The Wellness Edit: the deal with diets

The term ‘dieting’ and ‘diets’ gets thrown around a lot, whether this be on social media, TV, or in casual conversation with friends and family. The literal definition of diet is simply the food we consume, whether this be healthy or unhealthy, but the phrase ‘to go on a diet’ has frequently become associated with weight loss or changing habits to be ‘healthier’. In today’s article, I will explore what these sorts of diets are and in what capacity they can be beneficial in achieving health and fitness goals, or whether the term should be avoided altogether in the wellness space.

The issue with many of these diets and the spread of social media is that influencers don’t necessarily have the right qualifications to advise on what people consume and don’t understand how food might affect people with different requirements

In the past discussions about going on diets, losing weight was the primary goal. Going back to the ’60s and further, we can see diets surrounding ideas of no carbs, with the popularised Atkins diet still being followed by many today. However, the concept of diets has evolved and now people refer to it for other reasons such as muscle gain, gut health, or specific improvements like skin or hair. Many of these have become increasingly popular due to social media, meaning people can easily share how they incorporate these changes and the results they can show. Trending diets like the carnivore diet spread quickly and encourage people to make extreme changes to their diets to improve their health, but contrast with vegetarian diets which promise to do the same. The issue with many of these diets and the spread of social media is that influencers don’t necessarily have the right qualifications to advise on what people consume and don’t understand how food might affect people with different requirements. Similarly, creating content on diets is often their job and so they are unlikely to share any negative ramifications which may dissuade their followers from joining their trend.

But despite this, many of these diets do become popular for a reason. You may find that you do have a small gluten intolerance and so cutting out gluten will positively affect how you feel after eating, or if you’re a girl with a heavy menstrual cycle then increasing the amount of red meat you eat will likely provide you with more energy at that point in your cycle. These diets do exist for a reason and they are there to create some positive changes for some intolerances or food-related issues. However, understanding the underlying cause of these issues is important but best understood by tracking what you eat daily using a food diary to identify food-related symptoms, or speaking to a doctor who can advise accordingly.

Diets can be beneficial for achieving certain goals but understanding their purpose is most important to begin

The most common diets in the fitness world are for targeting weight loss, muscle gain, or to fuel sport and activity. These diets are often about physical changes rather than internal health changes which makes them slightly different. In theory, these can be simple; to lose weight you need to eat less, gain muscle then eat more protein, run more then eat more carbs. However, balancing these changes in line with everything else you consume is where it can become more complicated. These diets can be helpful but only if they are understood properly so you know how they might affect you in all ways.

If you are considering going on a diet or changing your food slightly then there are a few important things. Firstly, understanding the reasons behind your decision is key so you can recognise what the most effective changes would be. Secondly, implementing these appropriately is important so that you don’t alter anything that might inadvertently affect your general health such as drastic weight changes, energy levels, or less obvious changes like mood swings. Diets can be beneficial for achieving certain goals but understanding their purpose is most important to begin.