Do Trending Facade Diets Really Work?

-By Huma Batool Nakvi

How annoying is it when that one person pulls out their phone to calculate the number of calories before starting their meal?

What started as a green diet revolution has evolved into a fashion trend in many societies. The unfortunate part is it makes people fall into believing misconceptions such as skipping meals is good for your diet. The fitness culture in todays world where people blindly follow the internet, has led to people believing in fabricated dieting habits. 

1. Gluten Free Desserts are healthier: Normal Desserts are not necessarily less healthier than Gluten Free ones as they may have increased calorie content leading to weight gain. Not to mention they’re already behind normal desserts when it comes to nutritional content. However, it is great for people diagnosed with celiac disease and who are gluten intolerant but if that’s not the case with you, feel free to have that chocolate brownie you’ve had your eyes on. 

2. Skipping meals is good for weight-loss: Ever heard the saying; “ Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper”. What you’re eating is more important for health and fitness than when you’re eating it. Fitness is more about eating a balanced diet in moderation to replenish your body with the energy it needs through a nutritious meal depending on your job, lifestyle, and health/ fitness goals. 

3. Eating Healthy is Expensive: You don’t necessarily have to buy that fancy millet or asparagus you saw a Kardashian promoting in her story to be healthy. However, replacing those processed foods with fresh vegetables and fruits may cost you more. But so will the gym membership to get back in shape and not to mention the medical bills that one might incur due to the health risks that come with processed and unhealthy alternatives. 

4. Keto is the best way to burn fat. Ketogenic diet includes a diet consisting of high-fats, sufficient-proteins, and low-carbohydrates to force the body to burn fats instead of carbohydrates. This has helped a large amount of people to burn fat more affectively by fighting fire with fire. However since it was trending hot topic for so long, businesses and influencers were milking it to sell their diet plans, workout plans, and products. What didn't make their way to the headlines were a lot of the people's reviews who it didn't work for. Keto is not safe for those with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder. 

In essence, consider a natural balance that works for you by your individual needs. One can try out and should experiment with diets to find out what works for them better than other. However, to live a high quality, fulfilled life you can't revolve your life around obsessions which cause you to constantly restrict yourself from harmless things. Constraint diets can also cause people eating disorders and social isolation. Facade diet trends could be good for business but everything is definitely not for everyone in this case.