The Anti-Diet Movement

Have you noticed that many dietitians and fellow health professionals are moving away from the term “diet”? This is due to the realization that the diet and exercise culture that has evolved is doing more harm than good. Recent research indicates the key to lifelong health is to avoid dieting.

Researchers analyzed the results of a survey given to 147 healthy-weight adults. According to the study’s co-author, Brian Wansink, PhD and Director of the Food and Brand Lab, “Most slim people don’t employ restrictive diets or intense health regimes to stay at a healthy weight. Instead, they practice easy habits…”. The study noted that 96 percent of participants always eat breakfast, 90 percent exercise, and 92 percent claim to be “conscious of what they ate.” Half of the participants claimed that they don’t diet.

What about exercise? Consider the evolution of mankind. Humans started out in an environment that kept them moving at low-intensity every 20 minutes or so rather than sitting all day and jumping up for a 60-minute workout. Physical activity should be natural and recreational rather than strenuous and dutiful. Instead of doing jumping jacks and high knees, small bursts of physical activity all day long may be the key.

Bottom line: Join the anti-diet community and banish ‘the four-letter word’ from your vocabulary. Instead of focusing on what you ‘shouldn’t’ be eating, focus on what you can add to your meals to nourish your body and stay energized throughout the day. When considering exercise, think about how you can move more throughout the day, rather than relying solely on one hour of planned exercise. By incorporating small bursts of activity throughout the day, you will likely end up spending more time moving.

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