‘Healthy Eating Rules’ You Should Avoid

Healthy Eating Rules: we are sure you have heard that somewhere; whether it may be on TV, magazines or the internet space. Many individuals have gospelized or presented claims about the effectiveness of certain diets and how those provisions can be life-changing… if you follow them accordingly. While it is true that any diet change can be major; they might impact you negatively.

Unfortunately, this isn’t realized until challenged by reality when we try these diets and see them for what they are – one dimensional. For that reason, we decided to dig into some of the unhealthiest “healthy eating” trends to let you know what they entail and why you should avoid them.

What is the Definition of ‘Healthy Eating Rules’?

Believe it or not. today’s healthy eating rules have become synonymous with diets. They essentially describe ways to regulate your food intake to increase, maintain or reduce your body weight. Both the quality and quantity of the food play a role in how effective they are at achieving certain goals.

Since diets around healthy eating rules have become an inherent part of our society, many notably present as an “opinonated expert” (with sometimes the disclaimer of not being a professional) discussing what they think qualifies as “healthy eating” and what does not. The rise of  social media, has provided the space for this discourse, meaning there is a constant barrage of different-and sometimes clashing-eating habits coming at us at all times.

That constant stream of information has resulted in some extreme forms of dieting that divert from their original purpose. It is no longer about getting the essential nutrients as much as it is about finding quick, easy ways to achieve your body goals. If there is one thing we have learned, though, it is that taking shortcuts often results in disaster. And when it comes to diets and eating habits, taking one might lead you to the opposite road of what you wanted in the first place.

Why Should You Avoid Certain Healthy Eating Rules?

While there are good intentions behind some of these rules, there is one thing you have to remember:

What might be considered healthy for your body might be different from what people deem as healthy, to begin with. After all, not only are our bodies different, we also have other differences such as:

• Tastes
• Nutritional needs
• Lifestyles
• Cultures
• Income

Each one of these factors plays into how we live our lives and how we eat; which is why strict, generic rules are not going to work for everyone that tries them. If you have used some of these rules as guiding principles, there is nothing wrong with that – when it comes to some of the rules, that is. But the moment you start restricting yourself with unrealistic rules to reach your goals, you will end up damaging your relationship with food.

As a result, we must approach these things carefully, preferably with the help of professionals. That way we can avoid the potential dangers that come from taking the shortcuts these rules present. Tinkering with your eating habits by following arbitrary rules is not something we should take lightly.

What Are Some Healthy Eating Rules You Should Avoid?

1. Running away from carbs

While it is true that studies show carbs being linked to several metabolic diseases ( such as metabolic syndrom and diabetes) and even overeating, there is one thing you have to remember. Not all carbohydrates are created equal, so you do not have to run away from them all the time. Carbs are an essential nutrient for your body. They give you the energy your body needs to carry out your every-day tasks. However, the same cannot be said about refined carbs, which have been highly processed to remove their fiber.

White pasta contains the carbs that can harm you if you consume them in excess, whole-wheat pasta is not on the same level. For that reason, you must always make a distinction between natural and refined carbs before cutting them out from your diet.

2. Purposefully skipping meals

With the advent of practices like intermittent fasting, it is not surprising that meal skipping is often recommended as a way to lose weight. However, skipping meals and intermittent fasting is not even close to being the same thing. The first is about mindful eating, while the second is about not eating. Whenever you skip a meal, you miss out on the nutrients and fuel that keep you going. As a result, you end up feeling tired, moody and hungry. Not only that; depriving yourself of eating might also end up in you having the opposite of what you are expecting. In fact, studies have shown that dieting and restrained eating sometimes are predictors of weight gain.

If your body is starving, it is going to want food. The longer you starve yourself, the more food it will want. When you think about it, it is pretty simple, is it not? That is not to say, however, that if you are too busy you cannot skip a meal every now and then. But doing it purposefully and consistently is going to potentially have a negative effect in the longterm.

3. Paying too much attention to calorie counters

We have all done it. You know; that one thing where we closely look at what we eat and try to assign it a caloric value. However, trying to quantify our diet at all times is exactly where we go wrong when we are trying to lose weight. Nevertheless, most people’s calorie-counting obsession stems from studies that show that when it comes to losing weight, quantity matters. Most of the studies explain that if you are expending more calories than the ones you eat, no matter where the deficit comes from, you will lose weight.

While it is true these studies are accurate, it is important to note that calorie counting is far from a perfect science. While you can get estimates by using applications, you will never know exactly how many calories you are losing or taking in when you eat. That is why spending copious amounts of time trying to become a calorie-counting magician does not work. Just see it for what it is: an estimate that can help you identify what needs to be changed in your eating patterns. The other thing is that studies have shown people are notoriously bad at keeping track of their day to day eating habits and thus another reason to see why calorie counting as a method would be extrinsically flawed.

4. Falling for the gluten-free fallacy

Without a doubt, you have heard about this one. It is one of the biggest health trends in the last decade, so much so that people can no longer tell if gluten is problematic for everyone or just those suffering certain medical conditions. Such popularity has resulted in millions of people diving into gluten-free diets in hopes of becoming healthier, feeling better, and losing weight. How many of those decisions were backed by science, though, we do not really know.

If you have any of those conditions, avoiding gluten is completely justified. If you do not, however, you do not have to. The reason why many people feel better when they avoid gluten is that it usually involves cutting back on processed foods. Tossing unhealthy foods out of your diet does wonders for your body. Yet, you should not only apply this practice to foods containing gluten but other types of food as well.

5. Having five meals a day VS three meals a day

This idea is based on eating more frequently to increase your metabolic rate. However, many studies have compared eating several smaller meals to fewer larger meals and concluded that:

1. The number of meals taken has no significant effect on your metabolic rate
2. It also does not seem to have much influence on the amount of fat loss

Studies also show that when you eat less frequently, you improve satiety and reduce hunger. Ultimately, do what fits your schedule and makes you feel better. But remember, do not skip any meals if you do not have to.

Healthy Eating Rules You Should Follow

Now that you know which healthy eating rules you should avoid, here are some of the rules you should follow:

1. Forget about strictly counting calories, count nutrients. When all else fails if you are think your diet is lower than 50 percent vegetables and fruits then you should re-adjust.
2. Listen to what your body tells you.
3. Perfection is not realistic

1. Forget about counting calories, count nutrients instead

Again, we are not dissing the potential benefits of counting calories. But when it comes to following diets, we recommend taking a more positive approach. After all, relying on calorie counting means you are tracking only that which you should not have. That means you are approaching food with a mindset that focuses on deprivation, which can be very demotivating when you think about it. For that reason, we recommend counting nutrients instead. That way it becomes a matter of adding, as opposed to subtracting.

It can also give you plenty of energy and boost the appearance of your skin. If you let each one of these things motivate you to become the best version of yourself, there is no doubt you will succeed in achieving your goals.

2. Listen to what your body tells you

No matter what you eat, you should always pay attention to what you feel and your bodies reactions to foods. There are many diets out there, but if eating a certain way causes your body distress you should not keep doing it. for instance a person whom is significantly lactose intolerant that eats dairy consistently in their diet and presents to the doctor complaining of chronic abdominal pain and bloating would feel better most likely by reducing dairy in their diet and using diary substitutes such as any number of the various milk substitutes on the market.

Many people try to follow certain diets, only to find themselves dissatisfied with meeting or sustaining their goal, suffering from feeling deprived, or causing increased food cravings . For example, skipping breakfast every day may be the prime driver of overeating during lunch. All in all, consistently skipping breakfast should be consciously avoided as anecdotal consensus among health professionals. There has not been any clear studies to indicate that there is any difference in weight between those that eat breakfast or those that skip but there is some interesting findings on a correlation between decreased cardiovascular disease among breakfast eaters.

3. Perfection is not realistic

In any dieting process, there is always a bit of guesswork. Things like knowing exactly what you are eating, and the accuracy of product labels, is practically impossible. For that reason, we recommend taking it easy. Do not obsess over the things you can control, and if you really need help, contact a professional. And some people would rather not use the word diet altogether. It implies a short term fix. Many professionals would rather refer to diet changes as a health plan or lifestyle modification

Conclusion: Are All Healthy Eating Rules Bad?

Realistically, none of these rules are inherently bad. You should, however, be very careful with the advice you receive and read online. Always prioritize your feelings above anything else. If eating a certain way does not make you feel right, be selective.

Conversely, if something works for you, keep doing it. As we have already told you, all body types are different; Just know that moving forward, it is best to approach diets with a critical lens. Do your research and ask your doctor or a certified nutritionist if a particular health plan may be right for you according to your own nutritional needs and medical history.

Thank you for reading our blog post on Healthy Eating Habits You Should Avoid. If you found it helpful, let us know in the comments below. Moreover, you can visit the blog section on our website to learn more about nutrition, body care, and exercise-related topics. To learn more about the steps you can take to achieve a healthier lifestyle, check out our book. In it, we detail a set of meal plans and exercises that can help you achieve your body goals. Transition your lifestyle into a healthier, more fulfilling one with NubianDoc today.