Let’s Talk Fad Diets

Photo by Jane Doan

My book, Generations of Good Food, has many healthy recipes and many no-so-healthy but oh-so-delicious recipes. So let’s talk fad diets.

The key to eating, cooking and living is to do so in moderation. A healthy diet must be made up of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and dairy. Counting calories and exercising are also important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

Generations of Good Food has stories of the foods that brought the author’s family to the table. Because Eleanor Gaccetta grew up on a farm, many of the Italian recipes focus on healthy eating. Grab a copy at www.onecaregiversjourney.com or on Amazon.

The quest to lose weight with a novel diet plan is as old as mankind. People claim if you watch what you eat, count calories, and improve your lifestyle by exercising, you can lose weight successfully. 

It is not hard to find popular diets online. In fact, there are so many it can be overwhelming. There are low-carb, high-protein, liquid diets, vegetarian, keto, and everything in between. A good diet plan must include an exercise plan, for you need both to lose weight and maintain the goal weight. The sage advice is that before you start a diet, talk to your doctor. A doctor may say, “let’s talk fad diets” beforehand with several of the following questions:

*Have you ever dieted before? *How did you feel on that diet mentally, physically, and emotionally? *Are you committed to following a strict diet? *Do you like to diet alone, or do you need support from a group? *Do you like online support? *Does your budget allow special supplements or foods? *Do you prefer going to a weight loss clinic? *Are you limited by health conditions?

It is essential to know that before beginning a fad diet, rapid weight loss is not sustainable. Diets that claim not to include exercise will not benefit your overall health. Don’t start a diet if you are not committed to changing your eating habits into perpetuity.Consider a better approach than fad diets that promotes long-term health and balance instead of quick fixes. 

Here are some current popular and fad diets from the past.

1. South Beach Diet. This diet predicts it can control hunger.
2. Weight Watchers. This diet has the greatest track record of success, based on sensible eating.
3. Mediterranean Diet. The emphasis is on heart-healthy fats. This is also a very successful diet if you can maintain it.
4. Keto Diet. The emphasis of the Keto diet is to limit carbohydrates and bring your body into a state of ketosis where glycogen is stored. Difficult to maintain and not advised for everyone.
5. Zone Diet. This diet balances protein and carbs. People have difficulty maintaining it.
6. Atkins Diet. This diet is based on controlled fat and eating healthy carbs. The diet is lacking in calcium and, therefore, not optimum.
7. Paleo Diet. This is very difficult to maintain as the focus is on very straightforward guidelines – no room for options.

Volumetrics Diet. This diet boasts that you can lose weight with less calorie intake and feel full. 

1. The biggest downside is that the focus is on at-home cooking, which is not ideal for today’s lifestyles.
2. Raw Food Diet. This diet lacks healthy nutrients as it is based on eating raw foods and vegetarians.
3. Nutrisystem. This diet system is customized to each individual. The foods on this plan are pre-prepared, delivered to your door, and expensive.
4. Macrobiotic Diet. This diet is based on macrobiotics. It is rigid, unhealthy, and can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Let’s talk about fad diets – it could be a long discussion. It should only occur if your want to make a commitment to good health.