The scientists have cautioned against a wellness trend dubbed\u00a0‘diet<\/a> stacking’\u00a0in which people following multiple dietary approaches at the same time\u2014for example, combining vegetarian, gluten-free, low-fat,\u00a0low-FODMAP\u00a0or \u201cclean eating\u201d plans\u2014often without professional guidance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n While each diet on its own may have evidence-based benefits, the team warns that layering them together can lead to increased physical,\u00a0nutritional\u00a0and psychological risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n The research\u2014led by Swinburne dietetics expert Caroline Tuck in collaboration with\u00a0Monash University\u2019s Sarah Melton\u2014found that people often accumulate restrictive diets in pursuit of symptom relief, weight loss or gut health without stopping approaches that\u00a0are not\u00a0working, or even assessing whether they are\u00a0appropriate in\u00a0the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn some cases,\u00a0the use of multiple diets is necessary\u00a0and evidence-based,\u201d Tuck said. \u201cBut in other cases, people may accumulate diet strategies by layering them with\u00a0additional\u00a0restrictions such as gluten-free, low-fat, or \u2018clean eating\u2019 without considering whether\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0right for them or\u00a0discontinuing\u00a0diets that are ineffective.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The team note that the risks of diet stacking extend well beyond short-term fatigue. Over time, excessive restriction can contribute to nutrient deficiencies and raise the likelihood of chronic health conditions: including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, weakened immunity, poor mental\u00a0health\u00a0and persistent exhaustion.\u00a0<\/p>\n One major concern highlighted by the researchers is that diet stacking can sometimes replace\u2014rather than complement\u2014medical treatment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In gastrointestinal conditions especially, patients may become overly focused on food as the primary solution, leading to under-treatment of the underlying condition and delayed recovery. Health professionals are then faced with the challenge of rebalancing expectations and addressing both nutritional and psychological risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n The psychological impact is\u00a0also\u00a0troubling. People with gastrointestinal conditions already face a higher risk of disordered eating, and the research suggests diet stacking may intensify that vulnerability.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Certain factors may further increase the risk, including\u00a0body image concerns<\/a>, perfectionism, psychological distress, social\u00a0pressure\u00a0and more severe gut symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Researchers also point to loneliness and social isolation as overlooked consequences, as strict diets can make shared meals, celebrations and eating out stressful or even inaccessible.\u00a0<\/p>\n From a nutritional standpoint, stacking diets can also sharply reduce food variety, which is essential for meeting macro- and micronutrient needs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This risk is also amplified for people already managing gastrointestinal disorders, where symptoms may impair digestion,\u00a0absorption\u00a0and appetite. Combining therapeutic diets without careful planning can lead to deficiencies in calcium, fiber, folate, iron, key vitamins and protein.<\/p>\n Tuck pointed\u00a0to the example of someone who is vegetarian and begins a low-FODMAP diet to manage gut symptoms. Many common vegetarian protein sources are high in FODMAPs, meaning protein intake can quickly become inadequate without expert guidance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Other diets\u2014such as short-term exclusion plans for Crohn\u2019s disease\u2014are not nutritionally complete if\u00a0followed\u00a0long-term and require supplementation to avoid undernutrition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even lifelong therapeutic diets, such as gluten-free eating for coeliac disease, require careful management. Gluten-free grains tend to be lower in fiber and higher in fat and sodium, which can affect satiety, appetite\u00a0regulation\u00a0and long-term cardiometabolic health if not balanced appropriately.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuck said the takeaway is\u00a0not to abandon dietary changes altogether, but to approach them thoughtfully. <\/p>\n Working with an Accredited\u00a0Practicing\u00a0Dietitian can help ensure that dietary strategies are evidence-based, nutritionally\u00a0adequate\u00a0and sustainable.<\/p>\n Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about dieting<\/a>? Let us know via\u00a0<\/strong>health@newsweek.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Reference<\/p>\n Melton, S. L., Knowles, S. R., Gwee, K.-A., Gibson, P. R., Tuck, C. J., & Day, A. S. (2025). Diet Stacking \u2013 An Expanding Challenge for Gastroenterologists and Dietitians in Managing Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders. JGH Open, 9(12). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/jgh3.70314<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a few weeks of Christmas indulgence, many of us tend to use January as\u00a0a time for\u00a0making\u00a0drastic changes…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":498886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1265,2509,12809,990,210,35293,1182,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-498885","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-diet","9":"tag-diet-and-nutrition","10":"tag-dieting","11":"tag-food","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-health-and-science","14":"tag-nutrition","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1441822364.jpg\"\/)
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