Diet is a major part of your overall health. Poor eating habits can cause serious health issues like osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and even cancer. If you are going to adjust your diet, it is important to get advice from a specialist. Listening to the wrong sources and falling for misleading marketing ploys can do more damage than good to your overall health.
While it is important to consult a specialist, you also need to be able to recognize which changes can harm your health. Keep reading to discover 5 dietary mistakes that you need to avoid.
1. Practising cheat days
If you are on a strict diet, you might think you're doing yourself a favor by indulging in a cheat day. But this approach to adiet is counterproductive to long-term success. Instead, you need to set your diet to 80/20. About 80 percent of the time you need to fill your plate with healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and healthy fat. The other 20 percent of the time you can indulge in dessert and wine without any guilt.
2. Restricting too many calories
Many people mistakenly assume that to lose weight all they need do is to lower calorie intake. But calorie restriction isn’t always equal to weight loss. By following a very low-calorie diet you can harm your health. When you don’t get enough calories, you put your body into starvation mode. This interferes with normal metabolism. Instead of losing fat deposits, your body starts to store it.
In addition to excess fat deposits, you can get other health problems. It can contribute to muscle loss, mood swings, fatigue, vitamin deficiency, and decreased immunity. If you want to lose weight, consult a nutritionist. They can help you make the right dietary choices to lose weight without health risks.
3. Trying detoxing
If you think that supplements and detox tea can help you “detox” your body, you’re making a big mistake. The concept of ingredients that help the body to get rid of unnecessary waste is complete nonsense and typically more expensive than eating truly nourishing food. Every day, your body organs like the liver, kidneys, and digestive system cleanse your body of toxins. If these organs aren’t working well, “detox” tea isn't going to fix it.
4. Cutting out whole food groups
Some people claim that cutting a whole group of food from your diet (paleo diet) can help you lose excess weight and live a healthier life. But this is one of the worst approaches to diets and weight loss. Diets that eliminate the entire food group don’t provide you with long-term health benefits, both physical and mental. This can contribute to vitamin and nutrient deficiency and lead to serious health problems.
If you still want to try diets that exclude whole groups of products, you may try injections of vitamins and minerals directly to the bloodstream. This procedure will help you balance the levels of nutrients and vitamins in the organism.
5. Avoiding gluten
It is normal to avoid gluten if you have a gluten intolerance. If you are a healthy person, who avoids gluten just because it’s trendy, you can harm your health. By removing gluten from your diet, you remove healthy foods like whole grains and can introduce unhealthy ones. If you consume processed gluten-free foods you may find yourself gaining excess pounds very fast.
Processed foods are often filled with high doses of sugar and sodium while having poor nutritional value. This depletes you of essential nutrients and leaves you less satisfied. This makes you prone to eating large portions.
You need to make your diet a priority. While the right foods and dietary habits can make you wonder about your health, a poor diet can sabotage your attempts to improve wellbeing. Be mindful of the lifestyle changes you are going to try. This will help you ensure a better quality of your life.
