Fad or fact: Diets debunked!

Tempted to go vegan, try fasting or give up gluten? Not so fast! HFG dietitian Melissa Meier guides you to the best eating plan for you.

Regular readers will know Healthy Food Guide is no fan of quick-fix weight-loss diets. We focus instead on a more balanced approach to food — because to maintain a healthy weight over the long term, you need to find a way of eating and lifestyle you can stick with for life.

Still, there’s no shortage of diets promising a magic bullet for all your health woes — from fasting plans through to keto and everything in between. Aussies seem to love diets, with more than 2 million of us now on one, according to the latest National Health Survey. So, here’s the good, the bad and the ugly on diets.

Low carb

First popularised in the 1970s by the book Dr Atkins’ Diet Revolution, low-carb diets are back into favour. The common thread is the dramatic restriction on carbohydrates including bread, grains, pasta, legumes, potatoes, and even certain fruits.

Low-carb diets are effective for fast weight loss because carbs are stored in your body with water — so most initial weight loss is actually just water. Restricting carbs also does reduce kilojoule intake, so eventually your body will start to burn fat.

+ The positives

You are likely to cut back on low-fibre, high-carb processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, chips, soft drinks and pastries, which will result in weight loss.

- The pitfalls

Excluding nutritious carb-rich foods such as fruit, wholegrain breads, cereals and legumes puts you at risk of missing out on the fibre you need to keep your bowels healthy and to feed the good bacteria in your gut. A low-carb diet can also lead to headaches, mood swings and low energy levels.

Try this

Aim to fill one-quarter of your plate with high-fibre, low-GI carbohydrates like brown rice, wholemeal pasta, grainy bread, sweet potato and legumes. And leave fruit on the menu!

Fasting (5:2)

When Dr Michael Mosley’s 5:2 Diet came on to the scene in 2013, it was hailed as the ‘biggest diet revolution since Atkins’. Intermittent fasting isn’t about what you eat, but rather when you eat, restricting intake to just 500 calories for two full days a week — then you eat normally the rest of the week. There’s also 16:8, where you fast for 16 hours every day and have an 8–hour ‘eating window’.

Fasting has been associated with a variety of health benefits, including weight loss, improved diabetes management and even gut health, but the long-term implications are as yet unknown.

+ The positives

You don’t have to exclude any food groups when fasting, and the practice can help you tune in to your body’s internal hunger cues. In some cases it can help people ‘kick start’ weight loss.

- The pitfalls

Fasting can be unsustainable and hard on your social life, particularly the 16:8 fast. Also, if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or have certain medical conditions, it’s best to avoid fasting altogether.

Try this

Practice listening to your body. Rate your hunger on a scale of 1–10, with ‘1’ being absolutely starving and ‘10’ being absolutely stuffed. Start eating when you reach a ‘3’ and stop around ‘6’ or ‘7’.

Mediterranean 

Touted as one of the healthiest in the world, the Mediterranean diet has a large body of research supporting it. Communities around the Med enjoy lots of veg, fruit, whole grains, nuts and olive oil, plus an active lifestyle. They eat fish and white meats in moderation, and occasionally red meats, processed meats, dairy and sweet treats.

The Med diet is linked to a raft of health benefits including lower risk of heart disease, obesity and even some cancers. A recent study found that even following the Med diet after age 65 could reduce death risk by 25 per cent.

+ The positives

The diet centres around plant foods and healthy fats, and no food groups are banned. You can even enjoy red wine in moderation when eating and socialising with loved ones.

- The pitfalls

There aren’t any!

Try this

Use extra-virgin olive oil to sauté onion and garlic, as a base for salad dressing, or to roast vegetables. Build your meals around vegies, rather than treating them as a garnish.

Gluten free

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. One in 70 Aussies has Coeliac Disease, meaning they have an abnormal reaction to gluten.

Over time serious complications can arise if a strict gluten-free diet isn’t followed. For the rest of the population, however, avoiding gluten simply isn’t necessary. Pseudo science has created many misconceptions about gluten, but research shows gluten-free products aren’t any healthier than those containing gluten.

+ The positives

If you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, removing gluten from your diet enables your gut to heal and your symptoms to improve.

- The pitfalls

Some on a gluten-free diet may have an inadequate intake of fibre, folate and calcium. In the long term, this will be detrimental to immunity, bowel function and general health.

Try this

If you suspect gluten may bean issue, speak to your doctor and a dietitian before cutting it out completely. Coeliac Australia has an online test to assess possible coeliac disease risk. Otherwise, you are better advised to leave gluten on the menu.

Flexitarian

The flexitarian diet is vegetarian most of the time, meat-eater a minority of the time — and it’s rapidly gaining traction.

Flexitarians aim to reduce their intake of meat to a few days a week and focus more on legumes, whole grains, fruit, veg, nuts and seeds.

Flexitarians reap the benefit of eating more plant-based foods, but don’t have to miss out on their favourite Sunday roast —all while reducing their carbon footprint! This dietary pattern has been associated with good weight management, reduced blood pressure and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

+ The positives

No foods are actually restricted on a flexitarian diet — it’s more about tweaking your intake of certain groups and focusing more on plant-based foods. It’s relaxed and balanced.

- The pitfalls

You may need to pay extra attention to your protein, iron and vitamin B12 intake, depending on how much meat you are eating, and whether you’re replacing those sources with vegetarian alternatives.

Try this

Introduce meat-free Mondays — you can find plenty of healthy, delicious vegetarian recipes at healthyfoodguide.com.au

Paleo

The Paleo diet peaked back in 2014, largely due to celebrity chef Pete Evans’ unwavering support of the hunter-gather style of eating. The idea is we should eat the way our cavemen ancestors did.

Meat, eggs, seafood, nuts, fruit and vegies feature heavily on the Paleo diet, while grains, dairy and legumes are out, making Paleo a low-carb diet. It also promotes high-sat-fat coconut oil, but without the science to support the oil’s health claims.

Short-term studies of those following Paleo show positive results: weight loss, better blood glucose levels, and improvements in heart disease risk factors.

+ The positives

The emphasis on natural, unprocessed foods is a plus. Cutting out refined, processed foods like white bread, cakes, soft drink and junk food is a vast improvement for many people.

- The pitfalls

Unless you have a specific allergy or intolerance, there is absolutely no reason to exclude whole grains, legumes and dairy foods from your diet. In fact, you should include them!

Try this

Stick to a palm-sized portion of red meat. Aim to have two meat-free meals a week to boost your intake of legumes like chickpeas and lentils.

Ketogenic

The ultra-low-carb ketogenic diet surfaced in the 1920s to treat children with epilepsy, reappearing in recent years as an extreme weight-loss tool. It aims to get your body using ketones from stored fat as its primary energy source, rather than glucose from carbs. You have to reduce many healthy foods like grainy bread, pasta, fruit, dairy and certain vegies.

The diet encourages high-fat foods like butter, cream and fatty meats. Getting enough fibre can be an issue, and the diet may lack gut-beneficial prebiotic fibre.

+ The positives

It has been proven to be effective for children with epilepsy and may help with short-term weight loss.

- The pitfalls

Side effects include bad breath and fatigue, and the low level of carbs can be hard to sustain.

Try this

You don’t need to ditch carbs to be healthy. Instead, try to swap heavily processed carbs for high-fibre whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegies.

Vegan

Australia has been identified as the world’s third fastest-growing vegan nation. Veganism excludes not just all animal products like meat or seafood, but also dairy, eggs and even honey.

There’s plenty of evidence to support the health benefits of going meat free compared to meat-eating, including lower levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, and reduced risk of certain cancers.

+ The positives

With the focus on plant-based foods, you’ll be consuming more fibre, along with other vitamins and minerals, compared to meat-eaters.

- The pitfalls

You may miss out on key nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, calcium and omega-3 fats. If you’re new to vegan eating, take the time to plan your menu, and talk to your GP or get advice from a dietitian.

Try this

To ensure that you meet all of your nutritional needs, aim to include protein alternatives like tofu, tempeh, legumes (such as peas, beans and lentils), nuts and seeds.

How to spot a fad

Here’s a crash course in spotting fad diets, so you can run the other way! 

• The diet cuts out entire food groups.
• The diet calls for very high intakes of a specific ‘superfood’.
• The diet promotes expensive products.
• The diet promises a quick fix.
• The diet is endorsed by celebrities.

Which is the healthiest?

Diets are nothing new. They have moved in and out of fashion for decades, only to re-emerge in a new guise. The best diet is the one you don’t even know you’re on. What’s important is that you find what’s best for you — your own individualised, balanced and flexible eating plan, one that you can easily stick to and afford. People with the healthiest diets don’t ‘diet’ — they just enjoy food! Food should add enjoyment to your life while helping you stay healthy.