There are literally hundreds of different diets that have at one
time or another been promoted as the best approach to losing weight.
Unfortunately, most of them, in their efforts to succeed, involve omitting
certain foods and sometimes even entire food groups.
There are many fad diets: fat-free, very low carbohydrate, high
protein, or those that focus on one particular food, such as grapefruit or
cabbage. Some fad diets have you eliminate certain foods at specific times of
the days, or only eat certain foods with other foods. Many of these diets may
lack major nutrients, such as dietary fiber and carbohydrates, as well as
selected vitamins, minerals, and protective phytochemicals. By not receiving the
proper amounts of these nutrients, you can develop serious health problems later
in life.
For the food groups that these diets do permit, the amounts are
either well above or well below those recommended by major health organizations
like the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association and the
American Dietetic Association, as well as the Surgeon General and the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Some common claims these diets make include blaming particular
hormones for weight gain, suggesting that food can change body chemistry, or
touting or banning a particular food. However, they all have one thing in
common: They offer only a temporary solution to what for many people is a
lifelong problem. Once the diet is stopped, the lost weight is usually regained
quickly, since none of the diets teach behavior modification.
How do I spot a fad diet?
While there is no set approach to spotting a fad diet, the following
guidelines can help. Fad diets tend to have:
- Recommendations that promise a quick fix
- Claims that sound too good to be true
- Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study
- Recommendations based on a single study
- Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific
organizations
- Lists of "good" and "bad" foods
- Recommendations made to help sell a product
- Recommendations based on studies published without peer review
- Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals
or groups
- Eliminated one or more of the five food groups
Devoting yourself to a lifestyle that includes regular exercise
and eating a variety of foods with moderate portions is still the best method to
lose weight and to keep it off.