Today we’re back with another of our Older Bolder Challenges for 2019 – it’s time to stop using, and thinking about the D-Word: Diet.
A point of order regarding the use of the word diet is called for here. In the medical and clinical arenas, the term diet is commonly used to describe a patient’s (or client’s) comprehensive nutritional plan (i.e., specifying the number of calories or other restrictions, such as a 1600 cal ADA diet, etc.).
In common, everyday, non-medical jargon, the word diet is most often used to describe a change from one’s typical eating plan, for example, “I’m trying the vegan, ice tea, prune diet” this January…
Though the approach following might seem almost tongue-in-cheek, I’d argue it’s high time we stopped using the D-word for five key reasons.
The D-Word Implies Deprivation
Admit it, if you’re like most of us (and not a medical-oriented clinician), when you hear the word diet you immediately think about being deprived of the foods you crave. The typical use of the word diet is to suggest a short-term, transient, restrictive eating plan that you endure to accomplish a goal, typically weight loss, and then go right back to the way of eating that got you into trouble in the first place.
The D-Word is Discouraging
Coupled closely to the deprivation issue above, many people starting their New Year, new body diet in January quickly become discouraged, particularly if they’ve chosen a restrictive, bland or very repetitive, or unhealthy plan to follow.
I have a relative who, during my childhood, would go on a several week binge of eating nothing but stewed cabbage every meal for two to three weeks at a time. They’d drop a few pounds (of course, calorie restriction works over the short haul), but eventually became so discouraged, as did the rest of household (cough, gag, etc…), the plan would crash and burn.
The D-Word is Distracting
Fad diets are fascinating to watch; there’s a never ending cascade of new and miraculous diet approaches being hawked by Instagram influencers around the world (the modern equivalent of the traveling snake oil/magic potion salesman of the frontier days). How about the celery juice diet for a current example?
Fad diets will always be around, as people are always looking for the quick and easy way out (and a way to keep scarfing their pizza and beer every weekend), though the simple fact is they often distract folks from making the best choices and finding a durable nutrition plan for the long haul.
The D-Word Can Be Deceitful, Even Dangerous
A kissing cousin to the distraction issue above is that some diets intentionally mis-state or mis-represent their efficacy, short and longer term impacts, and safety. Approaches like the Five-Bite Diet, the Werewolf Diet, The Baby Food Diet, Beyonce’s Master Cleanse, the Cotton Ball Diet, the Breatharian Diet, among many others, are doomed to fail (for a host of reasons) and have an impressive potential to inflict genuine harm.
The D-Word Leads to Dropouts
Probably the point I’m most concerned about with the cadre of folks that I coach and encourage is this – disruptive, deprivation driven, unsustainable diets ultimately fail; people drop out, get discouraged, assume their goals of improved health and well being are in reality unattainable, and go back to destructive food plans. Yoyo dieting patterns appear to be linked to metabolic and other issues, creating metabolic baggage that will be hard to dump down the road.
One Key Take Home Point: Don’t Diet, Develop a Healthy, Nutritious Food Plan
The take home point here is glaringly obvious, yet takes some thought and effort to work through – don’t diet, you need to develop a healthy, whole foods based, nutritious food plan for yourself (and your family) that fits your tastes, budget, culinary skills, and works for your schedule. Your food plan (or nutrition plan, or whatever you want to call it) must be durable and sustainable over the long haul.
It can be done.
There’s no single “right path” to get there. Your challenge is to listen to your body, educate yourself, and work it out. And interestingly, you’ll likely be tweaking and adjusting your nutrition plan along the way to meet changing life needs and issues that arise.
