Unfortunately one of the major problems in our industry is that people are trying, and indeed succeeding to make money.
However the problem arises when people see the money to be made in diets. They see an opportunity to make money by selling a product to people who are desperate for change, desperate to lose weight.
With clever marketing and catchy phrases like “Guaranteed weight loss formula” people are suckered in to spending lots of money on meal replacement shakes, meals and pills.
What is a Fad diet?
One nutritionist says: “Food faddism and fad diet refer to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns” This means it is an irrational, often stupid diet, that if people use their common sense, then they will avoid all these diets.
Belief in fad diets by adherents is often irrational. Many individuals who adhere to fad diets will not consider recommendations made by nutritionists and dieticians. There are three categories of food fads.
1) The virtue of a particular food or food group is exaggerated and purported to cure specific diseases, and is therefore incorporated as a primary constituent of an individual’s diet. (i.e. the grapefruit diet)
2) Foods are eliminated from an individual’s diet because they are viewed as harmful. (i.e. the south beach diet)
3) An emphasis is placed on eating certain foods to express a particular lifestyle.
Extreme fad diets often:
- lack the energy,
- suitable protein,
- Fat-soluble vitamins, and some minerals that are essential for growing children.
Parents forcing children to adhere to fad diets to the point of severe nutritional disorders is considered a form of child abuse.
Types of Fad Diets:
- Weight watchers diet – Meal replacement diets. You pay for overpriced “Calorie controlled meals” which are processed and packaged. Quick tip: make your own meals from fresh foods. You also attend local weigh-ins.
- Atkins diet – low carb, high protein diet. High intake of meat and diary produce, the Atkins diet involves restriction of carbs to more frequently switch the body’s metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored fat.
- Cabbage soup diet – Eating only cabbage soup for a period of time (usually 7 days)
- Grapefruit diet – a.k.a The Hollywood diet. Eat half a grapefruit with every meal. Grapefruits apparently have magic fat burning enzymes.
- Macrobiotic diet – An ancient eastern diet that has been adapted slightly for sale in the west. Similar to a vegan’s diet, followers of the macrobiotic approach believe that food and food quality powerfully affect health, well-being, and happiness, and that a macrobiotic diet has more beneficial effects than others. It suggests choosing food that is less processed.
- Master Cleanse – A detoxification program that aids in the removal of harmful toxins from within the body, as well as a reducing diet for loss of weight. It involves drinking only Lemonade, no solid food for a minimum of ten days.
- Nutrisystem – A meal replacement diet that concentrates on a low glycemic index which is one of the many Glycemic index diets. This diet concentrates on combining exercise, and frequent smaller portioned meals, the glycemic index diet is supposed to reduce hunger (due to a constant blood glucose)
- South Beach Diet – Originally designed to reduce heart disease by a cardiologist. It replaces bad fats and carbs (processed, high sugarary carbs & saturated and trans fats) with good fats and carbs (unsaturated fats and omega 3/6 oils and unrefined, unprocessed carbs)
- Crash dieting – A crash diet is where a person willfully restricts themselves of all nourishment (except water) for more than 12 hours. The desired result is to have the body burn fat for energy with the goal of losing a significant amount of weight in a short time.
Why avoid these diets?
Because they are harmful to the body is the short answer!
The longer answer is that all of these diets deny essential nutrients to the body, with each of these diets pushing the body into an unnatural state of living. Whilst the theory behind many of these diets may seem convincing, and true, you very well may lose weight whilst on these diets; this weight loss will not be permanent or indeed healthy. Denying yourself of essential nutrients causes your body to use up its own store of nutrient, which if not replaced can lead to harmful, long term effects to you.
What’s the answer?
There is no easy quick way to lose weight!
However, fad diets claim that there is. Well I’m sorry but that’s just not true, and anything that says otherwise is false! Remember that these companies are trying to make money out of you, and indeed succeeding. The weight loss industry is between $35 and $55 billion a year (yes BILLION)
Try and avoiding anything that has: Meal replacement, Liquid diets, Any form of pills or medication, Any diet or weight loss programme that has “Guaranteed results”
Ignore the clever marketing and trust to common sense. Any diet that restricts the natural intake of good, fresh, unprocessed food is also restricting the intake of nutrients, which is not healthy.
