The field of nutrition is always changing and evolving, which is good because it means that you can always rely on new research to emerge as a solid alternative to what you may already know or believe to be true. One area of nutrition that seems to be constantly evolving is the question of which diet is best. Some nutrition experts will always suggest a specific diet while others will suggest that there is no one ‘best’ diet and that any diet will do.
The question is, which diet do nutrition experts say has no scientific evidence to support it? If you’ve been following the popular diet advice for decades, you might want to consider rethinking that approach. Here’s a comprehensive list of the diets that nutrition experts say have no scientific evidence behind them.
Vegetarianism
There is no specific diet that nutrition experts say has no scientific evidence behind it. Instead, they typically suggest a vegetarian or vegan diet because they believe that these types of diets provide some unique health advantages.
While it’s true that there are some well-known advantages to a vegetarian diet (such as lower cholesterol and greater intake of vitamin B12), these are only some of the nutritional advantages that vegans have over carnivores (animal eaters). The main reason why nutrition experts say that vegetarians and vegans have no scientific evidence backing them up is because there are too many variables that you have to keep in mind when trying to determine the ideal diet for your body. This includes, but isn’t limited to:
- What kind of vegetables and fruits do you like?
- What kind of protein do you prefer?
- How much salt do you need?
- How much fat do you need?
- What is your preferred carbohydrate source?
- Does cooking your food change the nutritional value? (For example, does microwaving a potato alter its vitamin levels?)
If you want to go ahead and adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet, that’s fantastic! Just keep in mind that you will need to make certain substitutions to ensure that your diet meets your body’s needs. For example, you may need to consume more fruits and vegetables if you are used to eating a lot of meat and dairy.
Paleolithic Nutrition
Again, there is no specific diet that nutrition experts say has no scientific evidence behind it. However, they do suggest a nutrition approach that has been around for thousands of years called ‘paleolithic nutrition.’ This is where your diet history begins, and it means eating the way our ancient ancestors did. One of the principle tenets of this approach is that everything on the diet should be as natural as possible.
This means that you avoid manufactured foods and takeaways as much as possible, opting instead for fresh produce and whole grains. When you opt for this approach, you will automatically reduce your intake of saturated fats, and increase your intake of fiber. Along with eating healthy, there is also the mental image of feeling satisfied after a meal.
Paleolithic nutrition has been around for a while, and while it’s not always easy to follow, it does have some major advantages. For example, there is some evidence that it may heighten the senses and increase mental acuity.
Fasting
Another diet that nutrition experts say has no scientific evidence behind it is referred to as ‘fasting.’ In this type of diet, you will consume only what you need to survive and nothing more. That means no eating beforehand, and no eating after the event, either. The main purpose of this diet is to reduce food intake, thereby boosting your body’s nutrient levels while also putting you on a diet.
This type of eating pattern has been known to exist for centuries, and while there is no definitive proof that it confers any benefits to the user, it’s always a popular approach among bodybuilders and other athletes who want to optimize their performance. In general, though, there isn’t much evidence to suggest that fasting provides any advantages to health or even prolongs life.
Oligarchy Nutrition
Oligarchy nutrition isn’t really a diet in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s a way of thinking about nutrition that suggests that there is ‘the best diet for everyone,’ and that you should aspire to follow this diet regardless of your current food choices. In other words, it’s similar to the paleolithic approach in that it promotes eating natural foods and avoiding manufactured foods.
The main difference is that oligarchy nutrition is more of an attitude than a concrete plan. To follow this approach, you will need to be willing to try new things and challenge yourself to make healthier choices regardless of whether that means going without food or eating foods that you might not usually consider to be healthy.
To give you an example, let’s say that you’re currently addicted to desserts. To an oligarchy nutritionist, that might mean that your diet is full of empty calories that do nothing for your body and just contribute to your waistline. However, if that’s the case, you might as well indulge yourself and have dessert now, because there is no point in denying your true desires. Following this approach can lead to great benefits, including increased energy levels and better mental clarity.
This may sound like a difficult approach to take, and it’s certainly something that you should work on changing. Instead of thinking that there is one true ‘best’ diet, consider this approach and see if it doesn’t make more sense: maybe what you need is a diet that is tailored to your personal preferences. Maybe you need a plan that encourages you to eat the things that you love, but also pushes you to try things that you may not have eaten before. After all, the more you learn, the more you grow, and the more you grow, the more you can eat!