The food, diet, wellness and healthcare industries are full of jacked up disordered eating propaganda.  And so much of it has become covert dieting messages in disguise.

 

What I especially can’t stand about all of this hoopla is that it lures people in so easily with the use of pseudo-science, creative marketing, flashy products, and phrases that have been so overused that they are now cringe-worthy (at least IMHO, ha!).

 

Here are a few of my (least) favorites:

 

1. “Clean eating” - Um, what does this even mean?  And is there an opposite to this - like ‘dirty eating’?  People use this when they want to tell themselves a story about the food they are putting in their body.  That it somehow makes them more pure or healthier. Your body knows how to handle all types of food. Chill out.    

 

2. “Fat-burning” - There are no foods that burn fat.  Oh, and stop clicking on those stupid lists of “top 10 fat-burning foods” that are all over the internet.  Those articles don’t deserve your time and attention. Stay strong - don’t let it suck you in.

 

3. “Keto” - Short for “ketogenic diet,” it is the newest lingo for low-carb dieting.  Most people who do the keto diet aren’t actually even doing a real ketogenic diet. And if they were, it can actually be very dangerous.  The whole thing is ridiculous, so stop.

 

4. “Paleo” - Another diet trend I can’t stand.  I for one appreciate the advances of modern food science and human nutrition, and the ways that we have become more creative and advanced in the way we create, package and sell delicious food.  We don’t have to pretend to be cavemen because we don’t live in the stone age.

 

5. “Lifestyle change” - The hottest code word for dieting.  As if calling it a “lifestyle change” somehow makes it not a diet.  Be aware - pretty much anything that advertises itself as “lifestyle change” probably is a diet in sheep’s clothing.  

 

My suggestion:

Just eat food.  It’s just food.  No need for fancy semantics.