Time and time again, diets show us that they are not sustainable and cannot outperform the success of flexible, intuitive eating. 

Diets have a long running history of being unsuccessful and more importantly, harmful to our physical and mental health. 

In this article we will look at the long line of diet’s failure and look at some real life examples of how diets don’t provide long term benefits. Below we look at a study that investigates the keto diet and its relationship to cardiovascular health (spoiler: it’s not as beneficial as it claims to be).

 

Diets Failing In Real Life

Let’s look at the internet’s favorite diet, the keto diet. Here is a real life example of a diet failing, because the generalized approach of eating low-carb, high-fat did not consider the individuals. In this case, the keto diet posed a potential cardiovascular risk for some participants. 

A study conducted recently in the UK investigated how the keto diet affected the risk factors for cardiovascular issues, including cholesterol levels, lipid panels, and cardiovascular risk score. 

The researchers found that those following a keto diet had an increased prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, or at collection in your arteries, which puts you at a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. They also found that participants had a higher risk experiencing a major adverse coronary event following a keto lifestyle. 

So if someone were to try the keto diet with the intent of losing weight, but had underlying cardiac issues they were unaware of, they would be in a very serious situation. Not to mention the mental toll a diet that cuts out entire nutrient groups has  on someone.

 

History of Diets

We have spent our lives being bombarded with advertisements for diets, especially in recent years with the internet and the rise of mass communication. However, diets have been around for well over 150 years. Diets have ranged from cutting out breads and potatoes to living off of baby food (yes you read that correctly). 

Throughout the years of diet culture’s lifetime, wouldn’t you think society would have found one that works? Well, spoiler, diets don’t work. Period. 

There are so many reasons why one certain diet wont work for everyone. Socioeconomic factors, age, health conditions, and body differences are just a few of the many reasons why one diet cannot meet the needs of the entire population. 

In fact, nearly 90% of diets fail within the first 5 years, even ones that are designed to provide specific results tailored to certain groups of people. Even if a person is “successful” on a diet, like the Keto one in the study for example, there can be harmful effects that the individual wasn’t aware of.

 

There is No One Diet that “Works” for Everyone

One of the major reasons diets fail is because they offer a quick-fix. They promise if you do X, Y, and Z, you will get the same results everyone else is. The issue with this message is it generalizes a group of people that have vastly different bodies, lifestyles, experiences, and access. 

This message completely disregards the role that other factors play when it comes to lifestyle or physical changes. For example, the Keto diet is marketed as a weight loss solution, but its general rules don’t consider factors like cardiovascular risk or other health concerns. 

The “general rules” that each diet requires look different for everyone, so when you have followed a diet to a T, yet you aren’t seeing the same results as your friend who talked you into it, it’s not your fault. It’s the diet’s fault.

 

Every Body Is Different

Every person and every body has different needs and responds differently to changes in eating habits.

The only approach to nutrition that will yield positive, sustainable changes is personalized nutrition and intuitive eating. There is not a blanket diet that will work across the board.

Personalized nutrition and intuitive eating allows you to enjoy food for all that it offers. You get to enjoy the taste of your favorite foods. You get to enjoy the company and memories that food can offer. 

And lastly, you can support YOUR body in the best way possible, by giving it exactly what you need, which looks different on everyone. 

In summary, diets don’t provide long term health benefits, and can even increase the risk of health complications. Diets can’t be generalized to the population as a whole since everyone has different bodies, different experiences, and different responses to eating changes. There is no one diet that can be recommended to the general population.

If you’re looking for more help in this area, contact Food Ease now to schedule your FREE 15 minute discovery call to see if we are a good fit!