When you look around it’s amazing how much information there is on 
diets. There’s pretty much a different diet for every day of the year, plus untold numbers of magazines shouting about the latest celebrity transformation following the latest diet fad. We’ve tried them only to find they don’t work or are just too hard so we give up. The trouble is, no one in the media is just talking about eating healthily, with a sensible sustainable diet which will make you far healthier in the long term than yoyo dieting.
The Young Parents Project founder, Nina, gives us her opinion on why there are so many diets out there and the effect all this pressure to slim is having on us mere mortals.
Why do you think there are so many diets on the market?
Ultimately the diet industry is worth millions so it’s in their best interests to make you think that in order to be beautiful you need to be a size zero. By promoting the message that to be a bikini’d beach babe you have to be super skinny they can ensure you keep spending money on weight loss to try and reach an often unattainable idea of beauty and success.
Why is there so much conflicting information about what is healthy and what isn’t?
Often research is carried out on behalf of big organisations to try and encourage you to buy certain products. It is always worth looking into who has commissioned the research as this can be the source of the conflicting advice to what you have heard before. For example, research published stating it is safe to drink excessively during pregnancy that has been paid for by an alcoholic drinks company probably shouldn’t be taken that seriously.
The other thing to bear in mind is that we are all different so different things will work for some of us and not others. What we do know is a balanced lower fat diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg is the best way to maintain a healthy weight. There is government advice which is a very useful starting point here but the important thing is to find out what works best for you and your body and pay attention to that.
Why is no one talking about simply talking about eating healthily?
There are organisations out there promoting the sensible healthy eating message but the fact is it’s not as sexy or headline grabbing as the dramatic effects of celebrity-led slimming diets. To be healthy and really take care of yourself takes work and commitment but you’ll feel so much better physically and emotionally if you change your lifestyle over a quick fix.
