10 diet rules meant to be broken

Some food dos and don'ts are best ignored, experts say.

WebMD Medical Reference

Medically Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks

Do these diet truisms ring any bells in your mind?:

• Don't eat before bedtime or you'll gain weight.
• Missing meals will help you lose the pounds.
• If you want to stay on a diet, eat at the same time every day.

Experts say these are among dozens of silly food 'rules' we often try to follow to the letter. Some are half-truths, some are complete myths, and some are clearly more harmful than others, but most of them won't help you lose weight or make dieting any easier.

10 food rules to ignore

 

1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds.
It's the total calories you consume over a 24-hour period - and more often, over a week - that causes you to gain weight, and when you eat those calories doesn't matter. That said, because you may be more tired at night, your resolve may be lower, so you may tend to eat larger portions, or more high-calorie foods, than you would during the day. But as long as you keep an eye on calories and portion size, feel free to set your hunger alarm to the time that suits your lifestyle.

2. It's best to eat at the same times every day.
Eating when you're hungry rather than when the clock says it's time to eat is a better strategy than eating at the same time every day. While it can help to keep some consistency to mealtimes, forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry - or forcing yourself to wait when you are - only makes it harder to stick to your diet. If you must eat at a certain time,  for example, during a set lunch break at work - cut yourself some slack the rest of the day and eat only when your stomach says it's time.

3. Dieting with a friend always makes weight loss easier.
No one doubts that companionship and common goals can pay off for dieters. But there are some instances in which the buddy system may work against you and your friend.
If one friend fails and the other doesn't, it could upset the balance. Also if one friend falls off the diet wagon, the other may follow suit. Ultimately, weight loss is a personal journey. If you find it's easier with a friend, remember to compete only against yourself - not each other.

4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer, so you'll eat less.
This was a well-accepted food rule for many years but new research has challenged this logic. It has shown that while fat does take longer to digest, it's actually the least satiating of any food group so it won’t help you control your appetite. The foods likely to stave off hunger the longest are protein foods, followed by carbohydrates, then fats.

5. When you disrupt your diet, you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Every meal matters, so if you ate a big piece of birthday cake at lunch time, you can still get back on track with your next meal. You don't have to have a full day of healthy eating in order for it to count.

6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude.
If you had diabetes, or a severe food allergy to something, you wouldn't think twice about turning down food you weren't sure of - and you should feel that same sense of priority in turning down a food that you know will disrupt your diet - most people will understand.

7. Missing a meal every now and then will help you lose weight.
Missing a meal means you will be so hungry at the next meal that you are likely to overeat, say experts.  Not only that, missing meals can actually help lead to a slowdown of your metabolism, meaning you'll burn fewer calories.

8. Bread is fattening, nuts are fattening, pasta is fattening.
It's not what you eat that contributes to weight gain, it's how much you eat that matters most.
Whole wheat bread, for example, is a great source of nutrients, and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.

9. All calories are equal.
While it's true that 1,400 calories is 1,400 calories, experts say certain foods have a greater ability to fill you up before they fill you out. These tend to be fibre-rich, water-rich foods, like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
All calories are equal if all you're doing is counting calories to lose weight but if you care about how you are losing weight, or controlling your hunger, or the health of your body, then all calories are not of equal value.

10. If you don't clean your plate, you're wasting food.
Tying emotions to eating (like when you feel guilty about leaving food on your plate) sets the stage for emotional overeating. If you've been taught that cleaning your plate is the best way to show appreciation for a meal, consider showing your gratitude with verbal praise instead.
Food is simply a source of fuel for the body - not an emotional payoff or payment. If you don't feel right leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate, put less food on your plate to begin with.

SOURCES: Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author, 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet. Abby Aronowitz, PhD, author, Your Final Diet; director, SelfHelpDirectives.com; Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist, New York University Medical Center, USA.

Reviewed on February 20, 2012

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