Whole Health Dietitian
You want to lose weight without compromising your health!
Any time you follow a 'diet' or severely restrict a certain food group you could lose weight but this can also put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies and issues with your health! You can lose weight, but is it healthy? Success is NOT measured solely by the number on the scale! When you restrict too much, you aren't getting enough nutrients and your metabolism slows down promoting stronger fat cells and poor long term success!
Bottom line: Skip the fad diets & instead, choose a calorie and fat-controlled healthy eating plan that you can stick with long term! Something realistic!
What about the low carb, high protein diets?
Low carb diets is a good example of this. You'll certainly lose weight on low carb diets because it cuts calories drastically but it does not include all the nutrients you need for good health! The elimination of healthy food groups, and the unpleasant side effects, makes it an unlikely choice for the long haul. A once-daily multivitamin will not compensate for the nutritional value from fruits, whole grains and healthy fats that are inadequate. Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet, but it cannot stand alone. A truly healthy diet includes all the food groups -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy and healthy fats along with lean protein. Your body needs the nutrients these foods provide. Constipation, bad breath, dry mouth, and fatigue should be a red flag that this is not a healthy diet. Your body’s preferred fuel to energize and keep you going is smart carbs, and when you eat a healthy diet you should feel great -- not have negative side effects.
I think people lose sight of nutrition when they're dieting, you never want to compromise your health to lose weight. Aren’t you wanting to lose weight to be more healthy? Then why go on diets that are going to make you unhealthy?? I often see patients that have major health problems from dieting. Nutritional deficiencies can lead to more serious problems too, especially for people who already have other medical conditions. Many vitamins and nutrients have been shown to help prevent serious diseases, like cancer and heart disease. Sticking to an unbalanced diet for a long time may lead to serious consequences. Once you cause damage to your body it is hard to recover and hard to lose weight later.
So what specifically might someone on a low carb diet be missing?
-Fiber, which is in many of the carbohydrates that are eliminated in high-protein diets, helps with digestion. It may also help prevent some serious diseases, such as heart disease.
-Water. Carbohydrates have a lot of water in them, so when you cut them out, it's easy to get dehydrated without realizing it.
-Vitamins, such as A, B, C, and E, are plentiful in many high-carb vegetables, fruits, and grains.
-Folic acid is in dark leafy greens and fruits and vegetables. It's also in many fortified foods, like cereals, that Atkins prohibits. Folic acid may reduce the risk of cancers, heart disease, and other problems.
-Phytochemicals and antioxidants are in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These things can help prevent a lot of different diseases, including heart disease and cancer.
10 Best Reasons a low-carb diet is wrong:
1.The risk for Heart Disease is greater
2.The risk for Cancer is greater
3.You will have poor long term weight control
4.Reduces athletic performance
5.Rises blood pressure with age
6.Increases risk for gout
7.Increases risk for kidney stones
8.Increases risk for osteoporosis
9.Possibility of fainting because of electrolyte loss and blood pressure changes
10.Bad breath