4 Reasons Why You Should Never Go on a Diet

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We all have a friend who counts calories or avoids carbohydrates.

We all have said to ourselves at some point of time, “I need to go on a diet.”

Diet culture is also all around us. There are Ketogenic Diet Followers, Paleo Diet Lovers. Vegan Enthusiast and many more who swear by various diet plans. By diet, I mean, following some restrictive, regulated and supervised food rules (except medical and ethical concerns). There are celebrities endorsing various diet plans and on click of a mouse, detox diets, personalized/non-personalized diets are available.

While the buzz around the various fad diets is never-ending, do they do any good in the long run? I think not and here’s why you should not go on a diet.

1. Dieting robs you of nutrients

Whichever dieting plan you follow, you are basically restricting yourself from getting some or the other food nutrients. If you are on…

Low carb diet. You’re missing out on fiber, B-Vitamins, potassium, magnesium and other micronutrients.

Low fat diet. You may have trouble absorbing Vitamins A, D, E and K.

Calorie restricting diet. You certainly won’t be able to meet the protein, calcium, biotin, thymine, Vitamin A, Magnesium needs.

Paleo/No dairy diet. You’ll have a harder time meeting your calcium, Vitamin D needs.

2. Dieting is stressful for the body

When you go on a low-calorie diet, the brain slows down metabolism to conserve energy and keep the body functioning on fewer calories. And this can make weight loss and weight maintenance more difficult.

Also dieting increases stress hormone, cortisol. When cortisol is high, digestion, sleep, and everything else is thrown off. Increased cortisol can actually lead to weight gain, among other things.

Also weight fluctuation brings a host of related side effects that can harm your physical health. Not surprisingly, it has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.

4 Reasons Why You Should Never Go on a Diet

3. Dieting is waste of effort

It’s a known fact that most people who go on a diet, regain all the weight, plus more at some point. Studies have shown that diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.

4. Dieting is bad for mental health

Dieting pushes you to set unrealistic expectations and also distorts body image and self esteem, and is a major contributor to eating disorders. When you view certain foods as bad and others as good, there is a risk of developing a disordered relationship with food. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

Is there a solution to dieting?

It is best to stick with a healthy balanced lifestyle and this should become a part of your lifestyle every single day. Remember to make it a journey and not a destination.

Do you believe in diets? How has been your experience with them?

My theme for this year’s Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is Food Talks. Join me for some interesting, fun conversations about food experiences, experiments, basics, tips, ideas, hacks, trends and much more.

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