It's October 3rd

It’s October 3rd - if you aren’t aware, it’s “Mean Girls” day. For this year's annual Mean Girls day, I wanted to bring up and break down some of the infamous diet-culture-based nutrition myths.

“Is butter a carb?” “Yes”

No - butter is actually not a carb, it is mostly fat. Regardless, “carbs” and “fats” as a whole aren’t inherently good nor bad, even when it comes to weight loss. Try to focus on consuming all foods and macronutrients in moderation, rather than cutting out whole groups.

"I really wanna lose three pounds"

Many people feel this way, though most go for 10 pounds. But it’s important to question why you want to lose 3 pounds. If it’s because you think you will look better when you’re 3 pounds lighter, it’s likely that you won’t actually be satisfied or content at that new weight and you’ll just want to lose 3 more. Focusing on healthy habits that make you feel better (more awake, less stressed, etc.) can be much more rewarding in the long run.

"It’s called the South Beach Fat Flush, and all you drink is cranberry juice for 72 hours."

Juice cleanses don’t work. Sure, going three days without eating solid foods might lead to weight loss, but the weight will come back on as soon as you inevitably stop the diet. Even worse, many people on juice cleanses report fatigue, dizziness, GI disturbances, and potential long-term health effects. The “South Beach Fat Flush” and all the real-life "magic" diets aren’t worth it.

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While some of the Mean Girls diet fads may have felt funny or overly exaggerated, they’re very representative of real-life diet culture. There will always be diet trends, hacks, and fads but none of these stick around for a reason - they just don’t work. So next time you’re thinking about trying a new diet, try to consider why you’re doing it, what health effects it may cause, and if you could sustain it in the long run. Ultimately, diets aren’t so ‘fetch’ after all.

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- SB

- Image via Giphy

- For more anti-diet information, check out Intuitive Eating. This website is a good starting point.