Ask Dr. Schwarz

Why do I feel like I have to follow every new diet trend that comes along?

When you have a problem with food, it’s hard to feel self-confident in your ability to fix it. Obviously, if you were able to fix it, the problem wouldn’t still be with you. This lack of self-confidence leads many people to look outside of themselves for an answer.

Weight control is a persistent problem for many women, and the remedies out there for it are in high numbers. It is so tempting to go with the latest “expert” advice on what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, what to avoid eating. It’s not that some of this advice isn’t good―a lot of it is good. The most important part of a diet, though, is not whether it’s good, but whether it’s good for you as an individual.

You have your own needs, both nutritional and emotional. You have your own ways of doing things. You have your own preferences, things you like, things you don’t like. So when you try to adjust yourself to the latest diet trend, you may be hurting yourself.

Before you jump into the next low carb diet or high fiber diet or whole grain diet or liquid diet or pre-packaged diet, make sure you consider yourself as a whole person and what you truly need and want.