Find out what does work with local dietitian and author Lisa Tillinger Johansen.
“How many diets have you been on, and how many have actually worked for you?” asked local registered dietitian Lisa Tillinger Johansen. In her new book “Stop The Diet, I Want To Get Off!,” she looks at the pros and cons of many popular fad diets and examines how they affect the body. Ultimately, she finds any diet that puts the body off balance is not good for us, and instead, she suggests a healthy eating alternative that can last forever.
“When we do something like restrictive dieting, our bodies may go off balance, which can affect normal body function – and that has its own consequences,” Tillinger Johansen said. “Too much of one thing and not enough of the other can cause health problems.”
Often times, we jump on these fad diets because of celebrity buy-in, but many celeb-backed diets exclude whole food groups entirely. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, for example, promotes a gluten-free diet.
“Unless you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, there is no reason not to eat gluten,” Tillinger Johansen said. “Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. But whole wheat and other grains contain, among other things, fiber. Fiber can help keep us regular, manage blood sugar, lower cholesterol and keep us full longer.”
One of the most widely accepted diets – high protein, low carb – is an example of how fad dieting, when taken to an extreme, can go wrong. The Atkins-style diet actually started with William Banting in England.
“When Atkins made it popular in America, his thought was that the restrictive diet was only supposed to last for two weeks,” Tillinger Johansen said, “in order to prevent potential health risks.”
When you eat a lot of protein, it causes the body to lose water, she said, accounting for some of the initial weight loss. And when we don’t consume enough carbohydrates, which is our body’s preferred energy source, we go into ketosis. In this state, our body turns fat into glucose, which can pose a problem.
For example, if a person with diabetes isn’t eating the right amount of carbohydrates, he can experience low blood sugar. Or, if a person eats more protein than needed, she can experience the build up of ketones, an acid in the body, which can alter the chemical balance of blood. Excessive protein intake can tax the kidney, as well. People with kidney disease, those at risk for kidney disease, and others may experience harmful effects, as well.
“Those are just a few of the possible side effects from a high-protein, low-carb diet,” Tillinger Johansen said. “Other fad diets that can alter the body’s normal function include the Paleo Diet, low-calorie diets, exclusion diets, and excessive juice cleanses.”
Instead, we should all be striving for balance, she says. Health should be the goal, not just weight loss. And how do we do that? Tillinger Johansen suggests following the Healthy Plate guidelines. Your plate should consist of: ½ non-starchy vegetables, ¼ starch, preferably whole grains, and ¼ lean protein. One serving each of fruit and low-fat or nonfat dairy are good additions to the plate, as well. Make it your goal to prepare vegetables using healthy cooking methods such as grilling, steaming, or baking.
In addition, Tillinger Johansen stresses the importance of speaking with your healthcare provider about your individual diet needs. “In the long run,” she says, “strive for balance, and eat for longevity!”
For more information about the pros and cons of fad diets, “Stop The Diet, I Want To Get Off!” is available online at Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Amazon, or visit www.stopthediet.com.
