Is the Trendy Diet Phenomenon Worth The Hype? Exploring The facts Behind The Latest Food Fads

In February's workshop we dove deep into the world of a handful of trendy diets that everyone loves to hate or hates to love. During the intro portion of my workshop I asked the group if they had tried any "fad" or trendy diets in the past, asking them what drew them to the diets, what they liked or disliked about the diets and why they stopped following said diet. The answers to the last question were not surprising. They all pretty much indicated that they were not sustainable and they had downsides that they just couldn't keep up with long term.

The purpose of the workshop was not to bash these trendy diets and sway the attendees away from these diets, but it was a way to educate them on the origins of the diets, show them the benefits that they can provide, and to explain the potential pitfalls so that they may make an informed decision if they decide to pursue one them in the future.

I myself shared some of the experiences that I have had over the years including going 100% plant based about 6 years ago, which for me long term was not a good fit. I shared what I took away from the experience, as there were benefits that I experienced. I also shared the longer term challenges I struggled with after 2 years in, which led me in year 3 back to an omnivore diet.

The big take away in this workshop was that no ONE diet is a one size fits all and that diet is very individualized and we should pay attention to the many signals our body shows us when we eat what we eat. In today's world we are faced with so many distractions, we brush off a lot of the signs and symptoms our body is trying to say to us and we just "live with it".

First we looked at the Paleo diet and it's origins dating back to the Palaeolithic era, the so called diet of our ancestors, although there is not a lot of evidence to strongly support this. The idea of this diet is that we would eat wha how our ancestors 10, 000 years ago would eat including foods that you would have to hunt and gather such as lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. This diet restricts dairy, refined processed sugars, grains, legumes and vegetable oils. For me minus the elimination of legumes and say olive oil, this would be the diet I would be able to mostly relate to if I were to personally pick one of the ones that I am about to mention. The benefits that one might experience on this diet includes the promotion of a whole food diet, therefore naturally decreasing caloric intake in comparison to someone who is eating a lot of processed foods. It has been shown to improve blood sugar regulation due to the decrease of refined carbohydrates. The downsides? Limited fibre and full spectrum of nutrient intake, which therefor could lead to nutrient deficiencies or digestive issues from the lack of fiber.. stay tuned, you'll notice a theme here. Sustainability long term may also be hard, especially if dairy and oils are your jam.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an approach that alternates between periods of eating and fasting and has gained a lot of popularity over recent years. Although its origins trace back to ancient cultures and religious practices modern research has also shed some light on some of the benefits of IF. Those advocate for this approach suggest that IF can aid in weight loss, improve metabolic health, and even enhance cognitive function. There are various methods to IF including the 16:8 rule where you fast for 16 hours feeding in an 8 hour window, or the 18:6 method, which increases fasting time. There is the alternate day approach where one day the person will eat very minimal calories and alternate between a higher caloric regular feeding day the next. There is also the 5:2 approach where one would eat a normal caloric intake for 5 days and drop their calories by 500-600 for two days a week. Some recent concerns over intermittent fasting pertains to the impact it has on women, especially as it relates to hormones. Limited research exists on the impacts of intermittent fasting in women, primarily because there are not a lot of studies that have been conducted on women who IF. This poses a problem because hormones play a crucial role in the regulation of metabolism, reproductive health, and overall well-being, raising concerns about the potential long term effects of fasting on women's bodies. In a nutshell women, especially those that may already have hormonal imbalances should not take it lightly and should consult with a healthcare professional before taking the leap.

For the sake of the reader I am lumping Keto and Low Carb in here. They are both very similar in nature where with Keto you are consuming 70-80% of calories in Fat, 20-25% Protein and the remaining to Carbs, which is pretty low to none. The low carb diet is very similar except your Protein and Fats are more flexible , but your Carbohydrate intake is generally really low from 20-50 grams per day. Some of the benefits people present within the first few weeks if followed accurately is rapid weight loss due to the sudden decrease in carbohydrates. Additionally there is evidence to show that it can regulate blood sugars and improve insulin sensitivity which can help diabetics. The downsides? Let's start with the "Keto Flu". Yep, it's actually a thing where it presents as fatigue, irritability, headaches and dizziness. On the low carb diet, similar symptoms can creep up. Additionally, once again there is the potential for nutrient deficiencies due to lack of carbohydrates. Also if you are someone who is trying to build muscle, it's likely not the best approach as you need carbohydrates to fuel your workouts in order to build and spare the muscle.

The Juice Cleanse and Detoxes that we've seen celebrities and influences tout over the years, claiming to cleanse the body of toxins are just that, claims. You heard it right, this trend was popularized by celebrity and more recently influencer endorsements. This primarily focuses on not consuming any solid food for a period of time ranging from one day to a few weeks. The upside of this diet is that if you are someone who struggles to get your fruits, veggies and hydration in, this diet will help improve that. The pitfall though is that you are virtually getting no protein which is important for muscle development and maintenance, there is a lack of many nutrients, and it is a low satiety diet, which could lead to hunger, irritability and cravings. Also something to consider when you come off of a juice cleanse is that you need to be careful not to over indulge as the so called detox or toxin removal effects will become null and void. Another thing to be careful of on this diet is that it can lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar which could lead to energy crashes. A lot of the juices used in these cleanses also are stripped of fibre, which we know is important for digestion. All in all this is not a diet that you would want to venture into lightly or long term. It is not a sustainable diet long term, and may not even have any scientific evidence to back it's claim.

The last two diets that we discussed were polar opposites. The first being the Carnivore diet and the last being the Vegan diet. I know , I might be touching the third rail here discussing them together, but don't they say opposites attract? What do you get when you put a Vegan and a Carnivore together? An Omnivore... Ok, bad joke, but it's late, I'm close to the end of this blog and get to go catch my 7-9 hours of sleep right after.

Let's talk Carnivore for a minute. One of the least complicated diets on the planet, it consists of living exclusively off of animal products and protein. The term nose to tail comes to mind when I think of carnivores. Not my cup of tea as I don't do well with fatty textures, so I'll stick to my leaner meats. Although I did venture into enjoying Chicken livers, which pack a dietary punch of nutrient desity. Ok so what are the benefits of the Carnivore diet? Well, as I already mentioned the simplicity of it, plus it's extremely satiating as it's all protein and protein is the most satiating macronutrient, keeping you feeling fuller longer. For some who suffer from food sensitivities, a Carnivore diet might be the best option for eliminating as there are not a ton of cases of humans having allergies or intolerances to animal proteins. So it is a good starting point for elimination diets, having the person slowly re-introduce other foods into their diet to see if they have flare ups. On the flip side, not getting fibre and other micronutrients and phytonutrients over time can pose a problem. Not to mention there is a cardiovascular risk, especially if cardiovascular disease runs in your family.

The Vegan diet has gained a TON of popularity over the last few years with the explosion of Vegan restaurants and plant based alternatives that were almost unheard of 10-20 years ago. I remember in high school I was vegetarian for 3 years before moving to Toronto and there was not Tofurkey, I had to come up with a way to make my own and it was NOT easy to do. 6 years ago, I decided to once again try this time a fully plant based diet. I didn't consider myself Vegan because I still wore my leather products and consumed collagen daily. I chose to try this as I had an intolerance to dairy, so I thought why the heck not. The Vegan diet is the avoidance of all animal products, and has an emphasis on ethical and environmental considerations. If well planned this diet can offer health benefits including reduced heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and even in some cases prevent certain cancers. The problem with the diet, and I can attest to this from personal experience, is that if you don't plan and don't put in the effort to eat a whole food plant based or vegan diet, it gets really hard, and is easy to default to eating the ultra processed plant based alternatives, which negates the above mentioned health benefits. I personally struggled with this after about 6 months. I love to cook and that is part of my passion as a nutritionist, but when I was plant based, after about 6 months , I found myself exhausted having to plan out and cook for hours to make enough meals to get me through the week ensuring I met my protein goals, which were now harder to meet, and I was seeing a decrease in my muscle mass and strength gains when lifting. So, I started filling the gaps with the pre-packaged ultra processed Protein. For me that wasn't an option, as I personally do not want to consume ultra processed foods. That's why I ventured back into the Omnivore world. On the flip side I do know a few Vegans that thrive off of this diet and have for years and maintain their strength and gains.

The big take away from this workshop and to anyone out there that is considering trying one of these diets, is to really listen to the signals your body is trying to tell you. Don't ignore what your body is trying to tell you. What are some of the things to look for? How is your mood and energy? Do you hate everyone and feel irritable a lot of the time? Are your energy levels depleted and you are constantly tired even if you get a full night sleep? Speaking of sleep, what would you give the quality out of 10? If it is less than 5 maybe that is a sign. Remember just because you crawl into bed 8 hours before you are set to wake up doesn't mean you are getting good quality sleep. Pay attention to quality not quantity. How is your digestion? Are you constantly running to the washroom or do you forget the last time you went to the washroom? And I'm not talking number one. How is your libido? Yep that's right, libido is an indicator of health we often overlook. If it's non existent, that might be a sign. What about your stress levels and anxiety? Does this creep up on you a lot? These are all things that we should be monitoring for in our daily lives and be aware of. Whether its diet or lifestyle changes, something might need to give in order to make change. If you're not sure how to make the change or how to start, that's where a coach could come in handy. What do you know, I'm a coach. I can help!