I want to preface this post by saying these are just MY personal feelings about diets. I am a firm believer that different things work for different people!  Let me know in the comments below how YOU feel about diets.

It seems as if ever since I was old enough to be aware of them, there were always some kind of fad diets making the rounds.  I remember the commercials for low fat foods like Snackwells.  Then, low sugar versions of other candies, cookies and crackers.  Later, Atkins and South Beach made the rounds.  Today, Paleo is all the rage.

To be fair, I’ve never followed any of them.  In my humble opinion, it seems as though these diets are always fads.  For awhile low fat and high carb is healthy, then suddenly its red meat and no carb, and then, oh, wait, carbs are still bad unless they’re in the form of a sweet potato.  Does anyone else think there’s something disingenuous about all this?

Don’t their poor cousins the white potatoes feel left out?

To me, it seems that anything that can be marketed and sold to the consumer always looking for a quick fix or to drop that last 10 pounds doesn’t quite ring true.  Now, that’s not to say that none of these diets have any value.   But for me, I can’t see following a diet that is going to be “out” again in a few years.  Where’s the life style?  Where’s just eating healthy, whole, natural foods?

If hummus and carrots is wrong I don’t wanna be right.

It seems counterintuitive.  A diet that says you can’t ever eat beans is healthy?  You can never have dairy again?  What about eliminating whole grains?  How about no white potatoes?  Take this one as an example.  To say you’re never going to eat a white potato again since it’s on the “banned” list seems crazy (yes, Paleo, I’m looking at you).  You’re going to shun Thanksgiving dinner for the rest of your life?  And on top of that, doesn’t it seem crazy to not be able to eat a potato?  Yes, it’s a starch, but it comes out of the ground and contains vitamins and can be a nice, inexpensive base of a meal.  People have been eating potatoes for centuries. Surely my Irish ancestors would disagree that potatoes should be on the “banned” list!

They look so innocent.
(Source: faithfulprovisions.com)

This is not to knock anyone that enjoys these diets and finds that they can work for them long term.  I just think that in the healthy living world, it can seem as though if you’re not going to Cross Fit everyday or eating chicken and broccoli for every meal you must be doing something wrong.  So here’s a vote for the other side of the healthy living world.  A vote for eating a balanced diet of healthy carbs, lean proteins, veggies, fruits and yes, treats as well.  Because, well, who wants to go through life without them?

Have you ever followed any of the popular diets?  Do you vote for or against them?