Why Has Diet Become A Dirty Word?
Keto....Paleo.... Whole 30... Gluten Free....Low Fat.... Plant-Based....Atkins... What do all of these words have in common? They are all types of diets. What do all diets have in common? Restriction... Restricting carbohydrates, restricting sugar, restricting gluten, restricting fat, restricting animal products, etc., etc.
Over the 28 years since I became a dietitian, diets have come and gone like the latest clothing and hairstyle fads.
The origin of the word “diet” meant simply the food and drink a person consumed. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that it came to mean restricting food intake to lose weight or change body composition.
Before modern technology of refrigeration and food preservation, a person was only able to eat local foods that were available and in season. This caused diets to range considerably depending on where a person lived in the world, what animals could be hunted, or which foods could be gathered on the surrounding land.
As technology advanced with grain cultivation, modern transportation and food preservation, a shift occurred where food was no longer simply a means to survive. People could care more about what they were consuming because they had more options available.
Unfortunately, with more food options and less activity needed to attain our food, we have seen an exponential increase in obesity and diseases related to excess intake of lower quality foods. This has led our society to the constant search for the quickest and easiest way to lose weight.
The History of Diets
Did you know the very first diet book was created back in 1558 and was called, “The Art of Living”. The author recommended that food be limited to 12 ounces per day and wine be limited to 14 ounces per day.
In 1614, the book called “Fruits, Herbs and Vegetables” of Italy criticized the British diet for being too high in sugar and meat. This was the source of today’s Mediterranean Diet.
In 1730, the “National Method of Curing Diseases in the Body” was written by author George Chyne. He followed a diet of milk and vegetables. He lost weight on this diet but found he regained it after returning to his usual diet.
Lord Byron was one of the first “diet influencers”. He was considered one of the most beautiful men in the world by Victorians in the mid-19th century. He would starve himself then binge eat. He was known to wear many layers of clothing to sweat off extra weight. He also invented the “vinegar diet” where he would drink vinegar and water in addition to vinegar-soaked potatoes. (This may sound familiar to today’s obsession with apple cider vinegar and its many beneficial effects.) There were records of women dying during this time from drinking large amounts of vinegar.
The first low-carb diet was created in 1825 with the author of “Physiology of Taste” or “Transcendental Gastronomy”. This diet discouraged bread, flour-based foods, sugar and starchy foods. It was the blueprint for the modern-day Paleo, Keto, Atkins and Caveman diets.
In the early 1900’s, there was a diet technique called “Fletcherism” which instructed the dieter to chew their food 32 times before spitting it out.
What do each of the above diets have in common? Restriction of some sort.
The Moral of the Story
Diets have been around for hundreds of years and there is no sign of them stopping. Every day, someone comes up with new research finding that ONE cause of obesity or weight gain. It blows up on social media and other news outlets so we assume it must be the real deal. We are all so eager to find that quick and easy method to lose weight.
There is no question that many of these diets can absolutely cause weight loss. The problem lies in maintenance over the long term. When we lose weight through restriction and deprivation, at some point, we get frustrated and can no longer continue. We fall off the wagon and jump back into whatever we were doing before. When we lose weight too quickly, without proper protein intake and maintenance of muscle mass, then regain it quickly, we are often times worse off than when we began. We have lost muscle and increased fat mass which can cause a decrease in overall metabolism.
What should we do instead?
Make small changes in current dietary habits.
Be consistent with those changes.
Set yourself up for success by:
a. Meal planning and preparation.
b. Stocking your kitchen with quality foods.
c. Make macro-balanced meals and snacks.
d. Find ways to move more through daily activities and exercise.
Have you ever tried any of the diets we discussed? Comment below with your thoughts.
References:
https://sahrc.org/2022/04/diet-culture-a-brief-history/