Consequences Of Fad Diets On Health
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According to an urban myth, Robert Atkins, the inventor of the Atkins Diet, died of his own diet! The Atkins Diet became wildly popular in 2003. Despite medical experts condemning it as dangerous, as it predisposed one to heart disease. The myth says that Atkins suffered from heart failure after following his diet. Though he died from a traumatic head injury after slipping on the ice on his walkway, there is a strong possibility that he slipped because he suffered a sudden heart attack. Let’s learn the health risks of fad diets.
This is an example of how an unscientific approach based on opinion and not on evidence can play havoc with your health. Social media today is full of these ‘fad diets’ and the gullible public literally ‘swallows’ this putting their health and well-being in danger!
Thanks to the ‘information overload provided by the internet, people today have become more conscious of the importance of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of many diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and kidney disease. Unscrupulous people take advantage of the lack of technical knowledge of netizens and come up with a variety of quick fixes and fad diets are one of these.
Fad Diets
Fad diets are defined as weight-reducing diets that enjoy temporary popularity.
Fortunately, medical research has shown up most of these fad diets as phony and downright dangerous.
Fad diets will not make you lose weight but will surely make you lose your health and wealth. It is estimated that the amount of money Americans spend on fad diets to treat their obesity, would be enough to feed all the hungry people in the world!
Fad diets are temporary fads that will soon fade. Nothing emphasizes this more than the fact that the Atkins Diet rapidly fell out of favor following the demise of its creator (who weighed in at 248 pounds at the time of his death!)
Fad Diets Examples
Some of the fad diets of today which come under the broad category of the keto diet include Atkin’s Diet, Dukan Diet, Zone Diet, Paleo Diet, 8- Hour Diet, and closer to home; the Veeramachaneni Ramakrishna Diet.
Effects Of Fad Diets On Health:
Atkin’s Diet:
This recommends very low carbohydrate intake (32 percent instead of 60 percent), high fat (46 percent instead of 30 percent), and high protein (22 percent instead of 10 percent). This combination leads to heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and kidney stones. Though initially effective, after one year, weight loss following the Atkin’s Diet was equal to other standard weight-reducing diets. Thus, making it not only dangerous but also ineffective as well.
Zone Diet
This diet recommends that every meal should have low carbohydrates (40 %), high protein (30 %), and normal fat (30 %). Weight loss is marginal and can lead to kidney stones and high blood pressure.
8-Hour Diet
Eat and drink whatever you want for eight hours and then fast for the remaining 16 hours. Unfortunately, people will exceed calorie intake in a bid to compensate for prolonged fasting. This kind of diet would be a problem for people with diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease where disciplined eating is key.
Veeramachaneni Ramakrishna Diet
This diet is nothing but the desi version of the keto diet with lots of coconut oil thrown in. It is the latest rage in the country. The Keto diet has been proven to be detrimental to health. Further, the person propagating the diet is an accountant by profession and not a medical person! All the fad diets neglect to give recommendations on salt and calcium intake. Salt and calcium form a very important aspect of a proper diet.
Dukan Diet
Devised by Pierre Dukan in 1985, this diet recommends a high protein, high fat, and low carbohydrates. It may lead to kidney disease, kidney stones, heart disease, and high blood pressure. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the British Dietetic Association named the Dukan Diet the number one diet to avoid!
Paleo Diet
It is also known as the ‘Caveman’ or ‘Hunter-Gatherer’ Diet. This diet recommends an intake of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish, nuts, and seeds like an ancient man used to eat before farming was discovered. Grains, legumes and processed foods are excluded. Though this diet results in weight loss, it is extremely expensive. The same results can be obtained from a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables and regular exercise.
It is evident that fad diets encourage maximum consumption of certain foods of their kind and completely restrict the other side. We can already see the math not balancing. We become deficient with a restricted diet and become ill. So, it is important to balance, replace foods that are unhealthy with healthy ones. Just not eating bad foods is not enough, you should consume good food with all the nutrients, minerals balanced for good health
Diets recommended by all Dietary Associations include the DASH Diet and the Mediterranean Diet. These diets advise a high intake of fruits and vegetables, moderate intake of eggs and dairy products, and low intake of salt and animal proteins. They have also been proven to be good to treat obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and kidney disease.
What are 3 reasons why fad diets are not healthy?
Here are five reasons that following a fad diet can be risky.
- They’re too restrictive. Following a fad diet comes with extreme limitations and often elimination of entire food groups.
- You could be missing out on essential nutrients.
- They can be expensive.
- They’re not sustainable.
- They could actually cause weight gain.
Why are fad diets discouraged?
We have learned that fad diets are not meant to be your lifetime eating plan because they fall short in nutrients and can be extremely difficult to maintain long-term.
Why do fad diets do more harm than good?
Fad diets miss the mark on movement While following the diet may result in weight loss, weight loss does not equal a healthy lifestyle. Experts recommend about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise every week.
Are all fad diets failures?
Unfortunately, the only thing these weight loss plans have in common—aside from being trendy and torturous—is that sooner or later they fail you or you fail them. In fact, research indicates a 95% failure rate.
Why are diets unhealthy?
Dieting can be dangerous: “Yo-yo” dieting (repetitive cycles of gaining, losing, & regaining weight) has been shown to have negative health effects, including increased risk of heart disease, long-lasting negative impacts on metabolism, etc. Dieting forces your body into starvation mode.
What are some bad fad diets?
The Worst Fad Diets of 2019 Declared Atkins Diet. This “been around forever” low carb diet is still sucking people in with its promises of fast weight loss.
- The Carnivore Diet.
- Keto Diet.
- Whole30 Diet.
What is a fad diet that can be harmful to vital organs?
Another point wheat nutrition is the same, we natural weight loss pills without side effects lent is a fad diet that can be harmful to vital organs are so dull and weak that we cannot reach the top of the air.
How do fad diets affect homeostasis?
Fad diets could slow our metabolism Because of our built-in mechanism called homeostasis which keeps our bodily systems stable, our metabolism may slow down to conserve fuel when we are deprived of food; especially if somebody is losing muscle mass.
Do diets Cause More Harm Than Good?
However, it is doing more harm than good, a new study has claimed. According to a study conducted by the University of Waterloo, teenage girls who diet are more likely to engage in other health-compromising behaviors, including smoking, binge drinking, and skipping breakfast.
How do fad diets affect metabolism?
Put simply, your metabolism becomes slower, meaning it doesn’t burn food into energy as quickly as it used to. Therefore you’re likely to gain weight faster than you did before the fad diet. There’s a dangerous aspect of causing this kind of damage to your metabolism as well.
Do fad diets work for long term weight loss?
A fad diet is a trendy weight-loss plan that promises dramatic results. Typically, these diets are not healthy and don’t result in long-term weight loss. In fact, some diets actually can be dangerous to your health.
