Fad Diets Health Article

Definition

According to the United States Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, fad diets include "the promotion for profit of special foods, products, processes, or appliances with false or misleading health or therapeutic claims."

Purpose

Fad diets are generally used by consumers to shed a great amount of weight in a short period of time. They are usually based on the erroneous belief that a particular food or food component can cause rapid weight loss or cure a disease. Another tenet of fad diets is that certain foods are harmful and therefore should be avoided completely.

Precautions

Fad diets usually result in a short-term weight loss—but most people gain the weight back after discontinuing the diet. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has established a few guidelines to help evaluate the reliability of fad diets. They suggest that consumers avoid diets that claim weight loss can be achieved in a very short period of time; that imply that weight can be lost without any physical activity; or that rely on undocumented studies.

The most reliable way to lose weight safely and maintain weight loss is by eating a variety of foods and exercising consistently. Dieters who follow the guidelines set by the ADA, which include eating a variety of foods, balancing food intake with exercise, choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables, limiting saturated fat and cholesterol, and keeping total fat intake to a moderate level will have a healthy lifestyle—which when adhered to will ultimately aid in weight management. Many fad diets, for example, counsel dieters to eliminate certain foods or to eat one specific food for a long period of time. This approach does not promote healthy eating habits, nor does it augur well for permanent weight loss.

Description

Fad diets have been promoted and used for many years. Some of the most popular fad diets today include high-protein diets, liquid diets, the grapefruit diet, food-combining diets, the cabbage diet, and a variety of diet pills.

High-protein diets

High-protein diets began in the 1970s, based on the theory that too many carbohydrates in the diet interfere with the body's ability to burn fat. This diet encourages the consumption of large quantities of protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, poultry, and cheese. Some popular high-protein diets include the Atkins diet, the Zone, and the protein-power diet.

Liquid diets

While liquid diets are often convenient and easy to prepare, the transition back to solid foods can lead to weight gain.

KEY TERMS

Ketones—Acidic by-products of fat breakdown that alter the acid-base balance of the blood.

Nitrogen—A component of protein that is highly toxic when too much protein is consumed and the kidneys are unable to process and excrete it.

Saturated fat—Type of fat that is usually solid at room temperature.

for two meals and a snack during the day. Health shakes normally provide about 200 calories each, with the last meal of the day consisting of low-fat, nutrient-dense foods that offer another 600 calories.

The grapefruit diet

Grapefruit is essentially a fat-free, low-calorie, low-sodium food that is high in vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber. The grapefruit diet began in the 1930s, when the Hollywood diet made its debut. This regimen consisted of a few vegetables, a small amount of protein, and a grapefruit (which was thought to possess a fat-burning enzyme) at every meal. It is usually followed for a period of three weeks. The diet provides only 800 calories per day, which makes the possibility of weight loss very likely.

Food-combining diets

Food-combining diets are based on the mistaken idea that carbohydrates and proteins should not be consumed at the same time, and that fruit should not be eaten with proteins or carbohydrates. There are a variety of food-combining diets, but most recommend eating large portions of fruit for the first several days, which is thought to burn up calories before the body metabolizes them. A few carbohydrates and very little protein are then added during the last part of the diet.

The cabbage soup diet

The cabbage soup diet is a more recent fad that results in a significant amount of weight loss from shedding water. It consists of eating cabbage soup, which contains cabbage, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, celery, and water, for one week. Each day as much soup is eaten as desired, along with one specified food, which can also be eaten in unlimited amounts. The cabbage does not burn fat, but it does promote a sense of fullness.

Diet pills

These compounds may help start weight loss, but their benefit usually plateaus after a year, after which their effect declines. In addition, they can strain the heart by increasing blood pressure and heart rate.