Written by: Amanda Pasko, MS, MPH, RD, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Each year, millions of people cite improved nutrition, weight loss, or fitness as a New Year’s Resolution. Yet, as many memes highlight, adherence to these resolutions is prone to decline in the early stages of the year. People are faced with a web of advice from the media, friends, and family on which diet will help them to reach their goals, and yet few practical tips exist on how to structure and maintain an overarching, successful diet plan. This article provides an overview of where fad diets - a diet trend publicized to be a faster fix and often a theme of a New Year’s resolution – fall short, along with what nutrition considerations and practical tips can make a change last.
Fad diets: What they offer, and where they fall short
Keto diet
What: The original version of the Keto Diet was formulated in the 1920’s as a treatment of epilepsy. This original, strict version of the Keto Diet involved 80% of calories coming from fats, and the other 20% coming from carbohydrates and protein combined. In subsequent decades, the slowing of metabolism occurring with the Keto Diet also made it popular for weight loss, although these newer versions of the Keto Diet feature a lower predominance of calories from fat.
Potential benefits: Higher fat and lower carbohydrate content shifts the body towards ketogenesis, or fat breakdown, and gluconeogenesis, breaking down other substances in the body to produce glucose, potentially aiding weight loss. In addition, reliance on fat as fuel can drive up ketone bodies, which suppress appetite.
Drawbacks as a New Year’s resolution: Carbohydrate is the primary fuel of the brain and of exercising muscle. As a result, people on lower carbohydrate diets, especially in the early stages, often report subjective feelings of low energy and are quick to crave foods, typically those higher in carbohydrates, for faster energy. Furthermore, a ketogenic diet is not without health downsides. Common early symptoms include vomiting, nausea, and gastrointestinal discomfort, potentially dissuading adherence, and long-term research demonstrates elevated lipid levels, linked to cardiovascular conditions. Weight loss studies show mixed results.
Low-carbohydrate, atkins, and paleo diets
What: While definitions of a low-carbohydrate diet vary, this typically refers to less than 25% of calories from carbohydrates, which often means less than ¼ of a standard plate of grains and limited higher-sugar items. The Atkins Diet is comparatively more extreme, involving less than 5% of total calories from carbohydrates. The Paleo Diet, by contrast, is less extreme, with certain permitted carbohydrate sources, including cereal grains, certain fruits and vegetables, and legumes.
Potential benefits: Low carbohydrate lowers insulin, a building hormone responsible for bringing nutrients from blood and into cells, and also shifts the body towards pathways that emphasize breakdown.
Drawbacks as a New Year’s resolution: Not unlike a Keto Diet, low carbohydrates can lead to low subjective mental and physical energy, leading many people to ultimately crave those foods, with effects most extreme with the Atkins Diet. Lower carbohydrate content has been shown effective for weight loss but has been linked with headaches and dizziness, especially for active people, muscle cramps, and constipation, creating adherence obstacles and long-term heart and kidney challenges.
Intermittent fasting
What: Intermittent fasting involves eating essentially as desired in a specific window, often 8 hours of the day or 5 days of the week, and avoiding or dramatically limiting food for the other portion of time.
Potential benefits: Intermittent fasting has been linked to better control of blood sugar, conducive to appetite control, lipolysis, or breakdown of fat for energy, and weight loss, largely due to the highly limited energy supply for an extended time.
Drawbacks as a New Year’s resolution: Even if a person’s energy intake matches their energy expenditure overall, intermittent fasting puts them in an energy deficit for an extended period. Headaches, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and challenges sleeping can result. Sustainability challenges are further compounded by the social impact of eating only at prescribed times.
Because of the ongoing nature of the body’s building and repairing processes, intermittent fasting is not compatible with growth or recovery from an injury or illness.
Nutrition considerations to make a change last
The keto diet, various low-carbohydrate diet options, and intermittent fasting each offer benefits primarily centered upon shifting the body towards use of fat for energy and weight loss.
However, each introduces health drawbacks leading to discomfort and challenges with long-term adherence, hence the often shorter nature of many New Year’s Resolutions.
Several nutrients, required in a regular supply, play significant roles in objective and subjective measures of wellness:
Carbohydrate, found in largest quantities in grains, with fruit, dairy, and sugar-based sports products, along with vegetables, containing varying amounts is the primary and most efficient fuel of the brain and muscle.
Protein, found in large quantities, in meat, fish, dairy, and eggs, with some in shakes, bars, legumes, tofu, and grains, continually builds and repairs the body’s tissues.
Dietary fat, found in oils and butter, along with nut butters, avocados, and higher-fat dairy products and meat, is a dense energy source and forms important tissues in the body, such as the brain and outside of cells.
Fruits and vegetables, and primarily their vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, support many of the smaller functions in the body and prevent most health downsides.
Needs do vary dramatically between individuals for each of these broader categories of foods, a fact especially true for carbohydrate, as individual activity levels vary. It is also true that nutrient intake and timing can be shifted to support healthy weight loss, fat loss, and muscle gain, and in many cases, an individual’s ideal plan with one of the former two goals in mind implies less carbohydrate intake and less frequent feedings than they may otherwise have. Nevertheless, it is extremely important to note that the ideal plan for each individual to reach their goals is contingent upon many factors, and that because of the body’s many and complex ongoing needs, large reductions in a food source is rarely appropriate or helpful.
Practical considerations to make a change last
On top of health drawbacks, many fad diets introduce social drawbacks. Maintenance challenges, in turn, are not uncommon, as a very skewed dietary balance or limited eating times are often not compatible with the social aspects of eating.
Practically, an impactful change must be sustained well into the new year, and several considerations are ideally accounted for:
Schedule: Dramatically new dietary changes require time and planning, yet schedules inevitably become crowded after passing the first week of January. More sustainable resolutions often modify existing options, rather than an entirely new meal structure.
Flexibility: Each year inevitably has its changes, along with holidays and other unique circumstances. A resolution that cannot accommodate variations has limitations, while a better resolution has built-in flexibility, to accommodate different situations.
Others: Eating often occurs with other people, and in many cases, choosing from the same foods. A resolution differing dramatically in food content or timing presents difficulties maintaining. Ideal resolutions account for the existing social aspects of meals.
Food preferences: Everyone likes and dislikes different foods, and following the holiday season, it may seem easier to introduce something less enjoyable. However, it is unrealistic to sustain something unenjoyable for a full year. Ideal resolutions should involve enjoyable foods and meals.
For a New Year’s Resolution to make a health impact, it must be sustained 2-3 months into the year, on top of strategies for maintenance. As a result, practical strategies are vital to any diet’s success. Do you want to learn more about customized, evidence-based, enjoyable, and sustainable nutrition planning for the New Year? Are you looking for a plan for either sports performance or overall energy and wellness? Schedule a free Strategy Session to map out a plan to help you to reach your goals. Check out my website and follow my Instagram to learn more.
Amanda Pasko, MS, MPH, RD, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Amanda Pasko, MS, MPH, RD, is an entrepreneur and leader in the field of nutrition. She is the founder and owner of Athletic Peak Nutrition & Performance, LLC, providing nutrition to support athletic performance, energy, and overall health. She has worked with professional athletes and individuals with a broad range of health goals across the US. She also trains for and competes nationally and internationally in track and field, including 2 World Championships and 3 international wins in the ultra multi-events, involving all track and field events over the course of two days. She holds a Bachelor's in Kinesiology & Sports Medicine from Rice University, a Master's in Nutritional Epidemiology from Harvard School.
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