{"id":2773,"date":"2021-05-02T11:52:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T18:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/?p=2773"},"modified":"2021-05-14T10:08:25","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T17:08:25","slug":"chicken-and-broccoli-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/chicken-and-broccoli-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Really Need to Eat Chicken and Broccoli?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It started with an article called The Most Dangerous Diets Ever <\/em>when I used to direct a large wellness site. The post included dieting methods like \u201cThe Tapeworm Diet\u201d (which is exactly what it sounds like), \u201cThe Cookie Diet,\u201d and the forgotten \u201cProlinn Diet\u201d (a nice mix of starvation + slaughterhouse byproducts). It was a sobering reminder of all the crazy diets that have come, gone, and been reincarnated with new twists.<\/p>\n

In the first week, more than 4 million people clicked through the post. On one hand, part of me felt like we succeeded. On the other hand, my growing frustration shifted to something much bigger: Are any of these articles really helping you improve your diet?<\/em><\/p>\n

Sure, you could say that not reaching for a tapeworm or cabbage soup is a win, but I’m not sure that anyone who chooses those options feels like they’ve found the perfect way to eat. Instead, they’re just trying to get small wins, even if it means taking a short-term loss in enjoyment from eating.<\/p>\n

The frustration and guilt I experienced from that article changed my career (I left my job shortly after) and the way I wanted to help people. Just as importantly, it made me rethink which diets are really dangerous.<\/p>\n

And, rather than starting with the obvious, I started to wonder if a timeless staple \u2014 chicken and broccoli \u2014 was a part of the problem.<\/p>\n

If your diet only consists of chicken and broccoli, it should be because that\u2019s your choice. Not because you believe bland foods are the only way to a better body and improved health.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Is The Chicken And Broccoli Diet And Why The Craze?<\/h2>\n

It’s not as much a “diet” as it is a mentality of what you must eat in order to be healthy. As you’ll see, when you survey diet coaches, RD’s, and nutritionists, the majority point to “chicken and broccoli” as being a staple of a healthy diet.<\/p>\n

Why is eating chicken and broccoli seen as the picture of health? On the surface, there are many obvious and fair reasons. Skinless chicken breast is lean meat that is a good source of lean protein. And, when it comes to vegetables, the “broccoli diet” approach is as old as time. Need a vegetable? Just add broccoli.<\/p>\n

\"chicken<\/p>\n

The combination is high protein, low fat, low carb, and not very caloric. It’s the reason why it became the staple of old-school bodybuilding diets because that combination helps control body fat when substituted for multiple meals per day.<\/p>\n

It became a craze because it works…technically<\/em>. If you eat chicken and broccoli multiple times per day it can help you lose weight and insert “healthier” options into your diet.<\/p>\n

But, if following a healthy diet was as simple as pressing the “chicken broccoli” easy button, then no one would ever struggle with their weight.<\/p>\n

The reality is that following a diet (any diet!) is incredibly difficult. Research has compared 4 popular diets and found that on each one, the longer you were on the diet the harder it was to follow the diet.<\/a><\/p>\n

It didn’t matter if it was high protein, low fat, low carb, or some variation of a balanced approach.<\/p>\n

And some of that is the result of a chicken and broccoli mentality. If you believe that eating a limited number of foods \u2014 and options that you might, admittedly, find less-than-desirable \u2014then burnout is very likely to happen and weight loss won’t last.<\/p>\n

Why Dietary Ends Don’t Justify Dieting Means<\/h2>\n

Let’s return to the idea of “dangerous diets.” It’s fascinating to think about because even though many of them are seemingly crazy (honestly, who wants a tapeworm?), people are still willing to give these diets a try.<\/p>\n

The desire to lose weight, build muscle, or live longer is such a powerful end-goal that we’re willing to go the farthest lengths to try almost anything to achieve the results we desire.<\/p>\n

There are three important factors to keep in mind when considering your own diet.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Chasing a goal gives us a rush.<\/strong> We know that the anticipation of something gives us a bigger shot of dopamine than the end result. It’s why it’s important to enjoy the journey, but also something to keep in mind when selecting diets. The\u00a0idea<\/em> of getting fast results (with higher cost or discomfort) will charge your brain with feel-good chemicals that can blind you from what the actual experience will be like.<\/li>\n
  2. Diet culture is messing with your perception.<\/strong> If you’re willing to eat (or more appropriately, not eat) almost anything to lose weight, then some prior experience must have made extreme scenarios appear doable. Hold this thought for a moment because it’s incredibly important.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Don’t take the quick weight-loss bait.<\/strong> Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true or extremely temporary<\/em>, then it’s unlikely to give you the results you want. Or, it’ll be all smoke and mirrors. If your goal is to lose fat, you don’t need to lose 10 pounds really quickly only to gain it back just as fast. This does far more damage than we can begin to explain. (Yeah, we’re looking at all those 7-day cleanse diets.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For a moment, let’s revisit point #2 about the current diet culture. Your willingness to pursue extremes might be the result of the nutritional institution of unfair diets.<\/p>\n

    \"big<\/p>\n

    What\u2019s an \u201cunfair diet?\u201d Any plan that instills the belief that healthy eating must<\/strong> be:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Limiting or restrictive<\/li>\n
    2. Unenjoyable<\/li>\n
    3. Bland and flavorless<\/li>\n
    4. Inflexible<\/li>\n
    5. Shifting from one extreme to another<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      While many coaches scoff at the juice cleanses and cabbage soup diets of the world (myself included), are these really that much worse than \u201chealthy\u201d plans that result in you losing your mind, binging, thinking your body is broken, or believing that a good diet is impossible to maintain?<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s easy to see how both are a problem, but when you grab the tapeworm, at least you have a sense that you’re going to an extreme. When you follow the “never eat dessert” diet, you’re building a belief that health requires long-term sacrifices that don’t feel sustainable.<\/p>\n

      It doesn’t have to be a black-and-white decision between extremes.<\/p>\n

      The Unofficial Great Diet Experiment<\/h2>\n

      What happens when you ask a nutrition expert to put together “the perfect human diet?” You might be surprised.<\/p>\n

      To get a sense of what is shaping your opinion of “healthy diets,” I ran an experiment. I reached out to diet and nutrition coaches with social media followings (combined) of at least 50,000 people. Admittedly, some were credentialed RD’s, others had nutrition certifications, and others fell into an unclear category of expertise.<\/p>\n

      The goal was to understand how people position the foods you should be eating. I wanted the coaches’ opinions on the type of diet they would create for a client, and I provided some very specific guidelines.<\/p>\n

      The final tally of contributors included: 3 RD’s, 2 people with a master\u2019s in science, 3 \u201cnutrition coaches\u201d with varying levels of certifications, and 2 diet coaches who worked with bodybuilders and physique competitors.<\/p>\n

      I purposely avoided experts I\u2019ve worked with before. After all, I didn\u2019t want any experimenter bias interfering with my selections. [Translation: if I know how someone will respond, what\u2019s the point in asking.]<\/p>\n

      Each person received the following email:<\/p>\n

      Hey, [insert name here],<\/em><\/p>\n

      I\u2019m writing an article where I\u2019m collecting the thoughts of some influencers in the world of health and fitness. <\/em>Here\u2019s the hypothetical scenario I\u2019d like you to troubleshoot: if you could put together your version of the healthiest, most sustainable and enjoyable diet<\/strong>, what would you recommend? <\/em><\/p>\n

      Your individual answer may or may not be used. <\/em>In your response, please highlight the primary goal of the diet. (For instance, it could be for general health, fat loss, muscle gain, sports performance, or any other specified goal.)\u00a0<\/em>Feel free to be as detailed as you want, and be sure to design for enjoyment but without sacrificing results<\/strong>. <\/em>Thanks for your time and consideration<\/em><\/p>\n

      The Perfect Human Diet (And Why It’s F*cked)<\/h2>\n

      I received 10 responses, and all of the contributors decided to create “the perfect human diet” designed for fat loss.<\/p>\n

      I reviewed all of their diets and pooled together common responses. These included:<\/p>\n