For as long as I can remember my mom has been on a diet. When I think back to all her attempts, whether successful or not, it is the latest diet fad. Cabbage Soup, Lemon Water & Cayenne Pepper, Cinch, 30 Day Juice Cleanse, Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers. The list goes on and on.

After traveling through Asia for three months, you see a lot of poverty. But you also see a fair amount of great food, grown naturally, and sold at open markets. The overweight people are few and far between.

I am not sure if this is what lead to our recent game with friends, but while sitting at a restaurant I ask, ‘If you had total control over the planet, what is the first thing you would do?’

This took some thinking on everyone’s part, I mean the world is so fucked up, where do you start. I decided I would feed the world, ensuring no chemicals, steroids, or genetic modifications were made. Just good old carrots from the garden like when I was a kid.

I am not sure if this thought was linked to our travels or advertisements I had recently seen on the internet. Twice in the last week, ads have popped up stating that the secret to dieting is to stop dieting and just eliminate foods that are bad for you. Makes sense to me, and I would think it would make sense to many of you.

So I decided to explore the 5 dangerous foods that has our waistlines growing. I have to admit a few of the items I never saw coming.

First was Orange Juice. You know the drink everyone has been having forever to get your vitamins. Orange juice is a processed food, for that matter, all concentrated juices are processed.  That means they remove the fibre and leave the sugar behind in the concentration process. Think about it, fresh fruit only lasts a few days, so buying juices that can last months on the shelf is not good for you. Foods that are processed should never be consumed as they have chemicals added to extend their life and your waistline.

Second was Margarine. I am sure I don’t even need to talk about that at all. We all have heard of trans fats and how they use hydrogen to change liquid vegetable oil into a solid. Some countries have gone as far as to ban the use of trans fats in foods, including restaurants. As you guessed, these are not countries in North America. Always remember that butter is better and is know to help burn fat during the day.

Third was Whole Wheat Bread. Surprised? I was, but whole wheat, or for that matter, whole grain, is still processed. They are milled in such a way that the nutrients are removed. Then they must be fortified. They do have more nutrients than white – but barely. So now you need to change your shopping and look for Sprouted Whole Grain breads.

Fourth was Refined Soy. The fad that soy is better for you has taken a turn for the worst. Companies are now processing soy, that means changing its chemical make up to ensure it last longer. Soy milk, milk and almond milk don’t last if produced naturally. Usually their life is only 24 to 48 hours. Manufacturing plants have additives placed in these to extend the life. These chemicals are passed to us. I keep mine in a nice little roll around my waistline.

Fifth was GM Corn. This one stumped me, but apparently it means Genetically Modified Corn. This was done to fatten the live stock it was fed to, and you guessed it, we are part of that live stock. This corn is then used in many other foods, so it is the product that just keeps giving.

It went on to talk about things most of us know. Like, if you don’t eat three meals a day, your body starts to save fat. Not knowing when your body gets to eat next, it starts to hoard fat like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. That is why heathy snacks during the day are good for you. It is recommended to have a banana since the higher natural sugar will help burn more fat.

What I loved best about this eye opening list was the end of the informative video or like I called it ‘ad’. This was just the beginning, if you signed up with them, for a fee, they would plan your meals for you. Ensuring you got all the foods you love to eat, with exception of the five listed, and watch the pounds melt away.

So, in the end, the new diet is not dieting, but eliminating these foods that are bad for you. Signing up to get help with your meal planning and the shopping lists to make these foods, plus updates on how to keep the weight off. There was also a support group to talk with success stories and encourage you to stay on track to lose pounds.

Hmmm, does this not sound like a diet to you? What do you think?

For those that are interested in these Non Diets, here are two links. Beyond Diet OR Trim Down Club.