Why Conventional Diets Hurt

We’ve heard that conventional diets don’t work or don’t produce lasting results, but can they actually hurt your body? The research points towards “yes,” and the culprits are chemicals.

Certified Holistic Nutritionist Marijana Barr says, “A conventional dieting plan focuses on low calorie intake, primarily through low fat and sugar-free food selection, which is mostly achieved by eating animal protein such as red meat and chicken and carbs such as synthetically-enriched cereals and whole wheat products, artificially flavored and sweetened products such as diet drinks, deserts and snacks.” For the sake of convenience and to ensure they make the “right choice,” people often opt for brand convenience foods, which may offer portion control and low calorie options, but are loaded with harmful preservatives, artificial coloring, sweeteners and flavoring, which greatly disturb the metabolism.

The main focus of the conventional approach is weight loss, and the plan is usually supplemented by physical exercise and medication to help reduce high cholesterol, hypertension, pain, etc. What people are not told is that conventional nutrition plans are rooted in microbiology and chemistry and highly dependent on pharmaceutical-based medicine, which focuses on managing chronic conditions with little if any effort towards improvement and health restoration.

According to Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton, an expert on metabolism, too many chemicals in food are a root cause of a variety of common complaints and serious illnesses as well as weight gain. She says, “We all have a highly developed natural ability to keep our weight at a certain level. But, with the onslaught of chemicals in our environment over centuries, toxins have interfered with how our natural weight control works.” If too many chemicals enter the body, appetite “rockets” and desire to exercise “plunges,” causing weight gain, which makes us sick or sicker.

Barr says that in contrast to conventional diets, holistic nutrition plans focus on nutrient rich, whole foods and high-quality food-based supplements as the means to nourish the body and act as medicine.

“It is now well known that the health of the gastro-intestinal tract not only affects digestion, but the overall metabolic balance in the body and the immune system,” Barr says. “Whole foods act as medicine for the body, nourishing it, reducing inflammation, preventing, delaying and reducing the impact of chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, kidney conditions, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.”

Barr maintains, “The best way to avoid harmful chemicals is to stay away from packaged foods and stop thinking about weight loss and healthy eating as a regimen we have to subject ourselves to in order to reach our target weight. To ensure the right combination of nutrients is indigested for a healthy, balanced diet and any existing chronic condition is targeted with food-based supplements, Barr recommends consulting with a certified holistic nutritionist and get a personalized nutrition plan created to follow on an on-going basis, as opposed to dieting.

“What we need is a lifestyle change that will lead to better overall health and give us the feeling of vitality and great stamina. It’s time to stop doing conventional dieting and start detoxing and eating with intention – for nourishment and energy. If we do that on a regular basis, our body will naturally do the rest, and we can count on achieving our personal best in terms of energy, weight and general health.”

Marijana Barr can be reached through her website at www.detoxforhealth.com.