Fad diets are commonly distinctive diets and eating patterns that claims to help you to lose weight effectively within a short timeframe. They usually have very catchy names or otherwise focused on certain food groups. Popular examples of Fad Diets include Atkins Diet, Juice Diet or even Baby Food Diet!
When losing weight becomes challenging for us , Fad diets is often appealing as it usually promises quick fixes to lose weight and is typically easy to follow. Sometimes, Fad diets are also being popularised by celebrities and influencers.
However, are they really effective for long term weight loss? If you are thinking of trying any of the Fad Diets to lose weight or wondering if it can really works, read on as I am going to share with you some of the Fad Diets that have been popularised over the years:
The Atkins Diet
Key Characteristic:
The Atkins Diet does not require calorie counting or portion control. It only focuses on tracking carbohydrate intake where one can only consume a maximum of 20g of net carbohydrates (i.e. total carbohydrate minus fibre) a day with gradual increase to about 40g of net carbohydrate per day. In general, individuals following the Atkins Diet do not need to restrict their fats and protein intake.
Verdict:
Though there are some results which suggest that Atkins Diet may help to lose weight, it can negatively impact your overall health in the long run as red meats and high fat food are primary component of the diet. High intake of red meat and fats can lead to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The Ketogenic Diet
Key Characteristic:
Very popular diet even till date. Ketogenic diet, which is a concept which involves eating low carbohydrate meals to put the body into a state of ketosis (which will cause your body to store less body fat). In general, individuals following the Ketogenic Diet would only consume less than 20 to 50g of carbohydrates a day and their fat intake can contribute to about 90% of their daily calories intake.
Verdict:
Though people who follow the Ketogenic Diet may see result in the short run, it can be dangerous as ketosis can put additional stress on your internal organs and could lead to premature death.
Furthermore, you might end up gaining more weight after you revert back to your original diet and….you would have Keto breath too (ewwwwww!)
The Juice Diet
Key Characteristics:
Just drinking juices for days to months... as straight forward as that!
Verdict:
Touted to help your body to detox. Essentially, the “detox package” is purely a bundle of expensive fruit juices bottled in a nice container.
Regardless of which type of juicing processing (e.g. cold pressing, slow pressing, etc), juicing removes the fibre of fruit and vegetables and decreases its nutrition value. It is essential for us to remember that our body is capable and great at detoxing through our livers and kidneys.
Rather than spending the money on expensive juice packages, spend it on getting a variety of your favourite fresh fruits and vegetables. If you are feeling rich, you can also go for organic options or even premium fruits!
The Baby Food Diet
Key Characteristics:
Being a baby back again! Individuals following the Baby Food Diet would replace their breakfast and lunch with baby food and only eat a regular meal during their dinner.
Verdict:
As each jar of baby food only contains about 20-100 kcal, it is very likely for one to lose weight due to the significant lower amount of calories consumed each day. However, this is a diet that is very difficult for one to sustain due to the taste and texture, which can be very hard for an adult to get used to it. Furthermore, as the nutrition content of the baby food are specially set for babies, it will also put you at risk for malnutrition.
The Boiled Egg Diet
Key Characteristics:
Individuals following the Boiled Egg diet would consume boiled egg for every meal, but they may substitute it with any lean protein whenever requirement. In addition, they would consume non-starchy vegetables for every meal and include 1 to 2 servings of low carbohydrates fruit daily.
Verdict:
I love eggs and I believe a lot of you loves eggs as well. But to have boiled eggs for most of the meals , I guess it would be too much even for any egg lovers?
Paleo Diet (Cavemen Diet)
Key Characteristics:
Its a diet which essentially restrict one's diet to what hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age ate. Individual following the Paleo Diet would only consume meat (i.e. particularly game meat), poultry , fish, shellfish, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, seeds, nuts, olive/coconut/flaxseeds oil and avoid any food that is processed, man-made or pre-packaged
Verdict:
Paleo diet certainly has its merits since it focuses on consuming whole foods rather than pre-packaged and processed foods, which are generally high in salt, sugar and bad fats (e.g. saturated fat and trans fat). However, because it cuts out grains, legumes and dairy, it may also put you at risk to be deficient in certain Vitamin Bs (e.g. thiamine, folate, niacin, riboflavin) and calcium.
Even if the benefits of the Paleo Diet can be validated, you can't discount the potential the overall lifestyle of that age. The rigorous physical demands of hunting and gathering for food surely contributed to the benefits of our ancestors.
Which is the most effective Weight Loss Diet?
The best diet is definitely something that you would enjoy and find it sustainable. Never go for diet that cut too many calories as a big reduction in calories can be a primer for overeating or even binge eating. This may contribute to a failed diet or can even lead to disordered eating. Though a low carbohydrate, high protein diet and intermitted fasting methods maybe effective in the short term, they are simply not sustainable for more people.
If we really want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, we would really have to wise up and not follow blindly on Fad Diets (or what other people say).
An effective and sustainable weight loss diet should be one that is balanced and healthy, where you would be able to enjoy a variety of food in moderation. Furthermore, exercising should also be part of your routine. It is definitely challenging at the start of the journey, but if you are able to cultivate simple healthy habits, I’m sure your weight loss journey would be very smooth sailing.
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