Fad Diets

High-fat, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, high-protein, liquid diets, fasting diets - they're all out there for people desperately trying to lose those extra inches and pounds. How many times have you faithfully followed a fad diet by purchasing the certain foods, restricting your diet to those specific foods, and eating only at certain times of the day? You probably lost the weight and then gained it all back again when you resumed your previous eating habits. Not only is yo-yo dieting a squeeze on the pocketbook, it's also hard on your body. And almost all of these fad diets are quick fixes; your body simply cannot remain healthy if you stay on severely restrictive diets for very long.

Some of the more recently developed fad diets involve limiting or essentially eliminating carbohydrates and increasing protein and or fat consumption. Protein Power, Carbohydrate Addict's Program, Sugar Busters, and Dr. Atkin's diets have all received considerable media attention. Although some people see these as effective measures for short-term weight loss for otherwise healthy people, most nutritionists and doctors would recommend forgoing the short term benefits of fad diets such as these with a healthier, long-term diet and exercise program.

The Protein Power program is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that focuses on lowering insulin production and reducing the storage of fat through ketosis (when your body draws on stored fat for energy). When your body burns fat, ketones are produced and excreted through your breath, sweat, and urine; however, if you do not drink enough water, the ketones can build up and cause the kidneys to work overtime. If this progresses, the buildup can cause kidney failure. Another problem with this diet is that it really doesn't restrict the amount of fat consumed, which can increase the potential for heart disease, hypertension, and some types of cancer.

The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet is similar to the other high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets in that it restricts the amount and type of carbohydrates that can be consumed while allowing virtually unlimited amounts of protein and fat. The diet attempts to address the restrictive menu (you can basically only eat meat, eggs, dairy products, and a limited set of vegetables) by allowing a "Reward Meal," in which dieters can eat anything they want as long as the meals are nutritionally balanced. As with the other high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, there are no restrictions on the amount of saturated fat that is consumed, which increases the likelihood of heart disease, hypertension, and several types of cancer in long-term dieters.

Sugar Busters focuses on reducing carbohydrates from your diet and replacing "bad" carbohydrates (refined white sugar) with "good" carbohydrates. The emphasis is on eating high fiber fruits, vegetables and whole grains, choosing lean meat and low fat dairy products, drinking lots of water, and eating moderately portioned, regular meals. The goal is to maintain a healthy blood sugar level that will hopefully ward off or alleviate symptoms from health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and hypoglycemia. This diet can be expensive since it restricts food items such as potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, and most condiments, which can be replaced by Sugar Busters! brand foods. Also, it is probably not feasible as a long-term weight maintenance program since it emphasizes that calories do not matter and exercise is not an integral part of the program.

The Atkin's diet tends to help people lose weight because they eliminate several food groups - specifically, foods high in carbohydrates such as baked items, starches, grains, cereals, fruits, and most sweets. This is a very restrictive diet. By limiting your intake to foods high in proteins and fats, you end up decreasing overall calorie consumption and will, of course, lose weight. The main problem with this diet is that there are no restrictions on the amount of saturated fat that is consumed, which translates to an increased propensity for heart disease, hypertension, and several types of cancer. The other problem is that some of the foods that are off-limits actually contain nutrients that can benefit your overall health.

8 Tips to Avoid a Diet Hoax

1. Forget products featured in advertorial spiels promising miracles.
2. Follow warnings of danger from a single product or regimen.
3. Watch for simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
4. Remain cautious of diets that promise a quick fix.
5. Always reassess dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
6. Diets listing "good" and "bad" foods often lead to failure.
7. Be wary of recommendations based on a single study.
8. If it sounds too good to be true…Well, you know the rest. It is!