In recovery most people have tried getting on a healthy diet. Motives can be different though – some people are trying to get healthier in general, and some are trying to lose weight exclusively. While there are a number of reasons why people try out diets, one thing is for sure – fad diets often don’t work. While they may give quick results, these are often temporary. Here are 4 reasons why fad diets are less effective than a long-term, holistic approach to nutrition and health.
- Fad Diets Are Difficult to Sustain – Any diet that gets adopted without an accompanying lifestyle shift is doomed from the start. Addicts have a tendency to jump into new things and not see them through, so these can be really attractive sounding. Fad diets also generally lack enough nutritional content to keep the body healthy for long periods of time. So while there may be some quick initial weight loss, there is often rebound weight gain. In the unlikely event that someone does stick with the diet for a while, they often find themselves malnourished and lethargic as a result.
- The Human Body is Not One Size Fits All – Everyone’s biochemistry is different. What works for one person will not necessarily work for someone else. Any new diet that promises to be the end all be all of nutrition fails to take this fact into account. An individual nutrition plan should be holistic and designed around your body, not based on a trendy new system designed to make it’s creators money!
- Too Much Restriction – Outside of the nutritional problems that a highly restricted diet creates, they are very hard to stick to! We want what we can’t have. Try cutting out carbs completely for a day or two and you’ll see what we mean.
- They Leave Out Exercise – Studies have shown that the only weight loss methods that have long term success are focused not around eating less, but eating more of the things that our body need, alongside exercise. Without exercise, fad diets lead to a rebound effect where weight is regained – oftentimes more than was actually lost!
Regardless of your motive for seeking a healthier diet there’s many benefits that come with it once you find one that proves to work! The key is to look at everything as a lifestyle change and focus on consistency. A mentality that is equally important when it comes to recovery.
Long term recovery comes when the individual finds a shift and changes their life style and as a result, feeling good and doing good becomes second nature. Healthy living not only in nutrition and eating right, but through physical activity as well, has shown to be very helpful in maintaining recovery from drugs and alcohol.
