I agreed it was extreme but I  understood. Modeling, her body, thats her job. If she looked like everyone else wouldn't we all be Victoria's Secret models?

But I hate when people call these things "cleanses" saying its "detoxifying" their body. According to WebMD and MayoClinic, researchers at Harvard Institute and registered dietitians  they don't work. And you will never find a professional (outside of a extremist group of eaters) that say they do. So I just  wish people would call a spade a spade- its not detoxifyng anything. Stop kidding yourself. You want to detox? Don't go to happy hour every other day after work. Boom. Problem solved.

Your body doesn't need to detox. That's what your kidney and livers are for- and they do a great job at what they do.  Fad diets havent proven to remove toxins from your body.

probably didn't get like this by juicing :P

2) People are kidding themselves. The truth is, the majority of my friends who try fad diets aren't in great shape. Why? Because they do things like fad diets all the time. They haven't accepted the fact that eating well is something you have to implement every single day (or at least 80% of the time).

That being said I always try to stress that it is perfectly OKAY to have "cheat" meals. But you can't eat badly 7 days of the week, every single week, crash diet a weekend before your Vegas trip and expect to look amazing. You know what really happens when you do that? You lose a few pounds (on a scale), still feel bloated, look the same and and then blow up with sodium and water weight the second you have a normal meal. And now you're especially cranky because you were trying to kill your calorie intake. Its a viscous cycle.

Now I agree- juicing is a great way to get vitamins in. But your body can only handle so many vitamins in a day- the rest leaves your body via urine. So if people were to add it as a supplement to their meals? Nothing wrong with that. But I don't like how its become the new "quick fix" that I'm sure will just be replaced by something else in the near future.

You want to look great all the time, then be mindful of what you eat most of the time. I love food- there's no denying it. The fatty stuff, tacos, noodles etc. So its not like I don't like food. But this is I how I think of it- I only go out to eat 3-4 times a week on the weekends. If the food isn't great (and if I made it it won't be LOL) then I'd rather just eat clean. Whats the point of being bloated and tired for some mediocre mac and cheese?

So that's just my two cents. I can understand the spiritual aspect of it for some people- feeling connected to your body and owning it is a wonderful thing. But no more of this "detox" nonsense please. Let's just call a spade a spade, and that is all :)

PS. I'll be uploading a video today about my favorite pasta substitutes for my fellow carb lovers :D Stay tuned!

Bye guys!

10 comments:

vivthediv said...

Really great points here, I totally agree! X

Unknown said...

@viv thanks girl ^___^ have a nice weekend!

rachel said...

I haven't read the whole post yet but I agree with the whole detox thing not working! I think it's totally on you and how you eat to have a "cleaner" body. If you're healthy and etc your body will naturally get rid of the toxins. I'm chinese and my mom makes a lot of leung cha (is that how you spell it in english? haha i'm really bad at romanization!), chinese medicines, and also chinese soups! I definitely believe that those help my body naturally get rid of toxins along with a healthy lifestyle!

Joy said...

Some people want to be naive and believe that a shortcut just might work for them, because some people don't want to try or just aren't willing to do it the old-fashioned way. Let's face it, there is no 'diet' that fixes health issues in the long-run. Only if you're willing to make a long-term fitness or diet change and those ultimately become lifestyle changes, not 3-7 days of starving.
While I will never go on a 'juicing diet,' I will put a bunch of fruit and vegetables into a blender to help myself get in those vitamins and minerals, nutrients I need of course. But those will never replace all the animal protein and delicious carbs (complex & simple) that I just can't stop consuming!

Anyways, thanks for posting this!

shortandsweetjoy

Katie said...

I completely agree with you Jackie. I feel like these fad diets are overrated. Sure, they work for like 2-3 days, but you also feel like crap. Sigh, I really wish these models wouldn't share their diet regimes. They are role models of so many young girls out there, and I'm sure not everyone would take the time to do research on those diets. They aren't even healthy half the time. I know so many people who eat healthy 1 day out of the week and then 6 days they would eat complete junk. lol if only they would turn that around. But thanks for pointing it out. :D

Anna said...

Loved this post! Super informative and I'm glad you were so straight forward with this subject. ^___^ Can't wait for more posts and vids from you! <33

Emily said...

Thank you for posting this. I'm with you 100%! I just finished watching your YT videos about your health/fitness and would love read/see more! xx Emily

thesneakyshopper.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

those look good :O

Follow 4 Follow on GFC and Bloglovin?

http://lizziapple.com/
(comment my blog and let me know)

Dubchika said...

Woohoo! You've been updating your blog! And yes, I did juicing or 7 days... 2 weeks before my wedding. The weight comes back if you don't exercise and eat healthy!!! That was the first and last I did juicing. I workout now and do portion control. Down 12lbs so far and I have about 20 to go! Keep up the blogging, Jackie!!

tiffany_keep_going said...

Agree! Fad diet NEVER works,
it even damages our metabolism and makes us more DIFFICULT to lose weight.
Weight loss should be a lifestyle change :)