Food fads and diet myths

With so many diets and health trends circulating on social media, it’s hard to work out what’s good for you and what’s bad. Profile enlists expert nutritionist and dietician Tess Keightley who identifies the 5 health fads and diet myths of 2019.

1- Ketosis: A very low carb diet with moderate protein and high fat. The idea is to severely restrict carbohydrates in a way that your body can burn its fats.

2- Paleo: people don’t have dairy, which is fine as there are ways around it, but there was a huge public health epidemic when the paleo movement came in, where everyone was restricting dairy. Some people had calcium deficiencies and Vitamin D deficiencies.

3- Fasting: No food but water for three days. However, many are opting to take a juice cleanse instead to keep the hunger at bay. The above three fad diets are dangerous because they try and restrict whole food groups, which we try and avoid. When you restrict food groups, it can create a food negative relationship and can bring on eating disorders.

4- Vegan- Tess would highly suggest you to see a dietician or nutritionist to make sure you are still getting adequate nutrients that you need. When you remove animal products, there are a few products we need to be mindful of, things like B12, Iron, Omega 3 and vitamin A.

5- Gluten-free: If you are celiac avoid Gluten however those who ‘prefer’ to opt for gluten free products need to be mindful of consuming products which have less nutrients.

What to avoid..
– Highly processed refined foods
– Packaging superfood
– Junk food
– Eating out or ordering takeaway
– Added sugars: cake, soft drinks, biscuits