Healthy Diets and The Myths Behind Popular Diets Jess Tyrrell, RDN, CD Wellness & Outpatient Dietitian
Background Overview Dietitian vs other nutrition professionals The diet cycle Popular diets Pros & Cons What they all have in common Life after the diet What makes a healthy diet Questions!
Dietitian vs Nutritionist Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN or RD) Definition: Nutrition expert that uses science based evidence to patients/clients Education: Bachelors degree, completion of internship, pass a national exam, and completes continuing education credits. Accreditation: Register with the commission of dietetics registration and licensed in ones state to practice Nutritionist Definition: Self-proclaimed nutrition expert Education: None required Accreditation: None required and not legally accepted as a nutrition expert
My Background
Popular Diets Pros & Cons
Phases Diet Cycle Start Diet & Restriction 7-14 days Deprivation & Crave 14-21 days Give in 21+ days Guilt Instantly
Counting Calories or Points The claim: Lose weight by knowing calories in vs calories out or by sticking to a certain number of points each day. PROS Weight loss Rapidness depends on calorie/point level How do you know what the right level is? Helps teach portion control Increases awareness Increase in lower calorie foods Fruits and Vegetables Can help you ease into a healthy lifestyle Typically motivates you to add in physical activity CONS Time consuming Hard to be done accurately Obsession Can lead to disordered eating patterns Anxiety over eating out Guilt when not entering something
Hypocaloric The claim: Supports rapid weight loss to help you achieve your goal weight faster. PROS Supports rapid weight loss Can help individual jumpstart healthy eating pattern Increases fruit and vegetable intake Encourages increased water intake May help teach portion sizes CONS Fast weight gain as soon as you increase calories Always hungry Low energy No working out Sometimes leads to constipation Deficient in micronutrients
Low Carb High Fat The claim: Fast weight loss, mental clarity, more energy, better sleep, uses fat stores, lowers blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure. PROS Supports rapid weight loss Lowers seizures in epilepsy Helps lower blood sugar in T2DM patients Increased non-starchy vegetable intake Increased water intake required May provide increased performance for athletes May help with PCOS patients losing weight CONS Very strict Food should be measured to be done correctly Foggy brain Limits social functions Increased GI distress Restricts whole food groups Ex: fruit Rapid weight gain when not followed properly or after stopping diet No energy to workout
Pre-Made Meals & Replacement Shakes The claim: Lose excess pounds quickly with an individual meal plan that s delivered right to your doorstep. PROS Supports rapid weight Loss Convenient Gives structure and guidance Teaches portion control Eliminates processed foods Increase in fruits and vegetables Encourages increased water intake CONS Expensive Not having real food Limits eating out and social events Tastes awful Not satisfying/ starving all the time Doesn t teach healthy habits Doesn t teach you how to prepare healthy food Rapid weight gain when no longer following meal plans
Eliminating a whole food group The Claim: Reset your metabolism by cutting out food groups that humans shouldn t be eating. You may lose weight as a benefit. PROS Increase in whole foods Fruits and Vegetables Finding a food intolerance Increased energy Depending no calorie level No calorie counting Eliminates all processed foods May support weight loss Encourages increased water intake CONS Can cause reactions to food groups that weren t there before Weight gain when reintroducing foods due to high restriction during diet
Other Popular Diets High Protein Low fat Juice Cleanses Soup diets Liquid diets Fruit diets Drops with extremely low calories Counting macros
What do these diets all have in common? Increased fruit and vegetable consumption Increased water consumption Decreased processed foods Practicing portion control Reducing caloric intake Most encourage physical activity Rapid weight gain when not followed properly
Avoiding Rapid Weight Gain This is the hardest part! Avoid eating the foods you ve felt deprived of Maintain current eating patterns Slowly add foods that have been eliminated Try to maintain calorie level Keep a food journal to help keep you on track
What makes a healthy diet? Not one type of diet fits all!
All Foods Fit Balance and Moderation Eat healthy 90% of the time (10% wiggle room) Balancing all foods and not eliminating anything Mindful eating Listening to hunger and satiety cues Enjoying all parts of a meal
Healthy Sustainable Weight Loss Losing 0.5-2.0 pounds per week Adds up to be 26-104 pounds per year! Fast off Fast on!
Trusting Sources Ask yourself a few questions: 1. Does the person telling you this information have credentials? 2. Is this person trying to sell you something? 3. Is the information backed by science? If it is, who funded the study? 4. Is the diet eliminating a food ground you re NOT intolerant or allergic to?
Final Take Away Eat a pattern that you find enjoyable! Don t restrict yourself and set yourself up for failure. Remember that slow and steady wins the race! Be consistent! If you want to try a diet Research research research! Make a plan and set yourself up for success. Use it as a tool to jumpstart you into a healthy balanced eating pattern and not just a quick fix tool.
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Questions?