Crash weight loss plans and fad diets are an unwise option to permanent healthy eating habits, according to the American Heart Association.
What is a fad diet? It’s a well marketed diet with some crazy scheme to lose weight in an unacceptable manner, often by eating nothing but one food like a cabbage.
One food or one type of food is mostly overemphasized with fad Quick Weight Loss diets. They break the first precept of good nutrition which is to eat a balanced diet that includes a diversity of foods. Because no one food has all the nutrients needed for good health, these diets can result in a lot of health problems. The Cabbage Soup Diet is an example. This so-called fat-burning soup is eaten mostly with fruits and vegetables. The diet purportedly helps heart patients lose 10 to 17 pounds in seven days prior to surgery. Even if the weight loss claim were true, all the harm due to a deficiency of many essential nutrients would far outweigh (pun intended) the benefits of losing the weight. Pixies, elves and fairies, or even cabbages, can’t provide magical weight loss. That’s why you should eat controlled amounts from each of the food groups rather than cutting out everything but a cabbage and water.
The second precept of good nutrition is that eating should be enjoyable. You think eating only cabbage soup every day is enjoyable?. It’s impossible to stay on these diets for a long time because they’re so bland. Imagine eating cabbage soup, nothing but cabbage soup, for even a few days much less for a whole week. By mid week crawling bugs would look good. If you make it to Sunday you might die of a heart attack before you ever again tasted real food.
There are many other ways fad diets aren’t good for you. Many don’t encourage physical activity, for example, walking 30 minutes most or all days of the week. Physical activity helps maintain weight loss, while physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. When you hear a diet that mentions no need for physical exertion run for the hills, or at least run on a treadmill.
Quick Weight Loss sounds great. It is realistic. Just don’t fall for tricks or gimmicks that might end up ruining your health.
