Crash weight loss plans and fad diets are an unreasonable alternative to permanent healthy eating habits, according to the American Heart Association.
What is a fad diet? It's a well marketed diet with some outrageous scheme to lose weight in an impossible manner, often by eating nothing but one food like a cabbage.
One food or one type of food is generally overemphasized with fad quick weight loss diets. They don't include a variety of foods or good balance, a violation of the first principle of good nutrition, eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods. If you are able to stay on such a diet for more than a few weeks, you may develop nutritional deficiencies, because no one type of food has all the nutrients a human being needs for good health. The Cabbage Soup Diet is an example. The myth of this diet is that cabbage soup is some sort of fat dissolving potion. The diet supposedly helps heart patients lose 10-17 pounds in seven days before surgery. Even if the weight loss claim were true, all the damage due to a lack of a host of important nutrients would far outweigh (pun intended) the benefits of losing the weight. Pixies, elves and fairies, or even cabbages, can't create magical weight loss. Moderation and consuming all the major food groups is the best bet.
The second principle of good nutrition is that eating should be enjoyable. You think eating only cabbage soup every day is enjoyable?. These diets are so monotonous and boring that it's almost impossible to stay on them for long periods. Imagine eating cabbage soup, nothing but cabbage soup, for even a few days much less for a whole week. By Wednesday you'd dread meal time, and by Friday you'd never again want to smell a cabbage much less eat the soup. They'd carry you away in a straight jacket by week's end.
Boredom isn't the only reason fad diets aren't good ones. Most don't talk about exercise, such as aerobics for 30 minutes a day every day. Physical activity helps maintain weight loss, while physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. When a diet includes no need for a workout, run the other way.
Quick weight loss sounds great. It is possible. But if a program sounds too good to be true, it is. - 17943
What is a fad diet? It's a well marketed diet with some outrageous scheme to lose weight in an impossible manner, often by eating nothing but one food like a cabbage.
One food or one type of food is generally overemphasized with fad quick weight loss diets. They don't include a variety of foods or good balance, a violation of the first principle of good nutrition, eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods. If you are able to stay on such a diet for more than a few weeks, you may develop nutritional deficiencies, because no one type of food has all the nutrients a human being needs for good health. The Cabbage Soup Diet is an example. The myth of this diet is that cabbage soup is some sort of fat dissolving potion. The diet supposedly helps heart patients lose 10-17 pounds in seven days before surgery. Even if the weight loss claim were true, all the damage due to a lack of a host of important nutrients would far outweigh (pun intended) the benefits of losing the weight. Pixies, elves and fairies, or even cabbages, can't create magical weight loss. Moderation and consuming all the major food groups is the best bet.
The second principle of good nutrition is that eating should be enjoyable. You think eating only cabbage soup every day is enjoyable?. These diets are so monotonous and boring that it's almost impossible to stay on them for long periods. Imagine eating cabbage soup, nothing but cabbage soup, for even a few days much less for a whole week. By Wednesday you'd dread meal time, and by Friday you'd never again want to smell a cabbage much less eat the soup. They'd carry you away in a straight jacket by week's end.
Boredom isn't the only reason fad diets aren't good ones. Most don't talk about exercise, such as aerobics for 30 minutes a day every day. Physical activity helps maintain weight loss, while physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. When a diet includes no need for a workout, run the other way.
Quick weight loss sounds great. It is possible. But if a program sounds too good to be true, it is. - 17943
About the Author:
Linda Miller is an expert on popular weight loss diet programs. For tasty South Beach Diet Recipes, menu plans and free south beach diet information, make sure to visit her site at South-Beach-Diet-Recipes.com
