Life Desk :
Fad diet is a diet that ensures quick weight loss results. However, such a weight loss is temporary. Fad diets provide inadequate nutrients, and thus, are considered to be unhealthy and even dangerous.
This diet restricts intake of various food groups, and thus adherence to such a diet on a long term basis becomes difficult.
Thus, people tend to re-gain the weight that has been lost previously, once they revert to their usual way of eating.
List Of Fad Diets
Cabbage soup diet
Apple cider vinegar diet
Supplement diet
Low-fat diet
HCG diet
Elimination diet
Dukan diet
Liquid diet
South beach diet
Blood type diet
GM (general motor) diet
Raw food diet
Ketogenic diet
Low carbohydrate diet
Zone diet
Gluten free diet
Atkins diet
3-day diet
Paleo diet
Avoid fad diet
Though fad diets help in quick weight loss, they expose our body to a number of health risks. Let us throw some light on the risks of fad diets and why they should be avoided:
Weight re-gain
Fad diets do not promote healthy eating practices. These diets may be a ‘quick fix’ but they are very difficult to follow over the long term. One might lose weight quickly but once he or she returns to the old eating patterns, all the weight that had been lost is usually re-gained. Such a weight gain, in turn, increases the risk of high cholesterol levels, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Micronutrient Deficiency
Overweight or obese individuals often follow fad diets to shed the extra kilos but these diets strictly restrict the intake of various food groups. This reduces the entry of essential nutrients into the body.
To cut down on calories, fad diets focus on macronutrient content, for example, low-carbohydrate, or low-fat, or high-protein diet whereas the micronutrient intake is often overlooked. Deficiency of vitamins and minerals may lead to poor immunity levels, bone and joint pain, hair fall and so on.
Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that allows intake of less than 20 grams of carbohydrate per day. It restricts intake of carbohydrate sources such as whole grains and fruits which are also a source of B-complex vitamins and vitamin C respectively. Such restrictions can lead to micronutrient deficiency.
Fatigue
Eating less than what your body requires can make you feel tired.
Both the brain, as well as the muscles in the body, derive energy from carbohydrate, which is the preferred fuel for the body. Fad diets, however, are low calorie diets that provide less energy. Such severe restriction of carbohydrates, can leave one feeling fatigued and lethargic all the time.
Over-exercising and inadequate food intake may also push your body into a starvation mode, which can cause muscle weakness, and even moodiness.
Constipation
Constipation is another common problem associated with individuals following fad diets, especially low-carbohydrate, high protein and high fat diet. The low fiber content in this diet leads to constipation.
A diet containing adequate fiber prevents constipation and stimulates intestinal motility. Furthermore, chronic constipation over a long period of time may lead to hemorrhoids.
Bad Breath
Bad breath is also associated with fad diets. While maintaining a high-protein, high-fat diet regime, fatty acids become the main source of energy for the body.
These fatty acids are then converted to ketones, a source of energy in the body. Ketones that are not used by the body are excreted in the expired air which results in bad breath.
One might thus end up with an attractive waistline due to a fad diet, but it won’t do their breath much good.
Kidney Stones
Studies have found that fad diets which are high in protein, such as Dukan diet, increase the risk of developing kidney stones.
Protein-rich diet raises the excretion of calcium in the urine. This makes the urine concentrated and increases the risk of kidney stones.
Furthermore, it reduces the urinary pH and creates a favorable environment for the formation of kidney stones. High-protein diets further reduce ‘urinary citrate’ which is an inhibitor of calcium salt crystallization, thus leading to kidney stone formation.
Cardiovascular Risk
Fad diets are often imbalanced diet,focusing solely on one or two macronutrients. This diverts the attention away from micronutrient intake and may lead to its deficiency.
Vitamins and minerals are very important for heart health. Their deficiency can make the heart weak and lead to heart diseases. Low levels of blood minerals are associated with irregular heartbeats and cardiac arrest.
Furthermore, consuming a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet increases the risk of plaque or clot formation. These diets are typically high in cholesterol and saturated fat which increase the risk of heart diseases.
Health tips for healthy weight loss
Fad diets have numerous side-effects and disadvantages. On a long-term basis it will do no good to the body, rather it might end up harming it. Therefore, it is vital to follow a healthy and well-balanced diet to cut down on the fat, and lose weight.
Fad diet is a diet that ensures quick weight loss results. However, such a weight loss is temporary. Fad diets provide inadequate nutrients, and thus, are considered to be unhealthy and even dangerous.
This diet restricts intake of various food groups, and thus adherence to such a diet on a long term basis becomes difficult.
Thus, people tend to re-gain the weight that has been lost previously, once they revert to their usual way of eating.
List Of Fad Diets
Cabbage soup diet
Apple cider vinegar diet
Supplement diet
Low-fat diet
HCG diet
Elimination diet
Dukan diet
Liquid diet
South beach diet
Blood type diet
GM (general motor) diet
Raw food diet
Ketogenic diet
Low carbohydrate diet
Zone diet
Gluten free diet
Atkins diet
3-day diet
Paleo diet
Avoid fad diet
Though fad diets help in quick weight loss, they expose our body to a number of health risks. Let us throw some light on the risks of fad diets and why they should be avoided:
Weight re-gain
Fad diets do not promote healthy eating practices. These diets may be a ‘quick fix’ but they are very difficult to follow over the long term. One might lose weight quickly but once he or she returns to the old eating patterns, all the weight that had been lost is usually re-gained. Such a weight gain, in turn, increases the risk of high cholesterol levels, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Micronutrient Deficiency
Overweight or obese individuals often follow fad diets to shed the extra kilos but these diets strictly restrict the intake of various food groups. This reduces the entry of essential nutrients into the body.
To cut down on calories, fad diets focus on macronutrient content, for example, low-carbohydrate, or low-fat, or high-protein diet whereas the micronutrient intake is often overlooked. Deficiency of vitamins and minerals may lead to poor immunity levels, bone and joint pain, hair fall and so on.
Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that allows intake of less than 20 grams of carbohydrate per day. It restricts intake of carbohydrate sources such as whole grains and fruits which are also a source of B-complex vitamins and vitamin C respectively. Such restrictions can lead to micronutrient deficiency.
Fatigue
Eating less than what your body requires can make you feel tired.
Both the brain, as well as the muscles in the body, derive energy from carbohydrate, which is the preferred fuel for the body. Fad diets, however, are low calorie diets that provide less energy. Such severe restriction of carbohydrates, can leave one feeling fatigued and lethargic all the time.
Over-exercising and inadequate food intake may also push your body into a starvation mode, which can cause muscle weakness, and even moodiness.
Constipation
Constipation is another common problem associated with individuals following fad diets, especially low-carbohydrate, high protein and high fat diet. The low fiber content in this diet leads to constipation.
A diet containing adequate fiber prevents constipation and stimulates intestinal motility. Furthermore, chronic constipation over a long period of time may lead to hemorrhoids.
Bad Breath
Bad breath is also associated with fad diets. While maintaining a high-protein, high-fat diet regime, fatty acids become the main source of energy for the body.
These fatty acids are then converted to ketones, a source of energy in the body. Ketones that are not used by the body are excreted in the expired air which results in bad breath.
One might thus end up with an attractive waistline due to a fad diet, but it won’t do their breath much good.
Kidney Stones
Studies have found that fad diets which are high in protein, such as Dukan diet, increase the risk of developing kidney stones.
Protein-rich diet raises the excretion of calcium in the urine. This makes the urine concentrated and increases the risk of kidney stones.
Furthermore, it reduces the urinary pH and creates a favorable environment for the formation of kidney stones. High-protein diets further reduce ‘urinary citrate’ which is an inhibitor of calcium salt crystallization, thus leading to kidney stone formation.
Cardiovascular Risk
Fad diets are often imbalanced diet,focusing solely on one or two macronutrients. This diverts the attention away from micronutrient intake and may lead to its deficiency.
Vitamins and minerals are very important for heart health. Their deficiency can make the heart weak and lead to heart diseases. Low levels of blood minerals are associated with irregular heartbeats and cardiac arrest.
Furthermore, consuming a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet increases the risk of plaque or clot formation. These diets are typically high in cholesterol and saturated fat which increase the risk of heart diseases.
Health tips for healthy weight loss
Fad diets have numerous side-effects and disadvantages. On a long-term basis it will do no good to the body, rather it might end up harming it. Therefore, it is vital to follow a healthy and well-balanced diet to cut down on the fat, and lose weight.
