+ DOCTOR’S ORDERS

FAD DIETS DON’T WORK FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS

Post-holidays, there will be lots of talk about diets, and how to lose weight and get healthy. But there is no magic, one-size-fits-all diet out there – and certainly not a diet that you can do for a bit and then stop without regaining weight.

All diets work the same way – to lose weight, the number of calories consumed is less than the number burned. But it’s not quite as simple as ‘calories in versus calories out’, because while in weight-loss terms, all calories are created equal, in nutrition terms, they are not!

Let’s say your daily calorie need is 2,000. If you eat more than this, you’ll gain weight; eat less and you will lose it. Whether the calories are from chocolate or broccoli, the result in weight could be the same, but how much you eat and what you gain would be very different.

In nutritional terms, the calorie content of food is not the only thing that matters – a bowl of high-sugar cereal with milk may have a lower calorie content than eggs, avocado and toast, but it’s also lower in macronutrients, such as protein, carbohydrate and fat, as well as fibre and micronutrients. The higher-calorie breakfast will also keep you fuller until lunchtime.

Choosing low-calorie options might lead to you missing out on healthy fats found in fish or nuts. There are no good or bad foods, simply foods that have a higher nutritional content than others. And this does not include other things we can get from food, such as social interaction and joy! So try to eat a varied, balanced diet and don’t focus solely on calories.