The Pros And Cons Of Restrictive Diets
Special diets are all restrictive diets in one way or another, even if it’s a healthy diet. If you’re suffering from a food allergy, you have to go on a restrictive diet that eliminates that type of food. However, most people think of super low calorie or low carbohydrate diets when they hear the term restrictive. There are pros and cons for both those types of diets and diets like paleo, raw food and vegan.
Let’s start by looking at extremely low calorie diets.
Low calorie diets have been around forever it seems. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound, so by reducing caloric intake by 3500 less than you need, you’ll lose weight. There’s no definition of exactly what is eaten, just how many calories to eat. That liberal definition means you might eat five or six glazed donuts for 1200 calories per day, which is low calorie, but not healthy. A very low calorie diet restricts calorie intake to below 800 calories a day. While it’s good in the short term for the clinically or morbidly obese in the short term, it’s not sustainable over the long term. It’s not meant for pregnant or breastfeeding women and difficult to stick with.
Low carb or KETO diets look great at first.
When you first see the menu of a KETO diet, if you’re a bacon or meat lover you’ll be thrilled. How could you not be? Low carb diets involve eating less than 26% of your caloric intake from carbs. Normally, the amount advised is approximately 50%. One of the benefits of this type of restrictive diet is that it bans sugary foods and many highly processed foods made with grain, like pastry. However, there are drawbacks. It also limits many fruits and vegetables that are healthy and provide nutrients your body needs. It also can help blood sugar control if you’re diabetic. Changing to this type of diet can make you feel sick with headaches, diarrhea and exhaustion, sometimes called the “keto flu.” It also increases risk of cardio-vascular disease and fatty liver disease.
Paleo, raw food and vegan diets are also restrictive.
Paleo diets are based on what cavemen ate, before farming developed. It restricts milk products and milk, grain and grain products. The raw food diet involves eating food that’s never been cooked. The vegan diet doesn’t allow any animal product. There’s a lot of problems creating a well-balanced diet on all three, so it takes work and dedication. On the raw food diet, getting adequate protein is most difficult, since beans and legumes—a source of vegan protein—can only be sprouted and no animal products are allowed.
- The raw food diet risk the potential of food-borne pathogens. It’s associated with low intake of vitamins and minerals, particularly B12, zinc, iron, vitamin D and calcium.
- No matter what type of restrictive diet you choose, they all have two similar problems. They’re hard to stick with and normally end quickly. They also may cost more money to maintain than the average diet.
- Restrictive diets limit you too much and create an unhealthy relationship with food. When you do break the diet and eat something not allowed, it often ends the diet and you regain the weight you lost.
- We provide healthy diets plans with meals, recipes and shopping lists in one location. These diets can be continued for the rest of your life, since they’re based on healthy eating habits. You’ll learn to eat healthier while you’re losing weight.
For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training
Whether you’re the average person who doesn’t exercise, trying to get into shape or at the level of a bodybuilder you need protein, but do you need protein with every meal? Protein is an important macronutrient that you need to build new muscle tissue. If you’re sedentary, you need less protein than someone who is active and the more intense your workout, the more protein you need. How much is enough and when and how often should you consume it?
At Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, we focus not on dieting, but learning to eat healthier. That way there are no strict calorie restricted days. Cheat days are more for those on strict calorie restricted diets, which we don’t recommend. They became popular as a way to boost metabolism by allowing you one day periodically to eat whatever you want, even if it’s ice cream, alcohol or burgers and fries. Is it beneficial and can it help you lose weight?
At Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, while we help you with weight loss, we’re all about fat loss. Yes, there’s a difference between the two. When you lose weight, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing fat. Part of that weight loss can come from lean muscle loss and some can occur from water weight loss. Fat loss is just what it says, losing body fat. It might seem like a minute difference, but it’s huge and can affect your attempts at weight loss in the future.
What’s the best food to start you day off right? It’s actually a combination of foods, but good fruit combos should be part of that group. Fruit is easy to digest, provides energy and based on the colors, textures and even shapes of fruits, have different phytonutrients and antioxidants. Creating combinations of fruit for breakfast can help you improve your skin, fight inflammation and boost your immune system all in one dish.
These fat burning foods work in a number of ways, from thermogenic benefits, which means it takes more calories to digest the food than the food contains, to phytochemicals in the food that helps burn fat. These foods that burn belly fat aren’t exotic, but part of a healthy diet that fills you up longer and contain other nutrients that can help you build a strong body, boosting your metabolism and improving your overall health and energy. Let’s start with a favorite, avocado that contains monounsaturated fats that not only let you feel fuller but also the oleic fatty acids that actually attack abdominal fat. Switching out regular cooking oil for avocado oil can help you reduce your midriff.
Saving money at the grocery is on the top of everyone’s list, especially since prices have risen so rapidly. One way to do that is to eat in-season fruits and vegetables. That’s pretty easy in the summer and even late spring and early fall, but what are the healthiest winter veggies? Yes, there are vegetables that survive the cold and may even remain hardy when covered with snow. They normally contain more sugar, which allows them to do that. In fact, when harvested during cold weather, they taste even sweeter. What are they and how can you use them?
Fitness starts in the kitchen. While we focus heavily on exercise to build the body you want, at Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, we know that your diet is ultimately most important for weight loss and good health. A healthy diet is also good for your energy level, immunity and your skin. When you eat healthy, you’ll have a vibrant, fit appearance that no make-up can reproduce. It comes from within. No matter how expensive your facial creams and masks, if you want to rejuvenate your appearance, start with your diet.