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Beat the bulge this New Year
From the Twelve Days of Xmas to the selection box of fad diets
Thinking New Year New You?
Well don’t think diet - diets don’t work – especially the many weird and wonderful fad diets that stage a comeback appearance every January.
Here is the British Dietetic Association’s list of the worst fad diets to avoid this New Year.
Cabbage Soup / Fat Burning Soup Diet
Firstly, no food can burn fat; only physical activity can do that. This diet is an old favourite, based on pseudo science. The diet has various versions but involves living on a diet that largely consists of homemade cabbage soup, which long-term can result in nutritional deficiencies and in most cases users find it a struggle to manage on the cabbage soup and start to dread mealtimes.
Detox Diets
The human body is complex and more than capable of detoxing itself. The liver works to rid the body of everyday toxins so a ‘special diet’ is not necessary. Often popular with celebrities, these diets recommend cutting out entire food groups and living on fruit/vegetables and water. Long-term detox diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies as whole food groups are omitted.
After ‘the Christmas feast’, simply reducing food intake as well as eating more fruit and vegetables will lead to a reduction of calories and weight loss.
Maple Syrup Diet
This became popular when pop star Beyoncé lost weight using it. It is based on the Medal Bal natural tree syrup – made up of the sap of the maple tree. The idea is that it cleanses your body of toxins! The syrup is mixed with lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper and the user is supposed to drink half a pint up to nine times per day – this results in an intake of way below 600 calories per day.
However, diets under 600 calories per day should never be undertaken without medical supervision as they can be dangerous to health. As well as being difficult to stick to it can also be socially isolating. Long-term this diet would be harmful to health as it contains no protein/fibre/vitamins or minerals.
Banana and Peanut butter diet
There are no good or bad foods but there are good and bad diets – those that are not so good are the ones that try to limit intake to a certain set of foods. This diet usually recommends including its namesakes throughout the day as part of meals. The energy intake from these foods can end up higher than simply cutting out the fat or sugary foods. Users may end up dreading the thought of the next meal as boredom and taste fatigue sets in.
Atkins Diet
Very popular a few years back – this diet is based on a high protein and very low carbohydrate intake. The rigid version of the diet means no bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or cereals and only a minimal allowance of fruit and vegetables. Eating as much cheese, meat or bacon sounds appealing until one remembers that these foods are more enjoyable with….carbohydrates. This diet goes against evidenced-based healthy eating messages, can lead to high intakes of saturated fat and virtually none of the 5-A-DAY fruit and vegetables that help reduce heart disease, stroke and some of the UK’s most prevalent cancers.
Zone Diet
If you want complexity then this is the one for you! The zone has no room for flexibility and is based around meals being 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat – going against the Food Standard Agency’s recommendations. The time and inclination required to work out the food groups and meals so exactly is probably more complicated than making small changes to intake that will result in long-term healthy weight loss.
Warrior Diet
Also known as the Hunter or Caveman diet, it comes in several variations but in general is based on eating one main meal per day between the hours of 5-7 pm when the hunters are thought to have come back with the goods. The remainder of the day involves grazing on foods such as nuts and dried fruits. Eating breakfast and regular meals is key to losing weight and maintaining weight loss long term and even the nuts and dried fruits, though high in nutrients, are also high in energy (calories) and can add up.
Blood Group Diet
Another diet based on pseudo science – the inventor believed that blood type influenced how each different nutrient is broken down in the body.
Cutting out foods for certain blood groups can lead to deficiencies e.g. decreasing dairy foods in the diet can mean a risk of a calcium deficiency if followed for long periods.
Rachel Cooke, registered dietitian at St Martins' Hospital in Bath and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said: “There are many varied fad diets available and any weight loss that occurs is simply due to the user eating less calories than they were doing previously and not making any lasting changes to everyday eating behavior; no other magic reason.
“It may not sound the most exciting way to lose weight but healthy eating, activity and long term behavior change not only works but helps you maintain weight lost too.”
From the Twelve Days of Xmas to the selection box of fad diets
Thinking New Year New You?
Well don’t think diet - diets don’t work – especially the many weird and wonderful fad diets that stage a comeback appearance every January.
Here is the British Dietetic Association’s list of the worst fad diets to avoid this New Year.
Cabbage Soup / Fat Burning Soup Diet
Firstly, no food can burn fat; only physical activity can do that. This diet is an old favourite, based on pseudo science. The diet has various versions but involves living on a diet that largely consists of homemade cabbage soup, which long-term can result in nutritional deficiencies and in most cases users find it a struggle to manage on the cabbage soup and start to dread mealtimes.
Detox Diets
The human body is complex and more than capable of detoxing itself. The liver works to rid the body of everyday toxins so a ‘special diet’ is not necessary. Often popular with celebrities, these diets recommend cutting out entire food groups and living on fruit/vegetables and water. Long-term detox diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies as whole food groups are omitted.
After ‘the Christmas feast’, simply reducing food intake as well as eating more fruit and vegetables will lead to a reduction of calories and weight loss.
Maple Syrup Diet
This became popular when pop star Beyoncé lost weight using it. It is based on the Medal Bal natural tree syrup – made up of the sap of the maple tree. The idea is that it cleanses your body of toxins! The syrup is mixed with lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper and the user is supposed to drink half a pint up to nine times per day – this results in an intake of way below 600 calories per day.
However, diets under 600 calories per day should never be undertaken without medical supervision as they can be dangerous to health. As well as being difficult to stick to it can also be socially isolating. Long-term this diet would be harmful to health as it contains no protein/fibre/vitamins or minerals.
Banana and Peanut butter diet
There are no good or bad foods but there are good and bad diets – those that are not so good are the ones that try to limit intake to a certain set of foods. This diet usually recommends including its namesakes throughout the day as part of meals. The energy intake from these foods can end up higher than simply cutting out the fat or sugary foods. Users may end up dreading the thought of the next meal as boredom and taste fatigue sets in.
Atkins Diet
Very popular a few years back – this diet is based on a high protein and very low carbohydrate intake. The rigid version of the diet means no bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or cereals and only a minimal allowance of fruit and vegetables. Eating as much cheese, meat or bacon sounds appealing until one remembers that these foods are more enjoyable with….carbohydrates. This diet goes against evidenced-based healthy eating messages, can lead to high intakes of saturated fat and virtually none of the 5-A-DAY fruit and vegetables that help reduce heart disease, stroke and some of the UK’s most prevalent cancers.
Zone Diet
If you want complexity then this is the one for you! The zone has no room for flexibility and is based around meals being 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat – going against the Food Standard Agency’s recommendations. The time and inclination required to work out the food groups and meals so exactly is probably more complicated than making small changes to intake that will result in long-term healthy weight loss.
Warrior Diet
Also known as the Hunter or Caveman diet, it comes in several variations but in general is based on eating one main meal per day between the hours of 5-7 pm when the hunters are thought to have come back with the goods. The remainder of the day involves grazing on foods such as nuts and dried fruits. Eating breakfast and regular meals is key to losing weight and maintaining weight loss long term and even the nuts and dried fruits, though high in nutrients, are also high in energy (calories) and can add up.
Blood Group Diet
Another diet based on pseudo science – the inventor believed that blood type influenced how each different nutrient is broken down in the body.
- Blood Group A - Vegetarian based diet with no dairy products
- Blood group B - Varied intake
- Blood group AB - Combination of diets for A and B – so on one hand varied intake and the other a vegetarian diet?
- Blood group O - the most common blood group – high meat, no dairy or wheat/ grains – sound familiar: think Atkins
Cutting out foods for certain blood groups can lead to deficiencies e.g. decreasing dairy foods in the diet can mean a risk of a calcium deficiency if followed for long periods.
Rachel Cooke, registered dietitian at St Martins' Hospital in Bath and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said: “There are many varied fad diets available and any weight loss that occurs is simply due to the user eating less calories than they were doing previously and not making any lasting changes to everyday eating behavior; no other magic reason.
“It may not sound the most exciting way to lose weight but healthy eating, activity and long term behavior change not only works but helps you maintain weight lost too.”
Coming back to claim my life.
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