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Why you should avoid quick-fix diets
On its own, juicing can lower the strength of the immune system. Photo | www.prevention.com
What you need to know:
- As tempting as the claims of quick fixes may be, these types of diets pose a number of health risks, and cause many people to gain back all the weight they lose, and then some.
Different people diet for different reasons. While some think they would look better if they lost a few kilogrammes, others may want a complete transformation by adding more kilos. For some, it may be about detoxing or cleansing toxins out of their body.
According to Ronnah Nankunda, a nutritionist at Impact Nutrition Company, people with diabetes may want to find out what food options can help to manage their sugar levels and those with high blood pressure can also get help from better feeding options.
Breastfeeding and lactating mothers also need a good diet that can also benefit their babies who are direct beneficiaries of what they eat. Once they feed poorly, their babies are likely to be affected too.
Many people go on different diets that they have seen other people take up without any assessment or knowing what health conditions those people had.
Because someone is famous does not make them an expert in nutrition and a diet that works for them may not work for you.
“The challenge is that different people have different goals for dieting and also suffer from different health conditions that may require them to get on particular diets. However, social media, filters and photo-shopped images will have us believe that it is a one-size fits all diet,” says Nankunda.
Some people, after being on a particular diet for some time claim to be experts in nutrition yet have limited knowledge, research and offer no protection to the public. Nankunda warns about unproven techniques to diagnose and treat nutritional problems.
“Whatever your reason is for dieting, it is important that you seek professional advice from qualified personnel. These fad diets tend to promote quick results without taking into account the nutrients your body needs and in the long run, they cause health problems,” Nankunda warns.
Before going on a diet
Good feeding is supposed to be a daily process in such a way that every meal is an opportunity for you to lose or gain weight, detoxify or control your sugar levels. There is a standard on how to feed from an informed point of view and this is why we have nutritionists and dieticians.
Therefore, before you go on a dieting plan, it is important that you have an assessment done on where you are and where you want to be. Doing extremes may not really take you where you want to be. Evaluate your overall health to see what health implications might come your way.
“Some people go on a diet to lose weight but end up malnourished because they do not know the food alternatives to keep their bodies from lacking certain nutrients,” Nankunda says.
In most cases, the diets recommended by other people involve eliminating foods that contain necessary nutrients that your body needs to maintain good health.
Eating only vegetables for instance is a good idea but because they are low in calories, one should remember that the body needs nutrients for muscle-building and proper functioning of the body. Therefore, if a person eats a particular type of food leaving out another, the body does not receive the right amounts of nutrients, which creates room for deficiency diseases and other serious health problems.
Many times, these fad diets are not sustainable and offer a quick solution to a problem that has existed for a long time. For example, one may lose weight but it will usually be regained quickly or even doubled.
The dangers
For some people, lean muscle and fluid loss is mistaken for fat loss. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, if you are overweight, losing some weight can positively affect your health but you need to do so in a healthy way.
Just like self-medication, Nankunda remarks that self-dieting and quick diet fixes can cause side effects such as diarrhea, upset stomach (nausea or vomiting), heartburn, gas or constipation, headache, dry mouth and dizziness, among others.
“Starvation diets and diet pills can have unwanted side effects and even damage your health. Stimulant-type diet drugs can lead to insomnia, increased blood pressure, fast heart rate, restlessness, drug dependence, abuse, and withdrawal symptoms,” she adds.
Recommendation
It is safe that you gradually lose weight by following a low-calorie eating plan that includes nutritious items from all major food groups.
Caution
Instead of counting on a diet to lose weight, make both diet and lifestyle changes that you can stick to for the rest of your life.
Consult a nutritionist or dietician who will work closely with other health practitioners to guide you and come up with a meal plan that can help you achieve your goal and also maintain it.
