What Makes Fad Diets Harmful?

 

What is a fad diet?

Every year, there’s a new fad diet: gluten-free, Paleolithic diet, apple cider vinegar diet, alkaline diet,  etc. We all know the term, but what makes a diet a fad?

A fad diet differentiates from other diets by promising quick and easy weight loss, often with the claim that exercise isn’t necessary. All one has to do is follow a handful of rules/steps, and their unwanted weight will fall off– whether that means totally eliminating food groups or relying on strange drinks. With how easy they make it sound, of course it sounds like a good deal, but fad diets are almost always too good to be true. Many fad diets result in nutritional deficiencies, and once the weight loss goal has been achieved, people often find they gain it all right back.

Why is eliminating food groups a bad idea?

It is common knowledge that certain foods– like sugars and starches– should be limited in one’s diet, but that’s the key word: limited. For example, there is a fad diet where you remove all sugars, including fruit. This is a problem, as not only do fruits provide us a great deal of vitamins and minerals, we need some sugar for energy and digestion purposes. So, entirely removing the food group could be a problem. It’s all about consuming the RIGHT type of food.

How to identify a fad diet

No fad diet identifies itself as that, but there are some key attributes you can spot shared between fad diets. These include:

  • The total elimination of food groups
  • The total reliance on a specific food
  • The total reliance on supplements (“no diet or exercise required”)
  • Insistence that certain foods need to be “correctly combined” for proper digestion
  • Claims about not needing exercise
  • Unbelievable claims of speedy/easy weight loss

    Don’t partake in a fad diet. Instead…

    • Make sure your foods are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
    • Do not skip meals
    • Eat fruits and vegetables
    • Eat whole grain foods
    • Eat lean meats, poultry, and fish
    • Choose water instead of high-calorie drinks
    • Keep up with exercise to increase your metabolism and muscle

    There’s no shame in getting help to shed your stubborn weight. Our medically supervised weight loss program helps get you there by creating a diet/exercise program tailored to your life. As your needs change, so does the program. Learn more about it and our success rate by contacting us today.

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