Diet or Food Deprivation?
With the emergence of ‘fit-fam’ and images depicting what beauty looks like. Almost everyone is in a frenzy about dieting and maintaining a slimmer waistline. Could these eating habits be regarded as a healthy diet or food deprivation? In elementary school, we were taught that a balanced diet is a meal that contains all the six (6) nutrients in the right proportion. This aids one efficiently carry out their day-to-day activities without burning out easily. Somewhere down the road, we grew up and became our own Nutritionist. Depriving ourselves of certain foods/nutrients all in the ploy to trim our waist line.
As noble as dieting (restrictive) sounds, most times we cause more harm than good when dieting. Here are a few reasons why. It creates unnecessary guilt; food is for comfort and it’s not okay to feel guilty over a meal. Dieting also offsets overeating; it is in our nature to always desire what is restricted. When you tell your body it cannot have certain foods, it may listen for a while and try to make up by eating an equivalent of what it desires. Sadly, because your body wants to quench this cravings, it will end up consuming much more than it ought to. Another implication is you could possibly be cutting out vital nutrients your body needs to function properly.
It is completely different if your diet plan was created by a Dietitian as a result of a particular medical condition, please stick to it. Food was made for us to enjoy not to be a burden. Food deprivation on the other hand is costly and dangerous to your health even. Eat in moderation, substitute a soda drink with a fruit juice. Exercise often and avoid the sedentary lifestyle. We are in December and it is surely the season to be jolly and merry! Live some more…we are rooting for you as always!