The trap of fad dieting
There are two times of the year where weight loss is very popular: after the holiday season and just before the summer vacation. That is when we hear about these slimming diets that allow you to lose 10 kg in a week, without gaining weight or suffering side effects. Most people who use weight loss products, services or extreme diets will experience the yo-yo effect and this usage is not necessarily recommended. Instead, opt for gradual and lasting changes to your lifestyle habits.
Follow the principles of a healthy, balanced diet
There are, however, basic principles recognized by modern science and validated by the experience of billions of human beings, from antiquity to now:
- Cook healthy foods that you love at home
- Prioritize food quality over quantity
- Avoid industrial dishes and fast food as much as possible
- Follow Canada’s Food Guide recommendations. This guide offers all the tools necessary to meet nutritional needs, reduce the risk of obesity and better resist diseases associated with overweight and malnutrition.
- Be wary of fads and media hype. Publications based on serious scientific sources are more likely to contain genuinely useful and beneficial information. For example:
“A good diet does not normalize eating. Each individual is different. (…) We must also give back the control of food to the individual and make him responsible for the solutions. There are many avenues: improve your knowledge of food and how to prepare it, learn to perceive and respect your body’s internal signals (hunger, satiety, taste), stop feeling like a victim deprived of everything that is good. Sometimes all it takes is small changes. The important thing is to arrive at a solution that is acceptable to the individual.“
— Réjeanne Gougeon (1)
For further information (in French)
If you’d like to learn more on the subject, we invite you to consult the Gestion du poids and Santé et nutrition pages of Extenso, the Université de Montréal’s Nutrition Reference Centre. The video on weight loss published by the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec is also a good source of information.
(1) Quote from Réjeanne Gougeon, then researcher in nutritional science at McGill University and president of the obesity treatment committee of the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec, published in October 2000 on servicevie.com