21 Jul 2014 Moderation outlasts food trends
by Kellie Dye
Nutrition is like fashion. Some foods will be “in style” for a while because a few people labeled them to be the answer to keeping us healthy. Those same foods could then be deemed out of style because they have been replaced with even better foods that are the answer to our health and longevity. Like fashion, nutrition trends change on a whim.
Remember the fat free days? Late into the 1980s and early 90s it was quite the trend to eat as little fat as possible. The motto was “fat turns to fat.” Fat was banished from our diets, and the food companies responded by selling us fat free condiments, cookies, ice cream, cheese and a host of other products. And we bought those products.
The only problem was that we were left totally unsatisfied and hungry, so we ate more of the fat free products, which were not low in calories. Later we found out that fat is important not only to our health but to help us feel satisfied when we eat.
Today it’s OK to eat fat, however we go back and forth about what is the best fat to eat. Olive oil was the darling years ago. Coconut oil is the new trend of today despite the fact that it is high in saturated fat. We’ll see how popular coconut oil will be in a year or two and what new oil will replace it.
Carbohydrates were branded evil back in the 1970s thanks to Dr. Atkins. The fat free craze ended the low carb trend for a short time. Yet again, carbohydrates continue to be picked on in various ways. The New Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet came into power in the new millennium. The Paleo Diet is currently the new low-carb answer to weight loss. I have a feeling there will continue to be more low-carb diets on the horizon.
There have always been diet trends, but there are also single food trends. It’s easy to pick on certain foods because people like simple nutrition advice. Many foods have gone through being labeled good or bad such as eggs, coffee, wine, potatoes, bananas and carrots just to name a few. Some foods enjoy popularity for a time such as kale, quinoa, goji berry, pomegranate and flax, which will only be replaced with new, trendier greens, grains, berries and seeds.
And don’t get me started on gluten. Like the low-carb trend, the gluten free trend can be very unhealthy and not to mention uncalled for in the majority of people. Only 1 percent of the population must avoid gluten due to celiac disease. The jury is still out as to whether some people are intolerant to gluten, which unfortunately cannot be proven by medical tests.
It’s too bad that diets and certain foods continue to be trendy. We have learned a lot through science about how foods can help or hinder our ability to stay healthy. The problem is that we don’t see the forest through the trees. We want easy simplified answers and quick fixes.
It’s not about this food or that food. It’s about all foods in moderation, a concept that continues to be hard to grasp. I’ve been writing about moderation for years now. I hope that one day, moderation will be a trend that never goes out of fashion.
Kellie Dye, a registered and licensed dietitian, is the wellness coordinator at the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center. Send your diet and nutrition questions to Kellie at [email protected]. Frequently asked and pertinent questions will be addressed in future articles in 501 LIFE.
