Diets are so dang contradictory and confusing – and their unsolicited advice is EVERYWHERE. You turn to the paleo diet, and they tell you to avoid grains and dairy. You turn to the keto diet, and they say to avoid most fruits, root veggies and tubers. The “Evidence-Based Eating Guide” advises against all animal foods. I could go on and on, but those are just a few common ones of the moment. 

You know what’s frustrating? I spent four years studying exercise science, including several courses on nutrition. I spent another three and a half earning my physical therapy degree (and yes, we talked about nutrition as a component of health). I studied nutrition on my own and became a certified sport nutrition specialist. I am STILL READING current literature on diet, and I do not have the answers. 

The truth is, an “expert” can tell you their opinion on a certain grouping of foods (“diet”), but at the end of the day that’s all it is – an educated opinion based on lots of research and practice, but an opinion nonetheless.

So here is my opinion on all these other opinions floating around out there. First of all, you should run as fast as you can from any diet that tells you to avoid fruits or veggies. If you somehow convince yourself that avoiding fruits and veggies is helping your health, while also continuing to consume highly processed foods and sugary beverages, we have a problem. Second, nobody in the diet industry actually cares about you – that’s just the reality. What they care about is filling their bank accounts…and, as consumers, we have allowed them to do just that. Did you know that the diet industry is now worth over $72 billion as of 2019? Let that sink in for a moment. We are so desperate to find someone who will tell us that, no honey, we do not have to exercise, and no, we do not have to eat our greens. But the reality is this: according to the CDC, the obesity epidemic in the US reached 42.4% from 2017-2018. Whatever we’re doing is not working. 

Here are a few factors contributing to the obesity epidemic:

-stress: can lead to poor food choices, poor sleep, increased inflammation and production of stress hormones

-highly processed foods: often contain high contents of salt and sugar to make the flavor more appealing or preserve shelf life

-reduced exercise: less calories burned through activity, plus a reduced metabolism over time

All this to say, proceed with caution when you read about diets that promise to be “evidence based” and cure every possible disease. It’s easy to get caught up in the ideas of the latest “expert.” However, if it were as simple as one perfectly packaged diet, we would all be on that same plan. So, whether you’re doing some research to improve your health, taking tips from “influencers” on Instagram, or watching diet ads on TV, take those recs with a grain of salt.