Everyone coming up to their wedding feels the pressure to look and feel their best. And of course, you would with the terms ‘perfect’, ‘big day’, and ‘the most important day of your life’ being thrown around. If you’re thinking of jumping on a bandwagon with beauty at the forefront of your mind, let us bust some nutrition myths before you find yourself engaging in potentially harmful or otherwise pointless habits and behaviours.
Gluten-free, guilt free
The popularity surrounding gluten-free diets has skyrocketed over the recent years. However, a very small percentage of those who live gluten-free are actually those who suffer celiac disease and cannot tolerate gluten whatsoever. Those who suffer from celiac experience cramping, bloating, and digestive problems, skin rashes and acne, and sometimes even mood changes that can last up to weeks on end. There’s nothing glorified or glamorous about having celiac disease, despite the gluten-free diet’s popularity.
People who switch to gluten-free often do so to lose weight, boost energy, and feel healthier in general – with little to no evidence backing these so-called results.
As stated in Harvard Health’s blogs post ‘Going gluten-free just because? Here’s what you need to know’, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School says “People who are sensitive to gluten may feel better, but a larger portion will derive no significant benefit from the practice. They’ll simply waste their money because these products are expensive.”
Additionally, those who consume packaged gluten-free food under the guise that it’ll help them lose weight are in for a nasty surprise. More times than not, prepackaged gluten-free can actually cause weight, as they contain added sugar to improve their taste.
Opting for a gluten-free option isn’t the wave of a magic wand. Gluten-free doesn’t equal guilt free.
Fad diets
If you find your wedding date fast approaching and feeling no closer to your goal weight, you may feel inclined to try a fad diet to shed those extra few kilos.
Fad diets are often too good to be true. They promise magical weight loss without backing by solid science. There’s nothing ‘quick-fix’ about losing 10 kilos, and if there is, it’s probably dangerous and detrimental to your health.
Additionally, suddenly launching yourself into a ‘shake-based’ diet or one where you only eat food of a certain shape or colour can have negative effects rather than positive ones.
Like juice detoxes, fad diets are often seen as extreme when it comes to wedding day beauty prep. If you wish to lose weight before your wedding, there are plenty more healthy ways to go about it – and without purifying and blending everything you consume!
However, we here at Easy Weddings believe nobody has to lose weight for their wedding. Click here to read why NOT to lose weight for your wedding.
Fats = bad
The word ‘fat’ having negative connotations is not a new thing. Many people believe fat is the enemy and the primary cause of weight gain, which isn’t necessarily the case.
Everyone knows avocado is a ‘good fat’ – but what does that really mean?
Certain fats give your body nutrients that you can’t get elsewhere. These fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – are required for normal body functions, and you must get them from food. They are needed for blood clotting, muscle movement, and the covering of nerves. These nourishing fats include avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, and dark chocolate.
There’s no reason to avoid these fats just because they’re coined ‘fats’. In fact, deliberately cutting them out won’t make you instantly lose weight and won’t make you feel any better.
Quick-fix juice detoxes
While on the movies it might seem like a ‘done thing’ for brides-to-be (and grooms-to-be!) to ditch food altogether for a week-long juice detox, this is a little too extreme when it comes to looking good for your wedding day. A week of drinking just juice may result in bad physical effects – fruit-based juices tend to be high in sugar which can negatively effect your blood sugar levels and leave you feeling worse than before.
If you really wish to detox your body, there’s no quick-fix that’ll do it. The best way to truly cleanse your body and feel better all round in the lead up to your wedding is to eat a wholesome healthy diet and drink plenty of water. Depriving yourself of real food just days away from your wedding won’t miraculously turn you into Cinderella, but long-term healthy choices are the first steps toward wearing that glass slipper.
“Everyone looks better with a tan.”
While it’s true some people look healthier with a tan, the way they acquire that tan may not be healthy at all. Laying in the sun all day every day in the lead-up to your wedding won’t only increase your risk of melanoma, but can prematurely age your skin. Additionally, if you accidentally overdo it one tanning session, you may end up a burnt, peeling mess for your wedding photos – and ain’t nobody got time for that!
Alternatively, spray tans exist for this very reason. However, keep in mind that if you have never had a spray tan before, having one done especially for your wedding may not look as you’d imagined, and may even leave you wishing you’d embraced your natural skin tone instead of changing it for your wedding. Not everyone looks better with a tan, and this is something to keep in mind before booking your spray tan or lathering yourself up in tanning oil.
If you’re looking for professionals that specialise in wedding beauty services such as spray tans, laser treatment and pamper packages, take a look here.
We here at Easy Weddings understand the kind of pressure you might feel in the lead up to your wedding. Taking the steps to establish a healthy, balanced lifestyle is a great way to go about your wedding beauty regime without succumbing to fad diets and sun beds. While there’s no quick fix to get you ‘wedding ready’, at least with these nutrition myths busted you can start on the right foot toward looking and feeling wonderful for your wedding.
