There are lots of ways to lose weight; heroin, cocaine, chemo, getting really sick, diet pills from the 70s. No one (at least we hope no one) is going to choose any of those options on purpose because we know the damage to our health isn't worth it. And yet, when the newest fad diet  shows up on the news we somehow forget that a "quick fix" is NOT a good idea and we clamor on the bandwagon.

Some of the popular fads right now:

Low carb (yes again) - People lose weight on low carb diets because they also tend to cut calories. It is impossible to sustain low calorie intake over the long-term and since your body runs best on carbs, high fat/high protein intake gums up the inter-workings. The science is clear, diets (whether we are "dieting" or not) high in fat and animal protein don't do a body good. [Argument: But our ancestors ate tons of meat during the Paleolithic Period! RnR Response: That study was never meant to inform how we should eat and they didn't eat nearly the amount of meat that is in the Standard American Diet, let alone a low carb diet. Not to mention, humans in the Paleolithic Period only lived to be about 25 years old. Not long enough to get heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and/or high cholesterol.]

Shakes/delivered food (yes still) - People lose weight on these diets again because they cut calories from what they would normally eat. Unless you can see yourself buying that food and staying on that plan forever, it is not a long-term solution for weight loss. Not to mention our bodies are designed to chew food and eat until we are full. RnR is interested in the lifetime safety of items designed to trick our body into not chewing or being full. So far there is no longitudinal (long term) data. The people taking them now can let us know in 20-30 years how it was for them.

Patches to boost metabolism (well that's new) - Stimulants aren't the choice we make for our health here at RnRJourney. Anything that pushes the body's adrenals sounds like a short-term "fix" to a long-term problem to us.

Whole nutrition in a capsule (I don't think that word means what you think it means) - If the package the nutrients came in (ie the fruit/veggie/fiber and water) isn't there, perhaps "whole" isn't the right word.

Most of these products are "supplements" so there are no safety standards and they are self-policed. Are you willing to trust your health to the honesty of a corporation out to make a dollar?

The question we always ask about the pills, potions, lotions and lore is, have they been put to the scientific test against a whole-food plant-based lifestyle(or at least something close)? For us that is the gold standard because humans have been doing pretty well on it for a LONG time AND all the recent science (the last 100+ years or so) have found that eating plants is pretty darn good for us. Not to mention there is no need to count calories!

If you are ready to address how your food choices are negatively affecting your health, let’s set up a free get-to-know-you chat. Send me an email and let’s get you on track to taking control of your stress eating. Health@RnRJourney.com