Hello! I am glad you are reading this blog post! It is super helpful because I know diet culture always misguides people!
Usually diet culture teaches you that you should adapt to a specific nutrition regimen and I love to contradict this statement. Nutrition is supposed to be adapted to the person, not the other way around.
As a dietitian I am going to provide the information and guide clients towards foods that are beneficial but also accesible to them. With that being said, I want to debunk the myth or belief that people should buy "expensive" products in order to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
Expensive and Unnecessary Products!
Usually, the majority of these "healthy products" are unnecessary and consuming them won't change much about your health.
A lot of these products are "super foods" or funky supplements that individually won't dramatically change your health. What truly modifies your health are constant actions like: consuming healthful foods (including fiber, antioxidants, probiotics) , including physical activity, drinking enough water to hydrate you, etc. Including a powder with one antioxidant like chlorophyll, or supplements like turmeric or apple cider vinegar... not so much!
These supplements are pricey and one ingredient without modifying other aspects in your lifestyle won't really show a beneficial outcome.
Detox Juices!
Another popular trend you can leave behind are all those detox juices.
What this offers is a little jumpstart into losing weight. However, you are not losing true weight (fatty tissue for example), you are just eliminating that extra water weight you are carrying due to sodium consumption.
In reality, you are just spending an awful week, craving lots of food and missing out on important nutrients. These regimens are extremely pricey and they are not going to promote what they offer.
Calorie Driven Meal Plans!
Oh yes, I said it!! You DO NOT need to create a meal plan that revolves around a small amount of calories to lose weight or promote health benefits. Usually when we focus primarily on calories, we won't be able to include healthful foods since they are higher in calories. For example, incorporating avocados, hummus, peanut/almond butter, nuts/seeds, etc. they are all rich in fat, promote health benefits but they are calorically dense. That being said, you may be able to include small amounts or non at all because they would surpass the calorie limit you have in your meal plan.
The secret here is learning to balance your meals, being able to include the 3 macros + fruits/veggies. This won't let you feel extremely hungry between meals like low calorie meal plans do.
Dairy Free/Gluten Free Products!
Okay, I know what you might be thinking but I am not against these products all together. There are certain people that cannot consume dairy or gluten given the presence of specific conditions. Therefore, this DOES NOT mean these components are bad for everyone. If you have lactose intolerance or Celiac Disease, I am very sure you want to eliminate them as they cause a lot of discomfort, gas, abdominal pain and even malabsorption (in Celiac disease).
However, if you notice that while consuming dairy products you start to breakout, you may want to reduce your consumption. Although, it is not something life threatening, it can be obnoxious having them on your face. Personally, that is my case and I try not to exceed my dairy consumption as I don't like breakouts. But, like I said it is a personal decision. Dairy is a great source of calcium and protein, so eliminating it just because others say it's bad for you... mmm not so much! You truly have to have these underlying conditions to eliminate both from your diet. If you do not have any of them, don't spend more on gluten free or dairy free products as they are not going to make you achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Everything Keto Friendly!
These products are soooooo common everywhere now but do they really work? Is the Keto Diet as effective as it claims to be? Truly, eliminating food groups is not beneficial as you are not getting all the nutrients a specific food group provides. Eliminating carbohydrates specifically won't allow you to get enough fiber, B vitamins, plant-based protein and energy.
As I mentioned in the low calorie paragraph, whenever you are avoiding foods you will just start craving lots of other foods making this diet not sustainable. Not to mention all the metabolic issues this causes as being in ketosis causes lots of headaches as glucose is the primary source of energy for neurons in our brain.
I hope I explained the reasons why you shouldn't focus on these unnecessary food trends!
Feel free to reach out to me on my email: andrea@thblissfuldietitian.com or DM on my IG page!
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