Fad Diets are BAD Diets - Big Y® World Class Market®

Measureing Tape The media is filled nowadays with plenty of “magical” and “newly discovered” diet plans that promise quick and easy, exercise-free weight loss. But before cutting out that “Act Fast” ad or writing down the “Call Now!” phone number, there are a few things you should know.

These fad diets spell bad news for your body. Fad diets are often only a quick fix or a temporary plan. Usually, they sound too good to be true – that’s because they are! These diets claim that if you consume specific foods (like bananas, grapefruit or cabbage soup), then you will lose weight. But what these diets don’t tell you is that they pose a great harm to your health. By limiting yourself to only a few choice foods, you deprive your body of much-needed vitamins and minerals. And although some fad diets might result in temporary weight loss, the health effects caused by them can be permanent. That’s a risky gamble to place on a short-term solution! With the right knowledge, you can easily spot the fad from the fabulous information and keep your body healthy and on the right nutritional path.

Scale Bottom line: Fad diets are bad diets. Deciding to go on a diet is a serious decision to make and should not be taken lightly or as a quick fix. Many teens are susceptible to fad diets because of pressure from friends, parents or the media to fit in and be thin. But at the end of the day, your health is the most important issue of all, and depriving your body of the nutrients it needs now could damage your chances for a healthy future.

To avoid falling into the trap of a fad diet, there are a few things to look out for:

1. Lists of “good” and “bad” foods. Cutting foods from your intake is a risky game – you could be cutting off your only source of protein or calcium, and this could result in some major health problems. Any diet that instructs you to cut out a major food group should be cut from your list altogether.

2. Promises of a quick fix or fast results. The rate or amount of weight a person can expect to lose varies greatly from one person to the next. A diet’s boast of quick weight loss is no guarantee that you’ll see those kind of results.

3. Diets that have been developed from just one study. Would you trust a hairdresser to cut your gorgeous locks if she’d only cut hair once before?

4. Dramatic statements that simply cannot be true. If a statement sounds too good to be true, like “I lost 35 pounds in only one week!” then it probably is. Trust your instincts and leave the dramatic statements to soap opera stars.

For more information on fad diets or nutrition, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org or the National Institute of Health at www.nih.gov. But before changing your eating habits or starting a diet plan, make an appointment to speak with your family physician.