|Home > Facts > Fad Diets|
More About:fad and diets
...diets Elimination diets Definition O
...diets are a group of high-fat, moderate-protein,
Corn- or Maize-Based Diets
...diets in the Americas and Africa. While niacin i
Glycemic index diets
...diets Glycemic index diets Definitio
...diets are comprised of meals made predominately
...diets is a term that encompasses a wide range of
Mayo Clinic Diet (Fad Diet)
...fad diet) is a popular diet that was neither c...diets at the time. By the 1940s, one version of
College Students, Diets of
...diets often deteriorate and they often gain weig
Highlight any text in the article to look up more information!
Many fad diets defy logic, basic biochemistry, and even appetite appeal. They are popular because they promise quick results, are relatively easy to implement, and claim remarkable improvements in how their followers will look or feel. Unfortunately, the one thing most fad diets have in common is that they seldom promote sound weight loss. More important, they only work short-term. As many as 95% of people who lose weight gain it back within five years. It is not surprising that nearly 25% of Americans are confused when it comes to information about dieting.
Despite the popularity of dieting, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased steadily since the 1970s. In 1980, 25% of adults in the United States were overweight. By 1991, this figure had risen to 33 percent, and by 2001, over 66% of the adult population were classified as overweight or obese. Each year, Americans spend more than $30 billion fighting fat—often for gimmicks that do not work. Most people who are trying to lose weight are not using the recommended combination of reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity. Fad diets provide advice counter to that provided by science-based governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
Fad diets take many forms. Over the years, they have promoted consumption of specific foods (e.g., the Cabbage Soup diet, the Drinking Man’s diet, the Grapefruit diet), specific combinations of foods (e.g., the Zone) and specific times that foods must be eaten (e.g., the Rotation diet). Some popular diets recommend elimination of certain foods (e.g., carbohydrates in the Atkins diet, Protein Power, the Carbohydrate.
Addict’ diet, Life without Bread, and Sugar Busters!). Others recommend eating based on a person’ blood type (e.g., Eat Right for Your Type), or eating like a caveman (e.g., Neanderthin). Celebrities promote diets (e.g., Suzanne Somers’ Get Skinny on Fabulous Food), and fad diets have taken the name of well-known places associated with wealth, fame, and thinness (e.g., the Beverly Hills diet, the South Beach diet). If any one of these fad diets worked, the problem of obesity would likely have been solved long ago.
Some fad diets have been popular for many years (e.g., Atkins Diet Revolution). Books appear as “new, revised” editions and continue to sell millions of copies. Unfortunately, there is nothing new or revised about the diets; they simply appeal to a new generation of overweight, frustrated dieters. The underlying reason why diets (including fad diets) work is that they result in decreased caloric intake. When energy intake is less than energy expenditure, people lose weight. Fad diets that lead to decreased caloric intake, whether by eliminating carbohydrates, eating cabbage soup all day, or adding grapefruit to every meal, will result in weight loss. If a person followed such a diet long-term, he or she would keep the weight off. Of course, no one wants to live on cabbage soup forever, or eliminate carbohydrates forever, so people break the “diet” and gain back the weight they lost—and often even more. The accompanying table provides information about some common fad diets.
The American Heart Association provides some tips that can be used to recognize a fad diet. First, does the diet contain magic or miracle foods or proprietary ingredients? There are no “super foods” or “magic ingredients” that can undo the long-term effects of overeating and lack of activity. Next, beware of fad diets that claim rapid weight loss (e.g., “lose 10 pounds this weekend!”). Though quite appealing, weight loss occurring this quickly is due to loss of fluid, not fat. Studies show that gradual weight loss increases a person’ success at keeping it off permanently. Sound weight loss plans aim for losing no more than one to two pounds per week.
(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale).
Another sign of a fad diet is losing weight without exercise. Studies consistently show that the single most important variable that predicts long-term success at weight loss and maintenance (not gaining back the weight that was lost) is physical activity. Simple activities like walking or riding a bike (to and from school, for example) should be incorporated into one’ life. Also, beware of the promotion of bizarre quantities of foods or the elimination of other types of foods (e.g., cabbage soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; avoiding dairy foods; and eliminating carbohydrates). Forbidding certain foods or entire food groups, in addition to being unhealthy, may increase the likelihood that one will cheat, binge, or just give up on the diet. Finally a rigid menu or rigid schedule of eating is a good sign that one should avoid the diet. Limiting food choices and adhering to specific eating times is a daunting task. Rather, one should look for a plan that can be followed not for a week or a month, but for an entire lifetime.
Knowledgeable practitioners do not recommend fad diets because such diets do not work long-term. Even though they might work in the short run, there is little value in losing weight if one is only going to regain it after the diet ends. With repeated dieting, weight loss becomes more difficult and results in frustration, feelings of failure, and loss of self-esteem.
From a nutritional standpoint, many fad diets lack important nutrients. For example, high-fat, low.
carbohydrate diets (such as the Atkins Diet) are low in vitamins E, A, thiamin, B6, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, and dietary fiber, and they also require supplementation. In addition, they are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. On the other hand, when individuals are allowed to choose foods from all food groups, their diet is likely to be nutritionally adequate and healthful long-term.
Most fad diets do not result in long-term weight loss and are often nutritionally inadequate for long-term use.
Freedman, M. R.; King, J.; and Kennedy, E. (2001). Popular Diets: A Scientific Review. Obesity Research 9 (Suppl. 1):1S-40S.
Thomas, P.R., ed. (1995). Weighing the Options. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
American Heart Association. <http://www.americanheart.gov>
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Healthy Eating Tips” and “Obesity and Overwight.” Available from <http://www.cdc.gov>
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. <http:www.nhlbi.nih.gov>
Shape Up America. <http://www.shapeupamerica.org>
Marjorie R. Freedman.