In case you don’t already know, here at Hip & Healthy, we are strong believers in using the “No Diet” approach to achieving a healthy and happy body. We’re all about nourishing the body with clean, whole foods that haven’t been injected with all sorts of nastiness or haven’t been processed to such a state that it’s unrecognisable! Ew! Seriously though, diets aren’t exactly appealing are they? You feel deprived, completely obsessed with food and you become the grumpiest human being on the planet! Where’s the fun in that? This week we’ve put together the top diet pitfalls that you should definitely be avoiding and why they could be damaging your hard efforts to achieving the bikini body you deserve!

Crash Diets
There’s a reason why they’re called “crash” diets! When we restrict or cut out certain food groups from our diets, our energy (and willpower) levels take a huge beating, and we quite literally crash! This is so detrimental to our bodies and it can cause us to go into the whole yoyo dieting frame of mind. By the end of the week (if you can manage to even get that far!) you’ll most likely revert back to old eating habits that can lead to you weighing more than before you started.

“Low-Fat” Products
Ah, the low-fat debate. Surely foods labelled as “low-fat” are healthy for us? Wrong. Next time you go to pick up a “low-fat” product, think sugar laden, chemical storm! So many low-fat foods are loaded with sugar and toxins that our bodies were never designed to process…and if we can’t process them, where do they go? Nowhere, they just sit in our bodies creating a toxin build up. This can cause havoc on our hormones, energy levels and ability to fight disease. We load up on good fats like avocados and nuts

Skipping Breakfast
Skipping breakfast is a big no-no. Many people skip breakfast (aka the most delicious meal of the day!) because they are lead to believe that reducing their calorie intake will help them lose weight. In truth, skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do for your body. Think about it, you’ve just gone an average of 10 hours without eating so in order to “break the fast” you need to eat in the mornings. Failing to do so, will cause your body to go into starvation mode, turning your body onto a fat storing mode rather than fat burning. Another reason not to skip breakfast is because come 11 o’clock, the hunger pangs will hit and those office muffins will look super appealing!

“Diet” Drinks
Similar to the low-fat scenario, “diet” drinks will do more harm than good. Mostly loaded with unpronounceable chemicals, its best to stick to homemade smoothies, juices and water!

Not enough snacking
Going for hours in between meals without fuelling your body, can be more detrimental to your health than you might think. A bit like the starvation mode, if you body senses your not feeding yourself enough to sustain yourself, your body will cleverly try to combat that by slowing down your metabolism and the rate at which your body burns fat, leaving you feeling very tired and lethargic. Try snacking on high protein snacks like hummus with raw veggie sticks, nut butter toppped oatcakes or, if your feeling creative, our Superfood Chocolate Energy Balls!

words by Molly Jennings