I walked into Barnes and Noble the other day to buy a gift and was immediately assaulted by the front kiosk of books trying to swallow me up.
This picture made me laugh and irked me all at the same time because it says so much. The diet industry, a multi-billion dollar business, is trying very hard to get your attention so you can buy their books, supplements and other tricks to keep them rich rich rich! I gave up a long time ago trying to keep on top of the latest diets because it could easily turn into a full time job. Here were some of my favorites on the kiosk:
- The Shred Diet
- The 21-day Diet
- The 17-day Diet
- The Fast Metabolism Diet
- The Paleo Code
- The Detox Diet
- The China Study
- The Start Here Diet
- And in with them, Why Diets Fail
No wonder we are all confused! Which is it now, the diet that tells us to not eat any animals, or the diet that tells us to eat mostly eat meat? Or is it the one that warns us against gluten taking down the world?
The diet industry is not confused. They know that fear sells. So does promise. And failed New Years resolutions.
I gave a talk the other night at my local library called Healthy After the Holidays and honestly, it was a tricky talk to give. If the diet industry has it right, most people want a quick fix for the damage that was done over the holidays, extra points for something that can work its magic in 21 days or less. Call me too honest, but I can’t make promises like that to unsuspecting people just so I can make a buck. And besides, my philosophy on living a healthy life goes against much of what those books talk about.
It might not be glamorous or flashy, but it is real and it is a way of life. And it is incredibly empowering. This way of life takes getting very comfortable with why you are doing this all in the first place and then learning the skills to put it all into motion (need a pep talk on getting motivated? Click HERE).
I have back up on this. An article I read in the New York Times called The Empty Diet Claim Season, validated my experience at the bookstore.
So what are we supposed to do with all this confusion? Breathe, take a step back, and regain our senses. Know that living a healthy life is not something you do for a weekend juice fast, or 17 day blitz (why 17 days anyway?). We are not in this for three days or three weeks, we are in this for life. Your healthy, vibrant, energetic life. Now doesn’t that sound better than reading a book called The Super Detox Diet and Fat Shredder? I thought so.
Now let me ask you! In the comments below, tell me if you have recently bought a diet book or considered trying a specific diet for the New Year. What worked, what didn’t?
