There is a four-letter word constantly being heard in sorority houses and dorm rooms alike. That word is diet.
It is not a new concept that dieting can be considered one of the main activities of all 18-22 year-old females on college campuses. This is not to stereotype girls to seem like such crazy diet machines but to inform collegiette’s that they are not alone- there are girls all over campus struggling with the pressures of body image and grappling with the next fad diet.
“Every body is different and what one person can eat is something that the other person can’t,” said sophomore communications major Jodi Zingler. “We can’t just all go on a diet because one person did.”
Although the pressure to be thin is fought with initiatives like Tri Delta’s Fat Talk Free Pledge, there are still new fad diets coming out everyday that influence a lot of people. The Fat Talk Free Pledge encourages girls to stop thinking about being skinny and start talking about being healthy.
Despite positive initiatives to end talking about how “skinny” you are, people still use this language to convince them they need to go on a diet. It is undeniable that diets are healthy when done properly. The Paleo and Dukan diets are two of the most popular diets that work for a lot of people today. Information about these diets is essential in making a decision if these eating habits are right for you.
One diet that has become very popular recently is the Paleo diet. The point of the Paleo Diet is to let out your inner caveman. The website says it is “based upon the fundamental concept that the optimal diet is the one to which we are genetically adapted.”
“I’ve felts so much better overall since transitioning to a Paelo diet a few months ago,” said Junior math major Walesia Lynn. “My skin has cleared up dramatically and I’ve noticed I have more energy throughout the day and while working out.”
The Paelo diet restricts you from eating foods with refined sugars, trans fats, salt, high-glycenic carbohydrates and processed foods and that will help you lose the weight. However, the diet lacks sources calcium and Vitamin D, which are nutrients your body needs to function.
“Staying paleo in a college town can be tricky depending on your living situation- I struggled a bit at first learning what good paleo foods were and where to find them,” Lynn said.
Additionally there is the Dukan Diet, which is popular among celebrities (my favorite kind of people). The Dukan Diet is responsible for the bodies of Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen, according to eatingwell.com. The Dukan Diet consists of phases where you gradually are allowed to eat more food. At first you can have lots of protein, a small amount of oat bran per day, and drinking six to eight glasses of water everyday. There are also no limitations to how much protein you eat. Just, try to avoid all carbs in the separate phases of the diet.
“The pro is that you don’t have to limit what you are eating, you can eat until you’re full. It’s not hard to find things to eat all,” sophomore criminology and psychology major Brooke Morris said. “I can’t eat pasta though, and I love that (pasta).”
The point of bringing up all these diets is to get the message across that there is no perfect eating plan for one person, and if you do want to lose weight it is important to do it in a healthy way and think about the good and the bad of what you are putting into your body.