Dieting ourselves fatter, we shun ‘exercise more, eat less’

SOUTH Africans are still following fad diets rather than eating smaller portions and exercising.

This is unlike Britons, who are ditching “diet” and “low-fat” foods for common-sense solutions. According to a British study, the sale of diet food and drinks among Britons has fallen. The study in 2013 was done by market research company Mintel, which analysed sales in diet food and drink products between 2008 and 2012.

Dietician Pippa Mullins said South Africans were not going back to basics. “Convenient meals and snacks or quick-cooking options are dominating the diet, which seldom fulfils the basic, healthy dietary principles,” she said.

“People do not seem to know what an adequate portion size is for their weight, gender and activity levels.”

Salome Kruger, a dietician at North West University, said people would always look for magic when it came to weight loss.

“We hope people will come back to basics and back to dieticians and other health professionals that work with the basic and simple rules of a wellbalanced diet and exercise.

“But a large majority still go for something dramatic like the Atkins diet or diets that get into popular magazines,” she said.

She said in 2012 and 2013 the Tim Noakes diet was popular.

“People in the higher social economic group are still choosing low-fat products.”

Dietician Natalie Bowden said most people were still looking for a novel approach — something that was different.