Careful before you plump for fad diet

Food choices made for social media, priority to body shapes

Are the fad diets making us think negatively about the foods we eat? Is it making us control our cravings and gulp healthy foods as they are best to control body weight and also diseases? Are we then going against our wishes and creating a constant conflict within the body? Experts say yes. Maladaptive eating patterns are capable of creating havoc in one’s life. With a lot of stress laid on looking a particular way with desires about specific body weight and shape there is too much pressure on what food to eat and what not. Foods that are considered not good for health are viewed very negatively and this is the first step towards eating disorders. Wrong choices of food or always fussing over food and counting calories lead to depression, anxiety, anger and create trouble for cognitive abilities.

“Knowledge and awareness about food and nutrition helps to build a positive relationship with food. Most of the people talk about food from knowledge they have accessed but it is not analysed whether it suits their body weight, physical activity or lifestyle. Many of them opt for foods out of compulsion and that brings in a craving for food stuff which is not on the plate. Looking at food in a positive manner as a nutrient and nourishment for the body can go a long way in making right choices of food and it differs from person to person,” Sandhya Pandey, clinical dietician, explained.

Now, food choices are made from social media where body shapes and sizes are given a priority over good eating habits. The idolisation of thin models, dieting and body dissatisfaction are some woes constantly encountered by the society.

Dr Samir Parikh, director in department of mental health and behavioural sciences at Fortis Healthcare explained that there is a bidirect relationship between food and moods. “Such a relationship is evident in comfort eating, stress eating or loss of appetite during stress. In normal people, there are signs of controlling cravings and opting for more healthy foods. But with consciousness rising over weight issues, there is common observance of rigid diets, secretly binging on foods, throwing up after meals and obsessively counting calories,” he said.

Negativity about food breeds negativity in brains where the cells create a chain reaction of not liking the food. These chemicals from the brain give signals to the body for not appreciating the food.

Dr K. Srinivas, consultant neuro-psychiatrist and behaviour therapist explained that 70 per cent of negativity comes from the surroundings and it is not due to one factor. At the clinicallevel, we have found that patients in low carb diets are found suffering from loss of higher mental functioning like decision making over a period of time. Cognitive blunting effects are seen due to lesser neuro chemicals in the brain. Diets are to be followed by taking a proper scientific evaluation of the body and consultation about eating habits. To simply go on diets is wrong. In research studies, it has been found that 35 per cent of mental breakdowns are due to low carb diets or high fat intake.”