There’s no shortage of polarizing opinions and debates on the efficacy of diets – from medical professionals and everyday people alike.
I’ve traversed through various diets: The South Beach Diet, a 10-day Smoothie Cleanse, and more recently, the Candida Diet. Here’s why I think embarking on a diet once or twice a year is beneficial and worth considering.
Diets teach you how to live a healthier long-term lifestyle
The number one complaint is that diets aren’t sustainable so what’s the point? Well, they’re not intended to be. Instead, they’re short-term modalities that teach you the proper foods and beverages to incorporate more of, and, those to consume in moderation, or, avoid completely.
At 26-years-old, I hired my first personal trainer to whip me into shape. To my chagrin, the first thing he said was:
“I have to put you on a diet for three weeks or else, we wouldn’t be getting to the root of the problem, and you’d be wasting your money.”
He scuttled me on the South Beach Diet. I abhorred him when eschewing my beloved sugar-laden pastries, pasta, breakfast bars, potatoes, and bread. But three weeks later, I was thanking him to eternity.
The South Beach Diet: Made me realize the primary cause of my stubborn belly fat, brain fog, and lethargy stemmed from eating excessive sugar.
After the three-week diet, I reintroduced carbs and sugars but worked hard to minimize the daily total amounts.
I permanently swapped out cereal and toast for a high-quality protein powder + almond milk and a banana. While I do enjoy pancakes or French toast a couple of times a year (usually on vacation), I never looked back on cereal.
(Cereal isn’t inherently bad, but when you eat add up all the various forms of sugar you’re eating in a day; plus consider that cereal isn’t filling, and is grain-based – which is incompatible for us digestive sufferers, it isn’t the best choice).
Losing 15 pounds in those three weeks taught me that in order to maintain a healthier weight and satisfactory shape, I needed to curb the bad carbs (simple carbs) and focus more on eating complex carbs.
10-day Smoothie Cleanse
Frustrated with living with my heaviest weight at 166 pounds in grad school, as the stress and impossible schedule piled on, I knew I had to take action.
I completed the 10-day Smoothie Cleanse (actually, I extended it to three weeks) at the advice of my mom who had successfully completed the cleanse twice prior. While she was fortunate enough to lose weight, I did not. Not a single measly pound, and more importantly, I didn’t lose a single inch of body fat.
“You may not lose any weight at all. If that’s the case, you may want to consider a liver detox.” -JJ Smith.
I was perplexed that I might need a liver cleanse when I didn’t have diabetes nor a non-fatty liver. However, I bought the recommended liver detox supplements, drank apple cider water, and within two weeks, low-and-behold, I began losing inches. (Hello, abs!)
My liver had accumulated a bevy of toxins over the years from stress, a high sugar and processed diet, coupled with birth control, NSAIDs, and antibiotics – all of which are liver culprits.
Candida Diet
After years of suffering a multitude of debilitating chronic infections and illnesses, I desperately turned to a naturopath, who advised me to go on a two-month Candida Diet.
Though I suffered severe “die-off symptoms,” most of my symptoms – GERDS, bloating, extreme sugar or salt cravings greatly subsided. I also unintentionally lost a whopping 23 pounds.
I went from indulging in multiple sweets and unhealthy carbs, every day, to rarely craving anything that would spike my sugar and induce migraines.
Now, I have one or two cheat meals (or snacks) per week, but my meals mainly consist of lean organic meats, lots of veggies, fruits, and nuts. And the best part is that I’ve been able to realistically sustain this healthy new lifestyle.
Bottom Line
Diets will always remain a triggering word, but it doesn’t have to be. Diets clean out the toxins in your body, heal and reset the body. They can even motivate you to maintain good eating and drinking habits.
If all you take away is one small change from completing a diet, the progress proves to be more than beneficial, in both the short and long term.