Author: Dalin Try
Editors: Liane Xu
Artist: Nicole Tseng
During the pandemic, various trends from all over the world, such as making dalgona coffee and working out with Chloe Ting have emerged. Being forced to stay at home has induced an increased interest in workouts, challenges, and diets. However, these health trends have resulted in an unhealthy diet culture and unrealistic beauty standards set by what we see on social media.
Many young teenagers now take out important food groups from their diet such as carbohydrates in favor of leafy greens, and skip meals such as breakfast, to lose weight faster. Others try intermittent fasting, which is when you fast for 16 to 18 hours and restrict your eating window to only 8 to 10 hours. Another common diet pattern is undereating to reach a calorie deficit. Some go to the extreme of eating only 1000 calories a day, cutting out the majority of the food groups that they believe make them fat such as protein and carbohydrates.
Before following these diet cultures, you should know that everyone’s body and health are different and thus have different needs. Just because these diets may work on some doesn’t mean it would work the same way for everyone, because everyone has different nutritional needs and levels of metabolism. If you were to completely cut out carbohydrates from your diet, then your body would be deprived of vitamin B and fiber, which are essential for your health.
Additionally, cutting out important food groups may lead to cravings and binging on unhealthy foods such as pizzas and brownies. Another risk of attempting diets before understanding all the functions and side effects of it is over or under consuming certain food groups. To conclude, instead of focusing on calorie tracking and how your body looks in the mirror, you should instead think about whether your diet includes all the important food groups for the sake of your health.
Citations:
Cronkleston, Emily. “Why Is Vitamin B Complex Important, and Where Do I Get It?” Edited
by Natalie Olsen, Healthline, 29 Mar. 2019,
www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/vitamin-b-complex.
Person. “Why It's a Bad Idea to Cut out Food Groups for Weight Loss.”
Https://Www.inquirer.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 Aug. 2014,
www.inquirer.com/philly/health/fitness/Why_its_a_bad_idea_to_cut_out_food_groups_for_weight_loss.html.
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