Why dietitians don’t fall for seasonal diets?:

Spring season is the time of the year where a powerful thought gets triggered in many Australian heads: that the moment to lose some weight and get in shape for the upcoming summer has dreadfully arrived. Many people react to this idea the same way cornered animals react to danger: with extreme measures. This, dear readers, is how mistakes are made.

Spring time is fresh soil for the large array of miracle diets and supernatural food trends that promise magic results before the time to try that swimsuit expires. Those of us who have tried one (or more) of these diets in the past should know better, but that’s not always the case.

This year we decided to do something different. Instead of surrendering to cheap tricks, photoshopped magazine-cover models or juice-based programs, we got in touch with the Dietitians Association of Australia. In other words, we decided to consult before act, with the wild idea of taking proper care of our bodies.

Minding your health – especially during this time of the year – is often misperceived as taking a raging bull by the horns. After reaching the Dietitians Association, we found out that it’s not like that at all. Again, we surprised our minds in fraganti, playing a little summer-fueled game with our distorted perception health and well-being.  

What the Dietitians Association defined as “the key to a healthy diet” (and thus, to a healthy body) bears the sound of a sweet Buddhist mantra: just keep a long-term, balanced diet that includes as many different healthy foods as possible.

However, the warm sensation we felt after hearing this quickly evaporated with a question that resembled a plea: How do we do it? How do we combine expert nutrition recommendations and diet trends to maximize good health, vitality and enjoyment of food? 

Nowadays, there’s a miracle food for every folk out there. From quinoa to green smoothies and nothing-but-organic the variety of options is wide, and we can all get confused along the way. So we asked the Dietitians Association about this foods. We picked 7 trends (along with the correspondent promoted benefits) and asked for the facts. Here’s what we got from the professionals. Enjoy your road to a healthy lifestyle – and hopefully, a fitting swimsuit!

1. The Quinoa Conundrum: are ancient grains better than traditional ones?

Answer: kind of. Fact is that whole grains are better than refined ones, no matter how ‘ancient’ they actually are or sound.

2. The Smoothies Fever: can we live solely on green smoothies?

Answer: that wouldn’t be good advice. But adding green smoothies to your diet – pulp included – provides variety and is an easy way to increase your vegetable intake.

3. Veggie Milk or No Milk: should we stop drinking cow milk and go for almond or rice milk?

Answer: cow milk’s not for everyone and it’s up to the individual to choose what you like. But if you’re tolerant to lactose, there is no problem in having some, and if your choose a non-cow’s milk, make sure it is fortified with calcium

4. My friend the fermented bacteria: are fermented veggies good for your health?

Answer: yes they are, but it has nothing to do with bacteria. They’re good to increasing your vegetable intake while providing variety in the diet.

5. Blueberry power: are ‘superfoods’ better than the rest?

Answer: no, they’re not. The key to a super diet lies on three pillars: variety, vegetables and color. Colorful meals mean that you’re doing it right.

6. My ugly friend: are misshapen fruit and veggies better than regular ones?

Answer: if fresh, they’re the same – but cheaper. Budget-conscious nutrition, everyone!

7. Organic Wars: are organics better than conventionally-grown?

Answer: it depends. From a nutrition standpoint, there’s no difference. From environmental and economic standpoints, there is, once again it’s up to the individual