Experts note that people turn to very wrong diets when they aim to lose weight quickly in a very short time, stating that incorrect lists applied in the process started with the goal of weight loss, and weight loss lists based on inadequate and unbalanced nutrition, also bring about obesity.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan, Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, stated that the reason popular diets fail is their impracticality, saying, “Because every diet, every nutrition list prepared, is like an individual's fingerprint; it is specific to that person. There should be lists prepared specifically for the individual.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, evaluated the topic of rapid weight loss and shock diets.
“Weight loss lists based on unbalanced nutrition also bring about obesity”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan stated that wrong diets can actually trigger weight gain and negatively affect health, emphasizing that unbalanced nutrition and rapid weight loss goals often lead to unexpected results. She said, “Adequate and balanced nutrition means the body receives the necessary amounts of energy, macro and micronutrients, namely carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, that it needs. When people aim to lose weight quickly in a very short time, they turn to very wrong diets. In this process, which they start with the goal of losing weight, the opposite effect occurs, and they gain a lot of weight. Incorrect lists applied, weight loss lists based on inadequate and unbalanced nutrition, also bring about obesity.”
“Systemic disorders can occur in parallel with severely inadequate and unbalanced nutrition”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan noted that there is a serious amount of misinformation regarding diets on social media, stating that dietitians can be reached through many channels, but people who have not been trained in this field provide incorrect information. She added, “Systemic disorders and many health problems can occur in parallel with severely inadequate and unbalanced nutrition.”
“Unfortunately, diet has become a market…”
“Looking at the history of nutrition, popular diet lists emerge in every period,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan, continuing:
“There was the Stone Age diet, the blood type diet came. Hollywood diets, Korean diets… They will continue in the future too. Why? Because diet has unfortunately become a market. And individuals' lack of knowledge on this subject, their unawareness of what the weight loss process entails, and their tendency towards quick and temporary solutions have made these diets popular. I do not recommend any of these. Because all these diets, with name changes, are based on the same principle: a single food group, based on inadequate and unbalanced nutrition.
“Korean diet… I definitely do not recommend it…”
For example, the so-called Korean diet is a diet where fluids are predominant, and fruits and vegetables are prominent, or there are protein-heavy diets. None of these are acceptable diets from a health perspective. We definitely do not recommend them.
What is important is healthy weight loss based on adequate and balanced nutrition. The reason for the failure of popular diets is their impracticality. Because every diet, every nutrition list prepared, is like an individual's fingerprint; it is specific to that person. There should be lists prepared specifically for the individual. What we call healthy eating is actually eating without skipping meals.”
Healthy eating obsession: Orthorexia…
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan pointed to the disorder of an excessive obsession with healthy eating called Orthorexia, stating, “Turning it into a disease, processes like ‘I've eaten this many grams of carbohydrates, it contains this much fat, so I shouldn't do this’ become a transition to Orthorexia. In its later stages, there is a position of disliking one's body shape. Despite having a healthy body shape, one starts to see oneself as overweight in the mirror. That's when it shifts towards anorexia. After that, a more unhealthy process begins.”
Is a bread-free diet correct?
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan pointed out that eating with the fear of 'will I gain weight?' like a prison life is not correct, stating that adequate and balanced nutrition includes lists containing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and since bread is a type of carbohydrate, a bread-free list is out of the question.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan said, “The type of bread is very important. We do not recommend white bread because the concept of glycemic index comes into play. Foods high in sugar are not recommended. But we definitely do not recommend a bread-free list either. We do not find such things correct. Bread can be included, but the quantity is important. It is also not right to force bread on someone who says they don't eat bread. There are equivalents. One can consume soup, or rice, but we prefer bulgur pilaf. With single food group and restrictive lists, one can only go so far, and the weight lost is not fat loss but water loss. Then it is regained excessively.”
Blood sugar balance is important!
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan also noted that they recommend whole grain, high-fiber breads, saying, “It could be whole grain bread, made from spelt flour, or rye bread; we want people to lean towards these types of breads because the sugar content in them is low. Therefore, they have a more supportive feature in the process of balancing blood sugar levels throughout the day.”
Beware of shock diets!
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan stated that shock diets cause water loss, not weight loss, saying, “Think of it like a sauna effect. When you go into and out of a sauna, you weigh two kilos less, and you cannot say you've lost weight because it's water loss. This is the effect of shock diets. These are things that aim for that number on the scale to drop quickly in a short time. Shock diets are absolutely diets that should not be applied.”
“You cannot go through your entire life eating only one meal”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan also stated that eating only one meal is not correct, saying, “It’s not possible because the life process consists of a metabolic process. You need to have enough energy to continue your daily life. It is impossible and very difficult to eat a single meal and maintain the continuity of these energy and metabolic processes for 24 hours with that single meal. If you do this, you are disturbing some things in the background. 3 main meals, namely breakfast, lunch, and dinner, must definitely be eaten. Snacks can also be adapted to a person's lifestyle. You cannot go through your entire life eating only one meal.”
‘There is no such thing as I become happy when I eat this…’
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan said, “The body is actually a machine; you continue your life with the way what you put into it works. For this, you need to pay great attention to that balance.”
Stating that science has turned to the psychology of nutrition, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Arslan said, “People eat to celebrate when they are very happy or when they are very unhappy. At the root of this are psychological factors. To get rid of that state of unhappiness, we usually prefer easily accessible foods. These are chips, chocolate… There are those who say, ‘I become happy when I eat this,’ no, there is no such thing; you can also be happy with healthy foods.”