Modern society offers countless diets to anyone wanting to lose weight . The topic of diets has existed for decades, and it all revolves around beauty standards and what we've been sold as "perfect bodies." This mindset has led to eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia, as well as insecurities, shame, low self-esteem, fear, social anxiety, and more.
Miracle diets also have a place, and they are quite dangerous, since they promise results based on products that are not cheap and much less healthy. The vast majority of meal replacements and shakes are loaded with sugars and saturated fats that concentrate in a single serving the calories needed for an adult person in one day.
Not only that, but miracle diets often play on people's illusions and sell false hope that just eating fruit and vegetables for X weeks will lose X pounds.
The famous bikini operation is another movement of society in search of a perfect body to show off with pride on the beach and in the pool in front of our friends, family and strangers.
The butterfly diet revolves around all of this: a diet low in calories and essential nutrients, marketed as a perfect remedy for rapid weight loss . It's clear that if we reduce our diet to only fruits and vegetables, thus avoiding carbohydrates, sugars, and fats, we will lose weight.
Where does the butterfly diet come from?
A diet little known to some, which consists of eating only "fruits" and "vegetables" to lose weight. We put it in quotes because they aren't actually fruits and vegetables as such, but rather powdered fruit and vegetable substitute shakes.
If we wanted to do our representation of that diet, we could save the fortune that each shake costs and buy real, fresh, authentic fruit. These shakes, and the diet itself, supposedly belong to a famous "health" and diet franchise called Herbalife, among other brands such as Juice Plus+.
Each shake, as well as the capsules, sachets, and other diet products, are exorbitantly priced, besides being full of sugar and unhealthy ingredients that can seriously worsen our health.
There is also a somewhat more "fun" butterfly diet that consists of fruit-flavored jelly beans and promises to help you lose weight. In this case, the company behind these jelly beans is Actafarma, among other companies such as 372 THIN KIT.
The trick of this diet with these curious ingredients is based on glucomannan (a soluble dietary fiber) that helps to lose weight when following a low-calorie diet, that is, only fruits and vegetables as could be the case of the diet. butterfly.
There are many people who decide to go to centers like NaturHouse or Herbalife to lose weight. When we can save all that money and invest it in healthy and varied foods, do moderate sports with some regularity and if we have a specific problem such as being overweight, go to a dietician-nutritionist who does not want to sell us shakes and substitute meals.
Disadvantages of the butterfly diet
Losing weight without effort is the desire that is paid for at the price of gold and deceives millions of people every year. Instead of doing these stupid things, we should choose to eat healthy and varied and practice sports on a regular basis if we want to lose weight in a healthy way.
Loss of muscle mass and strength
Following the butterfly diet leads to muscle loss and reduced strength , affecting our bones and even our balance. Muscle covers the bone and protects us from fractures and other injuries that can result from a simple fall. Furthermore, muscle loss can impair mobility and some basic physical functions.
Lack of essential nutrients
We can also suffer nutritional deficiencies at many levels, hindering the normal functioning of our bodies, as well as adverse effects from an excess of certain vitamins and fiber. Eating fruits and vegetables is very important, as long as they are accompanied by other foods, and not as the sole source of nutrition. If we experience tiredness, exhaustion, paleness, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, slow-healing wounds, lack of energy, aches and pains, mood swings, stress, etc., it could be due to a lack of essential nutrients.
painful side effects
Eating only fruit and vegetables, even for a short period of about a week, as is the case with the butterfly diet, can cause bloating, stomach pain and heartburn , diarrhea, increased blood sugar levels, bleeding gums, joint pain, among other equally unpleasant and dangerous consequences.
There is no medical control
Another negative aspect of this diet is that these types of products are usually prescribed without real medical supervision. Let's remember that health and diet companies are usually based on a pyramid and at the base are the sellers (or commercials) who offer these products to everyone almost indiscriminately in order to make sales and earn money.
In short, any diet that makes us consume fewer calories will make us lose weight, but we have to be very careful that we also lose our health along the way.
Only fruits and vegetables, not to be confused with being vegan
The butterfly diet is based on eating fruits and vegetables, although in a somewhat artificial and peculiar way, since instead of being natural fruit and vegetables, you have to use capsules, shakes, sachets and so on. Vegans eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, yes it is true, but their menu is much broader than many can imagine.
A balanced vegan diet also includes grains, nuts, legumes, all kinds of vegetables, and even plant-based foods like meatballs, sausages, and burgers, as well as pastries, all kinds of bread and cakes, "cheeses," sauces, (dairy-free) chocolate, cookies, and more. This helps vegans obtain all the essential proteins, vitamins, and minerals necessary for good health.
There are those who eat fruits and vegetables during a weekend, for example, but they do so with a cleansing objective, given the high level of fiber they eat, they manage to eliminate the toxins that our body stores every day. The dangerous thing, as we have already explained, is to extend that habit over time.