6 Dieting Tips Your Dietitian Absolutely Does Not Want You to Follow

Of course, if you have celiac disease or a sensitivity, you should. Yet, don't give up gluten if you don't have to. "The worst advice I've ever heard a patient receive is to go gluten-free just because, as a catchall answer for good health. A clinician should be giving tailored counsel to patients," said Maggie Moon, MS, RD, and author of The MIND Diet, to POPSUGAR.

Gluten is a protein in some very healthy whole grains, such as whole wheat, barley, rye, farro, bulgur, and spelt, which contribute B vitamins for energy metabolism, fiber for fullness, and magnesium for bone health, said Moon. "If there is no medical reason to avoid gluten, the unfounded advice to eliminate it makes it that much harder to plan a diet that meets nutritional needs because it takes away choices. In general, the better bet is to add healthy foods, not take whole food groups away," she said.

"I cringed when I heard a patient tell me their physician told them this without any inclusion on the health benefits of pulses or discussion as to why they should avoid them in the first place," said Elizabeth Ann Shaw, MS, RDN, CLT, CPT, to POPSUGAR.

"While some individuals may experience dietary discomfort with lectin consumption and need to avoid them, many, on the other hand, can delightfully enjoy pulses and fruits that contain lectins, which coincidentally are a great component to a healthy diet," she said. Instead of taking an all-or-nothing approach to this advice, ask your physician for food sensitivity testing to rule out if lectins are really the cause of your discomfort or not.

"Carbs are our body's main source of energy and they fuel various functions not only having to do with physical activity but brain function and proper organ function as well," said Maggie Michalczyk, RD, a Chicago-based registered dietitian and ambassador of A Sweat Life, to POPSUGAR. "While we may think of them as something to limit (yes, refined carbs should be limited and replaced with whole grains and healthy carbs like those found in starchy vegetables, etc.!) our intestinal heath and waste elimination mechanism rely on them, too," she explained. Definitely don't ditch them entirely.

"While I haven't heard anyone mention it in a while, [the] HCG diet has to be the worst fad diet I've had someone tell me they were on or told to go on," said Kelly R. Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, to POPSUGAR. Although, any fad diet really isn't good, either. "While on a 500-calorie per-day diet, patients are injected with or take HCG hormone, typically prescribed by 'medical weight loss' clinics."

"There's no better way to hurt your metabolism long term than go on a restrictive diet, limiting yourself to 500 calories per day. Instead, I tell clients to stop calorie counting and help them learn to honor their body's internal hunger and fullness cues," she said. If you're feeding your body when it physiologically needs energy and nutrients, it will run much more effectively than when it's trying to operate on an almost empty gas tank.

There's nothing wrong with choosing organic when possible, but if it means you're skimping on your daily intake of fruits and veggies, it's not a good move. "The WORST advice my patients have given me is that you should ONLY eat organic produce because conventionally grown fruits and veggies contain too many pesticides. This is totally false and without scientific basis," said Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club, to POPSUGAR. "Choosing organic vs. conventional produce is a personal decision, but there should be no fear in feeding yourself or your family any fruits and veggies to improve health and life expectancy," she said.

"Sadly, there has been a lot of bad advice out there, but I think the worst is to avoid fruit because it has too much sugar. There is a HUGE difference between sugar that is added to food and sugar that is inherently in fruit," said Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD, to POPSUGAR. "First off, our brain needs natural sugars, in the form of glucose, to function properly. And our muscles need those same natural sugars to perform exercise," she said.

Sugar, in general, has gotten a bad rap because of the stuff that is added to many processed foods, but the natural sugar found in fruit is not bad for you, as it's paired with so many other beneficial vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. "I always say, 'think of the alternative.' If instead of reaching for a banana, you might opt for a Snickers bar, go for the banana," she said.