Happy National Nutrition Month!
March is National Nutrition Month, and this year's theme is "Eat Right with Color." Let's forget for at least for this month all the diet fads, and the "eat this and don't eat that" rules that so often confuse us. Instead, let's focus on keeping things simple and easy in the world of nutrition.
I do realize this is easier said than done. The reality is fad diets can be traced back as far as the 1820s when Lord Byron introduced the Water and Vinegar Diet. Low Carbohydrate diets can be tracked back to 1825. In America, the diet industry is valued at an estimated $40 billion dollars, ranging from books, videos, diet pills and supplements, to packaged food products that typically promise instant results. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Use caution whenever you hear to avoid entire food groups. Fad diets, like fashion trends, tend to recycle themselves every 20-25 years. Check out this fad diet timeline (click on the dates to view the popular diet that year) which was compiled by the American Dietetic Association (www.eatright.org). If you click on 1985, you will see the first introduction of the Caveman Diet. As it's time is due, this diet has been increasing in popularity in recent years as the Paleo Diet. It's not that all things about fad diets are untrue, and certain parts of them may be healthful and supported by scientific research. However, for the vast majority of people, fad diets can prove detrimental both physically and psychologically as research shows over 95% of fad diets fail in the long-term.
As I've blogged about in the past, the most healthful eating styles and plates are those displaying a rainbow of food colors and a variety of food groups. Choosing foods that range from deep red and green, to blue/purple, and bright orange/yellow, is the easiest way to ensure a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for overall health and wellness. Bottom line: plan variety and eat a rainbow - your eyes, taste buds and body will thank you.
I do realize this is easier said than done. The reality is fad diets can be traced back as far as the 1820s when Lord Byron introduced the Water and Vinegar Diet. Low Carbohydrate diets can be tracked back to 1825. In America, the diet industry is valued at an estimated $40 billion dollars, ranging from books, videos, diet pills and supplements, to packaged food products that typically promise instant results. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Use caution whenever you hear to avoid entire food groups. Fad diets, like fashion trends, tend to recycle themselves every 20-25 years. Check out this fad diet timeline (click on the dates to view the popular diet that year) which was compiled by the American Dietetic Association (www.eatright.org). If you click on 1985, you will see the first introduction of the Caveman Diet. As it's time is due, this diet has been increasing in popularity in recent years as the Paleo Diet. It's not that all things about fad diets are untrue, and certain parts of them may be healthful and supported by scientific research. However, for the vast majority of people, fad diets can prove detrimental both physically and psychologically as research shows over 95% of fad diets fail in the long-term.
As I've blogged about in the past, the most healthful eating styles and plates are those displaying a rainbow of food colors and a variety of food groups. Choosing foods that range from deep red and green, to blue/purple, and bright orange/yellow, is the easiest way to ensure a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for overall health and wellness. Bottom line: plan variety and eat a rainbow - your eyes, taste buds and body will thank you.
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