There are a number of diets endorsed by celebrities and all manner of wellness industry giants, but we’re here to point out a few that are not only misleading, but downright dangerous. Let’s find out why healthy living isn’t about restriction, it’s about nourishing your body. 

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In a world that frequently bombards us with fad diets promising quick fixes, it's essential to remember that true health isn't about restrictive meal plans or counting calories. Instead, it's about embracing a holistic lifestyle that nourishes both your body and mind. Here's why we're not about dieting; we're all about overall wellbeing.

Dieting often focuses on short-term results, leaving many feeling deprived and unsatisfied. In contrast, adopting a healthy lifestyle prioritises sustainable change. It's about making choices that you can maintain for the long haul. Instead of crash diets, think about cultivating habits that you can embrace for life.

Nourishing Your Body, Not Punishing It

Diets often create a mindset of punishment, where certain foods are labelled as "bad" or "off-limits." A lifestyle approach, on the other hand, encourages you to see food as fuel for your body. It's about making mindful choices that nourish and energise you, not restrict or punish you. Health isn't just about what you eat; it's also about your mental and emotional wellbeing. A lifestyle approach recognises the connection between a healthy mind and a healthy body. It encourages stress management, self-care, and a positive relationship with food. Diets often limit food choices, leading to imbalances in your nutritional intake. A lifestyle approach promotes variety and balance. It encourages you to enjoy a wide range of foods, ensuring you get a diverse array of nutrients that your body needs. Perhaps the most significant advantage of adopting a healthy lifestyle is the lasting results it offers. Instead of experiencing the yo-yo effect of dieting, where weight loss is followed by weight gain, a lifestyle approach supports gradual, sustainable changes. It's about making choices that you can stick with over time, leading to long-term health benefits. Life is meant to be enjoyed – and that involves flexibility and enjoyment in your eating habits.

You can savour your favourite treats without guilt because it's all part of a balanced life – and that doesn’t mean you have to load up on sugar, here at IQS we’re all about real, quality foods with healthy fats, protein and all those nutrients that keep us going. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy brownies and bakes! 

Now, for those diets you’ll probably want to steer clear of.

The Baby Food Diet

What It Involves: Yep – this is exactly what it sounds like, we truly wish we could tell you otherwise. This diet, rumoured to have been tried by Gwyneth Paltrow, involves replacing regular meals with jars of pureed baby food, typically, adults on this diet consume several jars of baby food throughout the day.

The Claim: Advocates suggest that the small portions and low calorie content of baby food can help with portion control and weight loss.

Reality Check: While baby food is generally nutritious for infants, it's not designed to meet the nutritional needs of adults. Relying solely on pureed baby food can lead to nutritional deficiencies in adults, as it lacks the variety of nutrients needed for health. 

The Blood Type Diet

What It Involves: This diet assigns specific dietary recommendations based on an individual's blood type. For instance, it suggests that individuals with blood type O should consume a high-protein diet, while type A should follow a vegetarian diet.

The Claim: The diet claims that by eating foods matched to your blood type, you can improve digestion, lose weight, and prevent diseases. 

Reality Check: Sorry to break it to all those blood type diet fans out there, but there's really nothing to back it up. Scientific research does not support the theory that blood type should dictate dietary choices, and nutritionists emphasise that individual preferences, dietary restrictions, and nutritional needs are better considerations for a healthy diet. So, unless you’re getting a transfusion, there’s really no need to be concerned about your blood type!

The Werewolf Diet (or Lunar Diet)

What It Involves: Followers of this diet fast during specific lunar phases, particularly during the full moon and new moon. 

The Claim: The diet suggests that fasting during lunar cycles can help with detoxification and weight loss.

Reality Check: Fasting during lunar phases has no scientific basis and is not a safe or sustainable method for weight loss or detoxification – it’s really nothing more than staring at the moon. It can lead to nutrient deficiencies and is not recommended by health experts. 

The Alkaline Diet

What It Involves: The diet promotes consuming alkaline foods (such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts) while avoiding acidic foods (like meat, dairy, and grains). 

The Claim: Proponents argue that shifting the body's pH towards alkalinity can improve health, prevent diseases, and promote weight loss.

Reality Check: The idea that specific foods can significantly alter your body's pH is not supported by scientific evidence. While the diet encourages healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, the pH of your body is tightly regulated by physiological mechanisms, and dietary choices do not significantly impact it.

The Breatharian Diet 

What It Involves: Followers of this extreme diet believe they can survive without food or water, relying solely on air and sunlight for sustenance.

The Claim: Breatharians claim that fasting from physical food and water can lead to spiritual enlightenment and improved health.

Reality Check: This diet is not only bizarre but also incredibly dangerous. Humans cannot survive without essential nutrients from food and water. The Breatharian Diet has led to severe health consequences, including malnutrition and death.

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