Blog Post #14: Fad Diets
Here we go. Let’s get it out of the way. By definition, a fad diet is a diet that promises quick results, but is not based on science, evidence, or facts. There are many fad diets out there in the world. There are so many, that it can make your head spin. We will only talk about some that are very popular, or some of the diets that I get asked about the most.
Many of my clients get very confused and ask me on what kind of fad diet is healthy to follow. Many people online will post about following fad diets, and how they are losing so much weight so quickly, but they do not tell their followers how unsustainable those kind of diets are, and you can easily gain that weight back. These diets include rapid weight loss, but at the expense of restricting food groups, very strict rules, and restricting calories to an extreme level. The results of these diets are also short lived, and can lead to more health problems. Here are some of the fad diets that I hear about, or that are talked about a lot these days:
Ketogenic diet: this diet trend has been the most recent, and most popular one. However, this one gets on my nerves a lot. Based on research and medical practices, the ketogenic diet was originally created in the 1920s for patients with epilepsy and/or seizures. The diet became popular in the 1970s and was highly successful in reducing seizure activity in children. This diet basically forces the patient’s bodies to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. This process is called ketosis. Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source, and therefore, fuel the brain. When you significantly reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your body, your body has to find other ways to produce energy. The diet was also a great way to help the children gain weight, since they were eating more fat!
The effects of the ketogenic diet are well reported, but mainly short-term. The long-term effects are limited and mostly unknown due to not enough research. There have been, however, some long-term effects to have emerged from recent research and studies. These long-term effects include, but are not limited to: nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, possible heart disease, and digestive issues. This diet is also not recommended for people who have had their gallbladders removed, since the gallbladder is needed to help break down fats during digestion. Following the diet long-term may be hard to do, as well as not have any solid medical evidence to support it.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/
(sorry this one is long, but I get a lot of questions about it. I can go into this topic deeper if I need to in another blog post)
Paleo diet (short for Paleolithic diet): this diet takes inspiration from the hunter-gatherers in our history. Many foods, like dairy, legumes, and grains are restricted. I do not agree with this diet, for dairy and grains are two food groups that humans need to function properly. I do not believe in cutting out a food crop to get healthy. The food pyramid and MyPlate were created that way for a reason! Plus, with these restrictions, you will be restricting your nutrient intake and may become deficient in some vitamins or minerals. This diet long-term can also cause health problems, like digestive issues, kidney stones, and bone fractures.
Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8004139/
Atkins diet: this has been a popular one, and it has been in the media for many years. It is basically the basis for the ketogenic diet these days. The Atkins diet focuses on eating more protein and fats, while restricting carbohydrates. However, like the rest of the fad diets, this diet can cause health problems if followed long-term, like heart disease or loss of kidney function. Even the American Heart Association has talked out against high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diets! The Atkins diet is one of those diets that can help in the short-term, but may cause more issues down the road.
Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6074441/
Detox diets or juice cleanses: these kinds of diets make me grind my teeth. These diets claim to help your body “get rid of toxins” and make you feel better, more energetic, and lose weight. There is no way to beat around the bush on this one: I hate these. These are the worst kind of diets in my opinion. The majority of the population have a liver and two kidneys. Guess what: those organs naturally detox your body! As long as you take care of your organs, drink water, and eat fiber, your body will naturally “detox” itself. These diets can also lead to you have electrolyte imbalances, digestive issues, kidney issues, and may cause bacterial issues. Drinking only fluids for a time has also proven to be non-satisfying and can reduce your body’s natural way of digesting nutrients. And do not even get me started on eating charcoal! Stay tuned for my rant on that soon. I will elaborate on eating charcoal in a later post.
Source: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/detoxes-and-cleanses-what-you-need-to-know
Whole 30 diet: this diet focuses on eating whole foods, but the diet places strict rules or guidelines, so the diet is not easy to follow or may not be sustainable long-term. Basically, you eliminate foods from your diet for about a month. You cut out alcohol, sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, and additives. While cutting out alcohol and sugary foods/drinks can be beneficial, removing dairy, grains, and legumes can lead to other health problems (just like all the rest of the fad diets do). Again, cutting out necessary food groups can lead to nutrition deficiencies.
Source: https://blogs.bcm.edu/2019/02/19/debating-diets-what-is-the-whole30-diet/
Intermittent fasting: you focus on the times you eat, rather than your nutrition. My husband’s old boss follows this method, and it has helped so far to control his diabetes. This one diet method can be taken many ways, both good and bad. You can fast by eating for only so many hours (like eat from noon to 7pm, or from 6am to 6pm). You can also skip days to fast (so eat on Monday, fast on Tuesday, eat on Wednesday, and so on). However, many heart institutions have conducted studies on intermittent fasting, and have found that fasting (limiting food intake) can actually reduce your chance to live longer, and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and/or death.
**This post does not include people/cultures who fast for religious reasons. This only discusses people who fast for health reasons.
Gluten-free diets: this has become a popular fad diet, but there are some people in the population who are have gluten intolerances or allergies. Many people began to follow the gluten-free craze to lose weight, but there are also a lot of misinformation. My mother was one of those people who believed the lies. She thought gluten was a man-made additive that companies add to their food products, when in reality, it is not. Gluten is a natural product found in some grains. Read more in blog post #2b about gluten.
There is no evidence that a gluten-free diet can improve overall health in someone who does not have celiac disease, or a gluten intolerance. Some side effects in following gluten-free diet can lead to digestive issues, lack of fiber, and nutrition deficiencies. Plus, gluten-free was a way to allow people not to eat bread, but gluten can show up in sauces, soups, malt flavorings, licorice, among other food products. (see blog post #2b for more). But some people will claim they follow a gluten-free diet, not realizing they are still eating gluten in their diets! If you were serious about being gluten-free, then you would have cut more foods than bread out of your diet.
Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5439366/
In conclusion, I do NOT recommend any fad diet of any kind. All of these diets listed can come with many health problems. You do not need to follow a fad diet to be healthy. The fad diet may actually be the opposite of healthy, depending on the diet.
Practical Ways Towards “Peachy” Living:
1) Y’all, for the love of everything that is good and holy, please do not fall for the fad diet trends. In the end, the fad diet (regardless what it is) will not be worth the time, money, and energy spent. More than likely, you will end up back where you started. Eating healthy does not have to be hard, expensive, or stressful. Find a dietitian in your area to help get you on track!
