Fad Diets

Fad DietCan You Trust Them?

Fad Diets are becoming a huge thing around the world, from the South Beach Diet to Weight Watchers. Then there is the Mediterranean diet lifestyle and the zone diet. Do these diets actually work or are they just a scam to get you to spend money and think you are losing the weight? Everyday it seems like there has been some new form of dieting that people are doing to get themselves to lose weight without having to step into a gym or eating specific healthy foods. Most of the diets that have been listed in this article might spur short-term weight loss and many have arbitrary rules that could put your health in danger.

A fad diet is a weight loss plan or aid that promises dramatic results. These diets typically don’t result in long-term weight loss and they are usually not very healthy. In fact, some of these diets have been known to be dangerous to your health. There are several different categories of these diets, such as controlled carbohydrates, high carbohydrate/low fat, controlled portion sizes, food combining, liquid diets, diet pills/herbal remedies and others. Make sure to keep reading on to find out more about these infamous fad diets that tend to sweep our nation.

What Are Some Fad Diets?

Anything that promises quick, painless and effortless weight loss is what drives many individuals to wanting to test out these fad diets, however, most of these can be harmful to our bodies or do little to nothing at all. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself and your body into when you choose your next adventure in weight loss. Here are a list of dubious diets that many people have tried for years.

  • The Raw Food Diet
    • Many can agree that consuming veggie and fruit while reducing your intake of junk food is a safe and effective way to lose weight. However, this diet bans foods to be cooked or processed in any sort of way. Its been said that by cooking raw food in any sort of way destroys their nutritional value. Also, the biggest issue is the extreme form of veganism. People who spend time doing this diet spend hours juicing, blending, dehydrating, sprouting, germinating, cutting, chopping and rehydrating the foods. Its consider to be totally impractical.
  • Alkaline Diet
    • This requires you to cut out meat, dairy, sweets, caffeine, alcohol, artificial and processed foods and consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. The idea of it being heavy on fresh produce and other fresh, satisfying foods while eliminating processed fare, which in itself might spur weight loss. Our bodies, however, are already efficient in keeping your pH levels where they need to be, so cutting out these foods really won’t affect your body’s pH.
  • The Blood Type Diet
    • This is based on the notion that the foods you eat react chemically with your blood type. There has been no scientific proof that your blood type affects weight loss. Even depending on your blood type, the diet can be extremely restrictive.
  • The Werewolf Diet
    • This is considered to be just simply fasting. It involves a day of fasting allowing only water and juice during a full or new moon, supposedly allowing you to lose up to six pounds in water weight in a single day.
  • The Cookie Diet
    • This is said that eating cookies in high-protein and high-fiber helps aid in drastic weight loss and should be only eaten during breakfast, lunch, and any snacks. Then you consume a normal dinner for a total of 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day. This might get you to lose some weight but you could end up depriving yourself all day.
  • The Five Bite Diet
    • This allows you to eat whatever you want, but only five bites of it. While on this diet you skip breakfast, and eat only five bites of food for lunch and only five more for dinner.
  • The Master Cleanse
    • This has to be one of the oldest diets around, and has several variation to it. The premise is to consume this beverage of lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper mixed with water. These are all diuretics. Once you’ve started eating solid foods again, you’re just going to gain that weight back. There are common side effects such as, nausea, dizziness, and dehydration.

There are several other diets that people have been known to try for years such as the baby food diet, the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, the sleeping beauty diet, the HCG diet, the tapeworm diet, and the cotton ball diet. If you’re looking to learn more about these fad diets, please consult your local dietitian or nutritionist.