Everybody desires to look good. Some would go through extreme sacrifices and major change on their everyday eating habits to achieve their desired body weight and get rid of the extra bulges. But the proliferation of many fad diets endorsed by Hollywood stars, etc undermines the real value of diet, which is eating right more than eating less.

Some fad diets encourage lesser or completely zero intake of some food groups and name it as a diet. These concepts have been marketed so well that the term dieting in reference to meal planning is associated with deprivation. Here are some myth busters to redeem the word “DIET” as meal-planning to eat right and not one that means starvation or deprivation.

First is the low-carbohydrates diet. The most famous of this type is the Atkin’s Diet, one that recommends elimination of all carbohydrates in ones diet and substituting it with protein instead. The rationale behind this is that carbohydrate is a type of nutrient that is converted into sugar for the body to use in high-energy activities. But if one fails to use the converted sugar, the body stores this as fat. The Atkin’s diet latches on this fact, but does not take in to consideration the everyday carbohydrate consumption of the body, even of that with a sedentary lifestyle. This causes an imbalance on a persons health as one’s system craves for the type of energy it needs.

The second fad diet that was also widely talked about is the South Beach Diet, a systematic and methodological meal planning. Here, science is applied with the careful mix of ingredients and cooking style per meal. Elimination of some food groups also happens, but only in some phases and for detoxification purposes. Though this type of diet does not deprive the body of vital nutrients one needs for everyday functions, it is time-consuming and requires a drastic adjustment to the type of meals that one is accustomed to. The logistics required alone to prepare the meals and stick to the recipes is stressful, while the option of purchasing the whole meal package per day may cost a lot. This makes the diet non-sustainable. One who subscribes to it will definitely lose weight, but maintenance will be a challenge.

Going back to basic with the word DIET is really more ideal. It makes weight loss and maintenance a lot more simple than any fad diets propose, and keeps one healthy too. All that it requires is to eat in moderation without having to leave any of the good dishes or favorite foods out. Because the body requires all the different nutrients that each food group contains, deprivation is not recommended. Denying oneself from the usual food one enjoys also increases the craving, which makes one susceptible to binging. Good diet and self-control is the one and only key to healthy weight loss. There’s no need for dire changes in cooking style or major palette adjustment. All it takes is a little discipline in quantity of consumption.