The weather’s getting warmer, hem lines are getting shorter and the pressure is on to get “swimsuit ready.” There are countless diets and products circulating around the media that promise dramatic results. But for the most part, anything that promises a quick fix or eliminates any major food groups is not healthy, and being healthy is the most important thing. If you are still swearing by your diet and refuse to believe us, we’ve gathered the facts to debunk three of the top diet fads.

Low Carb

Carbohydrates are an essential part of our diet. So essential, in fact, that they exist in every food group. Besides being in breads and pastas, they’re also in some of your favorite fruits, like bananas and apples. So the idea of a truly low-carb diet is a myth. Glucose is a carb and is also the number-one fuel source for the cell. The rationale behind low-carb diets is that in the absence of glucose, the cell will run off of fat instead. However, the cells break down protein stores found in muscle, not fat. So instead of losing fat, you lose muscle mass. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism is. So instead of losing fat, you will in turn gain weight when your metabolism slows down. Also, it has been found that people who go on low-carb diets for over a year develop problems when they begin to introduce carbs back into their diets, because their bodies stop producing the enzymes necessary to digest them.

Paleo

This diet is based off of the foods cavemen are believed to have eaten. The diet limits food intake to grass-produced meats, seafood, fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, nuts and seeds and oils, like olive oil. Not only does Paleo cut dairy, grains and legumes out of your diet, but there are a lot of flaws in its reasoning. The big appeal is that we’d be eating the foods of our ancestors. The problem is that we don’t have the same DNA as our ancestors. Humans are much more developed now, so the idea that we can live off of the same nutrients as they did makes no sense. There is a reason that grains and dairy are one of the five food groups, and no healthy adult has a reason to cut these out of their diets. Also, a majority of our foods are genetically modified, so we can never truly eat the way our ancestors did anyway.

Cleanses

From juice diets to really expensive teas, the idea of cleansing your colon sounds enticing, but is not as good for you as it might seem. In juice diets, your body isn’t getting nearly enough calories. Because of this, the liver is required to release glycogen, which is stored as water, so any weight loss is just water weight. This will cause the body to think it’s going into starvation and that it needs to conserve energy. This will lead to a decrease in the body’s metabolism. Using special teas to cleanse the colon does more harm than good. While they rid the body of buildup, they also rid the body of healthy bacteria. Absorption of nutrients also occurs in the intestines, so regular cleansing could get in the way of absorption and lead to nutrient deficiencies.

The best thing you can do to lose weight this spring is to eat healthy. You want to hit all five food groups, meaning you need to consume grains, dairy, protein, fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. This doesn’t mean hitting all of the food groups during every meal. You want to eat three meals a day that contain three to four of the food groups, and two snacks a day that contain one to two of the food groups. Also remember that healthy food doesn’t mean bland food. Eat things that you enjoy and keep in mind that everything is fine in moderation. A good way to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs is by going to choosemyplate.gov. This website will help you to balance your meals, choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, as well as help you to introduce small, healthy changes into your diet. Remember, above all, it’s all about making sure you are healthy; don’t get caught up in the pressures of “swimsuit body.” Any healthy body is good for the summer.