Fad diets; All you need to know about!

Several diets are being promoted as the best approach to losing weight. Unfortunately, many of these diets involve eliminating foods that contain necessary nutrients. Some even cut entire food groups. They typically promise rapid weight loss and other health benefits, yet often have no scientific evidence supporting their use. In addition, they are often nutritionally unbalanced and ineffective over the long term.  For example, fad diets may include those that are fat-free, very-low-carbohydrate, or high protein. Some fad diets focus on a particular food, such as grapefruit or cabbage. Some have you eliminate certain foods at specific times of the day. Others allow you certain foods, as long as you eat them along with certain other foods.

   A fad diet is a diet or eating plan that gains rapid popularity. They’re called fad diets because they are riding the waves of a trend. You may be hearing about them from a multitude of sources like television, magazines, friends, and family. Fad diets range far in wide; there’s a new one for everyone. Some of them focus on detox drinks like drinking only lemon or grape juice and others focus on eating only meat. The thing that they all have in common however, is that they all offer some type of rapid weight loss that will happen in a manner of weeks.

   While most fad diets do actually give you some results, this is normally only in the beginning. Most of them will help you lose weight rapidly, but it will not last. It is normally only a matter of time before you begin to put back on the weight. This is primarily because fad diets are unsustainable. You can’t live off solely drinking sugar free lemonade. This means when the diet is over, you inevitably return back to your original eating style – the style that helped you put on all that weight in the first place.

Your weight loss program may be a fad diet if it:

• Promises weight loss of more than 2 pounds (1 kg) per week.

• Does not provide support for long-term weight loss success.

• Is rigid and does not fit into your lifestyle or state of health.

• Cuts out major food categories (like gluten or carbohydrates) and stops you from enjoying your favourite foods.

• Forces you to buy the company’s foods or supplements rather than show you how to make better choices from a grocery store.

• Gives you nutrition advice that is based on testimonials rather than scientific evidence.

• Promotes unproven ways to lose weight such as starch blockers, fat burners and colonic cleanses.

• Encourage little or no  physical activity.

Types of Fad diets

1. It restricts carbs to 20 grams per day, while allowing unlimited amounts of protein and fat.

2. South Beach Diet: The South Beach Diet is a high-protein, lower-carb, lower-fat diet.

3. Vegan Diet: It is a diet that restricts any form of animal product.

4. Ketogenic diets: They typically provide less than 50 grams of total carbs per day, and often less than 30.

5. Paleo Diet: The paleo diet is a balanced, healthy way of eating that eliminates processed foods and encourages its followers to eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods.

6. The Zone diet: The Zone diet specifies a diet composed of 30% lean protein, 30% healthy fat and 40% high-fiber carbs. 

7. The 5:2 diet: The 5:2 diet is a form of alternate-day fasting that involves eating 500–600 calories two days a week, and eating normally otherwise

Some tips that apply to any healthy weight loss plan include:

• Eat breakfast every day and don’t skip meals.

• Limit liquid calories by avoiding soda and alcohol. Choose whole fruits instead of juice. Drink plenty of water every day.

• Eat a variety of foods to ensure that you get all of your daily nutrients.

• Watch what types of fat you consume. Do not eat any trans fats. Trans fats are found in many fried and baked goods. 

• Read nutrition labels as you grocery shop.

• Consume only moderate amounts of sugars, and food and drinks containing added sugars. In particular, limit sugar-sweetened beverages.

• Limit your daily intake of saturated fat and sodium. Try to eat healthy fats instead of opting for a strict low-fat diet. The latter typically is higher in carbs.

• Watch your portions size. 

• Exercise on a regular basis. Pick an activity that you enjoy. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times per week.

Conclusion

Fad diets will always be popular, and new plans will continue to be created to address people’s desire to lose weight quickly. However, just because a diet is effective for weight loss doesn’t mean it is sustainable long-term. To achieve and maintain your weight loss goal, it’s important to find a healthy way of eating that you enjoy and can follow for life. If you need help to figure out what weight loss plan will work best for you, you may want to think about seeing a consulting dietitian in private practice.