Is it Bad to Restrict Foods?

From avoiding carbs to following a vegan diet, many diets recommend cutting out specific foods or food groups, but is it bad to restrict foods? Here are the pros and cons of food restriction and some tips on how to eat healthy without restricting your favorite foods.

What is food restriction?

Food restriction occurs when we avoid or eliminate foods and can come in the form of no food intake, limited food intake, only eating specific foods or food groups, or only eating at specific times of the day.

It’s important to note that not all food restriction is done with health, wellness, or weight loss intention. While many food restrictions are self-imposed, many food restrictions come in the form of medical necessity or religious requirements.

Examples of Food Restriction

Here are some common examples of ways people restrict food:

• Reducing portion sizes or calorie intake (i.e. counting calories or macros)
• Cutting out specific macronutrients (i.e. carbs or fat)
• Cutting out specific foods or food groups (i.e. no grains, no bread, no sugar, etc…)
• Cutting out or skipping meals (i.e. skipping breakfast, lunch, or dinner)
• Following a rigid and restrictive diet pattern (i.e. vegan, vegetarian, keto, etc…)
• Food allergies or intolerances (gluten-free, peanut allergy, etc…)
• Religious reasons (kosher, halal, religious practice or holidays, etc…)

NOTE: For this discussion, we will only be addressing self-imposed food restrictions. This discussion will not take food allergies, food intolerances, or religious reasons for restricting foods into consideration.

The Impacts of Restricting Food from Your Diet

While restricting foods or calories can be completely safe in moderation, excessive restriction can have some devastating physical and mental health impacts. Here are some pros and cons of restricting foods from your diet.

Pros of Food Restriction

Here are some potential benefits of restricting foods.

May temporarily increase dietary adherence.

Creating a rigid set of food “rules” may help to increase dietary adherence as they help to reduce decision-making. By following a simple list of “yes” foods and “no” foods, meal and snack choices are simpler and easier to follow. Unfortunately, this adherence is typically short-lived as these food “rules” are often overly restrictive, unrealistic for everyday life, and, therefore, very difficult to maintain for the long term (1).

May support short-term weight loss.

Restricting certain foods can help to support weight loss as it can help to reduce calorie intake and create a calorie deficit, which is required for weight loss. Eliminating carbohydrates, skipping meals, or following a vegan diet may cause calorie restriction, which may create a calorie deficit and lead to weight loss, however, it is not guaranteed. In some cases, restricting certain foods, food groups, or macronutrients may cause you to eat more calories from other foods or food groups, which could result in weight maintenance or weight gain.

May help identify trigger foods.

Trigger foods are foods that cause symptoms or cause you to eat in an out-of-control manner. Trigger foods can cause digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating, or constipation, cause low energy, and poor mood, or lead you to eat more food than intended. Strategically restricting certain foods via a specific dietary protocol, such as an elimination diet, can help you to identify trigger foods that cause physical symptoms and allow you to better manage and control your intake in the future (2, 3).

Cons of Food Restriction

Here are some potential drawbacks of restricting foods.

May lead to malnutrition.

Prolonged food restriction can have major health implications and lead to nutritional deficiencies which can become life-threatening. By restricting the amount of food and type of food you eat, you may reduce your intake of essential macronutrients and micronutrients that are essential for optimal health. In the long term, the restriction of essential nutrients can lead to neurological, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, endocrine, and dermatological problems (4, 5).

May trigger more cravings.

Overly restricting foods may trigger more food cravings and lead to an out-of-control-around-food feeling. When you put certain foods “off limits” you may start to view foods as “good” or “bad”, which can lead to an all-or-nothing mentality in your food choices. As a result, you may feel extreme guilt or shame when you indulge in “bad” food, which can trigger episodes of binge eating and excessive overconsumption (6, 7, 8).

May reduce metabolic rate.

Restricting food or dieting for long periods can decrease muscle mass and lower resting metabolic rate (9). Although weight loss is as “simple” as eating fewer calories than your body requires to create a calorie deficit, restricting calorie intake for extended periods can have negative side effects.

When you lose weight, your body’s metabolic rate slows to adapt to support your new smaller body size, however, severe restriction for long durations your body’s metabolic rate slows down to conserve energy, which can have detrimental effects on hormones and mental health such as depression and anxiety disorders (10).

May lead to eating disorders.

Research shows that individuals with rigid dieting strategies are more likely to exhibit symptoms of eating disorders. Intense food restriction has been linked to eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, which can all lead to major health problems (11, 12).

Should you restrict foods to lose weight?

Although you can lose weight by restricting foods, it is rarely an effective long-term strategy (1). Despite some people’s claims that there is a “magic” weight loss cure, the only effective strategy for weight loss is creating a calorie deficit. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that any diet that consistently creates a calorie deficit will support weight loss. Assuming dietary adherence, all diets are equally effective for weight loss (13). In fact, there are many effective strategies that will help you lose weight without counting calories or restricting your favorite foods.

Moreover, when done consistently, only a small to moderate calorie deficit of 10% to 20% is required to support a goal of weight loss. Not only is overly excess calorie restriction is not required to support a goal of weight loss, but it unsustainable and has the potential to cause more negative health problems such as hormone deregulation and reduction of metabolic rate.

So, is it bad to restrict foods?

For general health, wellness, and weight loss, restricting specific foods is not recommended. Although food restrictions may have some short-term benefits, including weight loss and dietary adherence, these benefits are not noticed in the long term. Overall, restricting food has far more cons than pros, as overly restricting foods has the potential to lead to nutritional deficiencies, eating disorders, and an unhealthy relationship with food and body image. While reduction of overall food intake is required for weight loss, restriction of specific foods and food groups is not.

Tips to Eat Healthy without Restricting Foods

Here are some ways to improve your eating habits without restricting your favorite foods.

1. Focus on long-term habits.

As you work to improve your diet, focus on making decisions and creating healthy eating habits you can maintain for the long term. Instead of trying to cut out specific foods or follow an overly restrictive diet that you can only follow for a couple of weeks or months, work on creating habits that you can maintain for years or the rest of your life. Healthy habits such as drinking more water or creating balanced meals are easier to implement and maintain, and adherence is key when it comes to health.

2. Prioritize whole foods.

By simply prioritizing whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, dairy, meat, poultry, and seafood, you can ensure you are eating a wide variety of foods without restriction. Prioritizing whole foods doesn’t mean you can’t eat processed food or indulge in treats, it simply means you are focusing on nutrient-dense foods, most of the time, to support your health.

3. Eat foods you enjoy.

Eating foods you enjoy is one of the best ways to increase dietary adherence. Although avocados may be healthy, if you don’t enjoy them you don’t need to eat them, and if you enjoy cereal, there is no need to completely avoid it. Food is more than just fuel, it’s also a source of pleasure, which is another key component in our health. The more you like your diet, the more likely you are to adhere to it for the long term, and including foods you enjoy can help you do so (14).

4. Don’t label foods as “good” or “bad”.

While certain foods are nutrient-dense and other foods are “empty calories”, no individual food is the cause of poor health, weight gain, or weight loss. Health is a matter of overall food quality and weight is a matter of overall food quantity and no food needs to be banished to support these goals. Rather, it is best to structure your diet in a way that prioritizes quality foods, in an amount that supports your goals and allows you to indulge in a manner that leaves you satisfied.

5. Use convenience as needed.

There is a common misconception that you can’t consume processed foods or eat at restaurants if you are trying to eat healthy or lose weight. The truth is, there many healthy prepared foods in grocery stores and restaurants that can help make eating well much easier by saving time and/or money. While it may be ideal to grow your food and cook everything you eat from scratch, it’s not necessary.

6. Be mindful of portion sizes.

While it may seem counterintuitive, paying attention to portion sizes (not to be confused with serving sizes) is a great way to eat healthy without restricting foods. Regardless of your personal health goal, there is room for everything in a healthy diet. The objective is not to completely avoid the foods you love but, rather, to ensure you are eating enough calories and enough nutrients to support your health while incorporating treats into your food intake.

By tracking portion sizes with your hands, counting macros, or even counting calories, you can ensure you are eating what you need to feel good most of the time while enjoying yourself the rest of the time. Moreover, you can use portion sizes in conjunction with the hunger-fullness scale to practice intuitive eating and remain in tune with your body’s natural hunger cues.

7. Honor your social life and family traditions.

Every year for the rest of your life, you will experience celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, and holidays, so instead of trying to avoid them or overly restrict foods at them, learn to incorporate them into your life. For the most part, these celebrations only come around once per year, and one day or one week of indulgence will not undo weeks and months of consistent healthy food choices. So instead of avoiding the cake at the birthday party or Grandma’s casserole at the family gathering, enjoy these special moments of bonding and focus on your food intake in the weeks and months surrounding them.

8. Aim for consistency, not perfection.

While there is no denying that certain foods are healthier than others, you don’t need to eat perfectly to eat well. The objective is to make healthy choices the majority of the time and indulge when it’s time to indulge. For instance, the 80/20 rule is a mindful eating tool that you can embody as a reminder to prioritize whole foods and portion sizes 80% of the time while treating yourself to the treats and snack foods you enjoy the other 20% of the time.

9. Seek professional support if needed.

If you are struggling with an “all-or-nothing” food mentally, binge eating, disordered eating behaviors, or any other eating disorders, it is best to seek support and work with a medical professional.

The Bottom Line

Food restriction occurs when you limit your intake of certain foods, food groups, or macronutrients. While restricting foods may have some benefits, such as increased dietary adherence and weight loss, most are short-lived as they are not sustainable for the long term. Rather, limiting foods or food groups in an overly restrictive manner will likely trigger more cravings, reduce metabolic rate, or lead to malnutrition or harmful eating disorders and mental health issues. Whether your goal is to change your body weight or support your overall health, there are many ways to eat healthy without restricting your favorite foods and there is no one-size-fits-all method of dieting.