Some diets aren't all they're cracked up to be.
Instead of making yourself a guinea pig for every new eating fad, wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to tell which diets were phony before trying them out?
Registered dietitian and nutritionist Andy Bellatti recently gave us three pointers to spot — and defeat — a faulty diet tip in minutes:
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Red flag #1: It emphasizes powders, pills, or both.
"Powders and pills are red flag number one," Bellatti told Business Insider.
The problem with these concoctions, he says, is that they've taken part of something that was once a whole food, like a fruit or a vegetable, then separated and processed it for one ingredient. That's OK for things like cocoa powder, which does have nutrients, but it shouldn't make up the bulk of your eating regimen.
"When something is a powder, you're probably using what, a teaspoon or tablespoon at most? And you have to wonder how much that can really do. Versus a cup of broccoli or a quarter cup of cashews. That’s something significant," says Bellatti.
How to fix it: Go for whole food as much as possible.
Writer Michael Pollan said it best: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
Be sure to incorporate fresh vegetables, like broccoli, bell peppers, and brussels sprouts, into any eating plan. These crunchy, colorful foods — which the CDC actually calls "powerhouse foods"— are a great source of key vitamins and nutrients. They're also high in fiber, which helps keep you feeling full and satisfied until your next meal.
Red flag #2: Its purported "results" are explained in very vague terms.
If the label promises to do things like "Harmonize your aura," chances are it won't do much of anything at all.
One problem with putting slogans like these on health products, says Bellatti, is that they're "completely subjective. They can't be tested." In other words, there's no way of knowing whether a product that claims to "bring you in line with your true self" is really doing so.
And, as Bellatti points out, "The person whose word you're taking is the person who's profiting from this."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider