Fight the Fads

Join HFG in our bid to help the nation get fit and healthy without going to extremes... At Healthy Food Guide we champion good health and gradual weight loss through healthy eating.

Our new mission: fight the fads – make every meal healthier says no to fasting or denial, and a resounding yes to eating tasty, satisfying meals and doing some moderate exercise every week. We don’t ban foods, expect you to go teetotal or ask you to exist on under 1,400 a day. Instead, we have a long-term solution.

HFG nutrition consultant Juliette Kellow explains: ‘Dramatically cutting calories makes you feel tired and causes you to become deficient in certain nutrients, especially if you restrict whole groups of foods, such as carbs, dairy or meat. The pattern with fad diets is that you see them as having a start and a finish: you dramatically change what you eat, lose weight quickly – and then go back to your previous eating habits, at which point the pounds pile back on. The key is to ditch the fads and, instead, make healthy eating the new normal.’

HFG’s top healthy eating tips…

Get the balance right Check your meals match the Department of Health’s Eatwell plate (nhs.uk/livewell/goodfood/pages/eatwell-plate.aspx)

Avoid fad diets that mean cutting out groups of nutrients, such as carbs or dairy.

Eat a variety of foods daily, so you get a range of nutrients for good health. In particular, make sure you get a minimum of five portions of fruit and veg.

Swap white pasta, rice and bread for wholegrains, which have a lower GI and provide slow-release energy.

Have healthy snacks to hand, so that you won’t want to reach for junk food options.

Re-introduce mealtimes at the table instead of on the sofa in front of the TV.

Expand your healthy eating recipe repertoire, so you never get bored – choose an HFG recipe to cook today, then pass it on to a friend.

SHARE A HEALTHY DISH – every month on Healthy Food Guide’s Facebook page, you’ll find a healthy recipe for you to print off to cook, and share with friends. Find it at facebook.com/healthyfoodguideuk.

ONE CLICK TO SUPPORT US If you agree with this statement: ‘I support Healthy Food Guide’s Fight the Fads mission to banish extreme diets and make every meal healthier’, and want to help us spread our message, then go to thunderclap.it on 25 June. You’ll find our campaign in the ‘Health’ category – just click the link to support us (we’re also posting the link on our HFG Facebook and Twitter pages). On 5 August, your pledge will appear on your own Facebook page or Twitter feed with our message. Job done!