Carbohydrates make you fat, while fat and sugar are bad for you. We have always heard statements like these that make us see certain foods as villains. The truly good foods are those that are free of these and many other ingredients, such as gluten, lactose and fructose. This is what certain fads preach.

As a result, we tend to classify foods in extreme ways: they are good or bad, they benefit or harm our health, they make us gain or lose weight. We live in an era of nutritional terrorism, a practice in which we demonize certain foods because we believe they are unhealthy.

In this article, we will talk about these excessive restrictions and how they harm our health. If you want to move away from extremism and see food in a different light, without any neuroses, stay with us until the end.

What is nutritional terrorism?

“We are increasingly at war with our bodies,” a phrase has never made so much sense for the times we are living in today. Sophie Deram, a doctor in endocrinology from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of São Paulo (USP) and a pioneer of the term “nutritional terrorism,” was the one who said the phrase in her book “The Weight of Diets.”

For the author, the demands of a radically demanding society resulted in the creation of restrictive diets that made people develop a fear related to food. This fear led and still leads many people to avoid certain ingredients and entire groups of macronutrients.

This is where the idea of ​​nutritional terrorism comes in. In practice, it is like classifying a food only by one nutrient that it offers our body, without considering other functions that the food will provide to our health.

According to Sophie, this terrorism began with fat, then with carbohydrates, sugar, gluten, lactose and now fructose. Substances that are now seen as true villains and that should be avoided in many miracle and radical diets.

This wide range of information has left many people (including nutritionists) confused about what is good and bad for your health. As a result, eating has, in some cases, stopped being a pleasurable activity and has become something stressful and frightening.

Who should follow a more restrictive diet?

Restricting food intake is not synonymous with health, quite the opposite. Experts say that restrictive diets stress the body, alter appetite and result in a rebound effect. In an attempt to lose weight, many end up gaining weight.

In “The Weight of Diets”, Sophie presents a study that reveals that 95% of people gain weight again after a restrictive diet. Another 5% develop eating disorders. Furthermore, radically reducing any ingredient, especially without professional supervision, can lead to serious health problems.

Therefore, it is recommended that only people with specific illnesses or proven intolerance to certain substances follow a restricted diet. For others, the ideal is to opt for a menu made up of all food groups. But, of course, in quantities appropriate to their needs.

Risks of radicalism: what happens if we cut certain foods from our diet?

Nowadays, it is common to see profiles on the internet that encourage people to restrict their diet from certain foods. Influential people post about gluten-free breakfasts, low-carb pre-workout meals, low-carb lunches, and lactose-free dinners. This is just another way to spread nutritional terrorism and encourage others to do the same.

However, it is important to understand that cutting certain foods from your diet because you think they are not beneficial can cause serious health problems. In other words, it can have the opposite effect.

Gluten free diet

This type of diet excludes the consumption of all foods containing gluten (derived from wheat, barley and rye).

Research conducted by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University has shown that low intake of gluten-containing foods can contribute to the development of heart disease.

This happens because, when you exclude protein from your diet, you tend to replace it with foods with high glycemic index carbohydrates and low fiber. This poses a greater risk to cardiovascular health and the emergence of other diseases, such as diabetes and even cancer.

Low carb

Dietary plans that cut carbohydrates from the menu restrict access to essential components for the body to function properly.

Initially, the body shows signs of physical and mental fatigue, loss of energy, forgetfulness, nausea, headaches, mineral deficiencies, and others. After a while, this can lead to muscle loss, as the body starts using muscles as a source of energy.

Lac free diet

Lactose is a sugar that is naturally found in milk and dairy products. Experts say that by excluding this food from the diet without presenting a clinical diagnosis that proves intolerance to milk protein, there is a high risk of the body developing this deficiency and the person becoming, in fact, intolerant to the substance.

These are just a few of the many restrictive diets out there. Many of them, if not adopted with the help of a professional, can also cause harm to your health. That is why we will always defend that food should be enjoyed without fear, guilt or extremism.

Nutritional terrorism: when food restriction results in binge eating and disorders

Unfortunately, with the widespread spread of nutritional terrorism, restrictions on certain food groups are becoming increasingly common. However, adopting this type of diet can lead to binge eating, eating disorders, and psychological disorders.

Bulimia, anorexia and even depression are among the consequences of this extremism. Terrorism can also lead to a diagnosis of orthorexia nervosa, a behavior characterized by an obsession with healthy eating.

Balance! That's the secret to a healthy life

As we can see, restricting certain foods is not the best option for a healthy life. The solution is much simpler: balance.

The secret is to always make good choices. Choose foods that provide the necessary nutrients (protein, fiber, carbohydrates, sugar and fat) for the proper functioning of our body. Choose natural foods over industrialized and processed foods and combine them with physical activity.

Furthermore, make eating a moment of pleasure and self-care. Don’t deprive yourself of what you like, eat without stress and without guilt. When we are at peace with food, we eat healthily and without overdoing it. That’s how it should be.

Eager to live a healthy life? Finding your nutritional balance is the first step towards a healthy body and mind.

Keep following us here and on our social media for more tips on how to lead a healthy life.