What are fad diets?
Year by year, we see new weight loss trends emerging in the nutrition community which is often not backed up by medical research, but only come out as experimental money-making agenda by media houses. These diets are not only unhealthy but can pose serious health hazards to persons suffering from varied psychological ailments. Fad diets, or crash diets, are nothing but a "quick-fix" to a dramatic but temporary downsizing in the weighing scale. The results that are alleged are often a result of starvation, compromised nutritional needs, and weakness in the body, making them unstable and short-lived. Following are some of the fad diets compiled by SheNutrition that should be kept off for good.
● Paleo diet
This type of diet plan is also known as the caveman diet or stone-age diet, because it involves foods that could be easily gathered or 'hunted'. while a lot would consider this diet organic and healthy by the name, do not let it deceive you. A massive drawback of the paleo diet is that it is restrictive, thereby hindering the intake of important minerals like calcium, along with vitamin D. This diet type also limits the intake of grains which makes up a staple food for most Indians. Sometimes there's an upsurge in protein consumption too, which might end up doing more harm than good.
● Raw Food Diet
As the name suggests, the raw food diet fad includes only the consumption of raw fruits, herbs, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. As healthy as it may be up to a point, it gets tedious to follow this diet because of individual variation, and effortful methods like blending, juicing, germinating, fermenting, dehydrating, and many more. Indians find it particularly hard to pull off this diet fad because we're naturally used to eating cooked and tempered flavourful foods that are often highly processed. Not just this, these diets restrict nutrients like vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. Sometimes consumption of certain raw foods like raw uncooked meat hinders safety as well.
● Low carbohydrate diet (Atkins diet and Keto diet)
A low carbohydrate diet involves two kinds of diet plans, namely the Atkins diet and the Keto diet. Atkins diet involves consuming less energy giving foods and more high protein foods. These include eggs, meat, chicken, fish, cheese, etc. Along with being high in protein, these foods are also high in fats, and cholesterol which may have various side effects like the risk of cardiovascular diseases, bad breath, headache, fainting, dehydration, and sugar cravings. Hence, this diet plan is not suitable for holistic health needs and it must be avoided. Another diet type under Low carbohydrate diet is called the ketogenic diet. The origin of ketogenesis is traced back to the treatment of epilepsy in the 1920s. But later on, it emerged as a diet adaption for contemporary lifestyles and gained popularity. It is a form of a very low-carbohydrate diet, in which carbohydrate is typically restricted to less than 50g or even 30g per day. The keto diet has been known to cause several side effects, including low energy, mental fog, nausea, bad breath, hair thinning, and headache. Not all these symptoms need to persist, but the risk factor remains nonetheless.
● Apple Cider Vinegar Diet
The Apple cider vinegar diet is a fad that includes consuming a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in lukewarm water first thing in the morning. This diet fad includes incorporating small amounts of apple cider vinegar in your routine diet like dressing it on the salad, shakes, etc. However, some people tend to go overboard and consume more than 3-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and open themselves up to many health hazards. Since it is an acid, consuming pure ACV could damage the tooth enamel and the tissues in your throat and mouth. Long term use can lead to low potassium levels and lower bone density. It also contains chromium which can alter the insulin levels in the body. So if you're a diabetic trying to lose weight, it's a big No-No.
● Liquid Diet
Liquid diets are diet plans that promote consuming diet drinks for meals. In this diet plan, only one meal is allowed to be solid food. Even though this diet has been effective for shorter periods, once-off, the lost weight is often regained and previous eating habits are reinstated. The exposure of this diet pattern in teenagers without the consultation of a nutritionist has led them to suffer ill effects like nausea, dizziness, extreme, fatigue, hair loss, irritability, irregular menstruation, and many more.
By now, you know the selling point of Fad diets is that they pose fats as your enemy when in reality, fats like omega-3 and monosaturated fats are required for optimum health. These diets are also suggestive of restricting carbohydrate intake, which can lead you to fatigue since it is a major source of energy. With these extreme and strict eating plans, you might shed some pounds initially but this weight is bound to come back, and in the meantime, your body also gets deprived of certain essential nutrients. Besides this, fad diets never implement or address the permanent lifestyle changes required for lasting healthy weight management. So, what would you rather focus on, the temporary aesthetic driven fads or a more stable upgrade in your lifestyle and health?
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