FAD DIET

Many fad diets will result in weight loss because they restrict calorie intake. Too often, fad diets are
dangerous to your health if followed for long periods. Tips to help you recognize a fad diet are:

• It promises a loss of more than 2 pounds a week.
• It suggests that a nutrient or food group is the key to losing weight or the reason for being overweight.
• It claims to be a revolutionary idea.
• It reports testimonials instead of research.
• It refers to the author’s own case histories, but does not give details.
• It claims 100% success.
• The promoter claims persecution by the medical profession.

Most fad diets lack important nutrients or whole food groups making them nutritionally unbalanced.
Three of the most common unbalanced approaches are:

• Complete fasting (starvation) or water only diet — You drink only water and have nothing else for several days. Prolonged fasting can lead to brain damage, anemia, liver impairment, kidney stones, low blood pressure, mineral imbalance and other adverse effects.

• Supplemented fasting or very low calorie diets (800 calories or less) — You are encouraged to take supplements to provide the vitamins and minerals that are not being provided by your diet. The programs may be liquid or food diets.
• Low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets — You do not have to limit the intake of proteins, fats, or total calories, but you must limit your carbohydrates. Diets low in calories and carbohydrates will produce a rapid initial weight loss due to chemical changes within the body.

These approaches are unbalanced because they do not meet the recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid.