Choosing more natural foods is the way to lose weight in the long run
Fad diets have been around for an age, and many women pick them up in a bid to lose weight quickly - usually for an upcoming engagement - here we take a look at the truth beind the fad diet.
Monday, it seems, is the day it all begins, the day when we finally summon up the effort and enthusiasm to ditch the junk and embark on the latest dieting craze, according to a new study by Alpro.
More than four out of 10 regular dieters see Mondays as the logical starting point for turning over a new dietary leaf, usually following a weekend of excess either at home or by eating and drinking out with friends.
However, it’s often to no avail for just five days later, by Friday the same week, many of us are likely to have already given up the latest new dieting craze, although admittedly a stoic few will see it through to Saturday, and sometimes even Sunday, before packing it in and reverting to their old eating habits.
The shocking snapshot of the nation’s dieting habits – from a survey of more than 2,000 adults – helps explain why high-profile fad diets, from Atkins and Dukan to The Fast Diet, The Alkaline Diet, The Baby Food Diet, The Blood-Type Diet, The French Woman Diet, The Paleo Diet and the new 5:2 regime – almost always turn out to be passing fancies.
Of the half of us who regularly diet, Alpro found that two out of five dieters quit within the first seven days. One out of five last a month, and the same number make it to the three-month mark, while the remainder stay dedicated for at least six months. However, only one in 20 is likely to still be following their new healthy eating regime after one year.
Of those who quit in the first week, one in 10 will have already ditched their new regime by Tuesday. By Thursday, a further three out of 10 will have followed suit. By Friday, four out 10 say they are so proud of their achievement in lasting five days that they deserve a reward, or that the lure of Friday night cocktails, or the chance to escape from family pressures or work by enjoying some drinks and eating out is too great to turn down. Only one out of 10 first-week quitters makes it through to Saturday before falling back into bad habits, and the same number makes it to Sunday.
The research found that more and more people were realising the benefits of broader eating plans, such as its successful ‘plant-based eating’ campaign, which encourages people to ‘reshape their plate’ by adding more plant-based foods into a balanced diet – such as whole grains, beans and pulses, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Alpro dietician Kate Arthur explains: “More and more dieters are realising that the fad diet promises of shedding huge amounts of weight in just a few weeks are either hollow, or that the diets are impossible to follow. The reality is that the majority of these diets are so impractical, and indeed so little fun that we often give up within just a few days.
“There has never been any secret to sustaining a healthy diet. It always has been, and always will be, about eating the right foods as part of a balanced diet, and exercising, while allowing yourself a treat now and again.”
“Effectively, we are advocating a return to a more natural omnivore-based diet that embraces all food groups, which is nothing more than the plant-based diet that we, as a race, are supposed to follow to maintain good all round health,” adds Arthur.
Indeed, the Alpro survey also highlighted how considerations about health, the environment and where our food comes from already appear to be prompting a move towards more sustainable food choices and a more varied diet. Of all those surveyed, four out of 10 said they were now trying to eat less meat because of concerns over health and the negative impact that they believe the production of meat has on the environment.
“Most importantly, it is particularly pleasing that we are now really beginning to see a step change in how people are thinking about food, from the eating regimes they want to follow, to the foods they want to eat both more and less of because of concerns over health and considerations for the environment.”
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