Every week there’s a new diet that people are talking about, from a cabbage soup diet to a baby food diet.
Fad diets
Fad diets might seem like an easy way to lose weight, but most of them simply don’t work. They all involve cutting something out of the diet, when the best way to stay healthy is to get the right amount of all the food groups.
You might lose a lot of weight really fast if you stick to one of these diets, but the weight does tend to come back when you return to eating normally. Plus, there’s a danger to your health if you’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals.
Detox
Detox diets are particularly popular at the moment. It’s claimed that they cleanse your body of toxins and can help you lose weight.
If you’re considering starting a detox diet talk to you GP first, because some can be harmful to your health. The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic website has some good information on detox diets.
Losing weight
If you eat a balanced, nutritious diet and combine it with regular exercise, you should be able to reach a weight that’s right for you. For more information on making sure you’re a healthy weight, talk to your local GP.
Taking your body mass index (BMI) can also be a good starting point for evaluating your weight. Check the Nutrition and Health Foundation to calculate your BMI.
Don’t stress out
While it’s important to eat healthily, becoming too focused on your diet can lead to negative thinking. Don’t view food as the enemy. If you eat something unhealthy, try not to feel guilty, just aim to eat more healthily the next day.
We all have days where we don’t feel great about how we look but if it is really bothering you it could be helpful to learn more about how you can improve your body image, self-esteem and self-talk.
If you feel like you’re stressing out about what you eat, or how much you weigh it could be a sign of a bigger issue. There is lot’s of support for eating disorders. Bodywhys is a great organisation to check out for more information.