I've heard a lot of different diet fads through the years. There's the Master Cleanse, the grapefruit diet, low carb or fat free–the list goes on and on. But the one thing that most diets have in common is that they are all based on the foods you eat. But there's a new diet that's saying it's not about what you eat, but rather what you eat it with.
The Fork It Diet says that you can lose weight with a fork. Their "new way of eating" says that you eat three meals a day but at dinner "you only eat foods that are naturally eaten with a fork." Basically, that means that you can't have any foods that involve eating with a knife, spoon or your fingers.
This method is either genius or ridiculous. I can't really decide which, since their general take is that only healthier foods can be made eaten with a fork (like fish and vegetables) is mostly right, but I think there are a few exceptions to their seemingly great rule.
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While they recommend generally healthy options for breakfast and lunch (like eggs or oatmeal in the morning and pasta or a sandwich for your mid-day meal), dinner is a time to eat "like a pauper and only with a fork." Dinner basically has to be a one-course meal of fish with vegetables (a must!) or starches, no dessert and can only include food that is normally eaten and/or prepared with a fork.
This method would help you to avoid "finger foods" like pizza and chicken nuggets, yes, but what about other things that you eat with a fork, like macaroni and cheese? This isn't a dinner that I would call healthy, but it fits in under their "eat it only with a fork" guidelines, doesn't it? They also say to avoid some vegetables, like artichoke hearts, radishes and avocado. Why would I want to avoid avocado when it's one of the best superfoods out there? I'm not sure that makes any sense.
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Although their idea isn't completely bad, I just don't know that their philosophy of "only eat dinner with a fork" completely holds up. What about mid-day snacking? I don't care how many healthy fish-and-veggies dinners you have, if you're eating 3 servings of cereal for breakfast, a greasy sandwich filled with everything BUT vegetables for lunch and snacking on a brownie (or two!) in the middle of the afternoon, you're just not going to lose weight.
Perhaps the best tip I'm taking away from the Fork It Diet is to eat more fish and vegetables, something which is recommended on most "how to eat healthier" lists. I appreciate them trying to redefine how we look at dieting but, in the end, it's about balance and eating healthier–not following rigid rules that only half make sense.
Do you think that the Fork It Diet could work for you? Would you ever try it?
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