UAE | Health

Why fad diets are unhealthy

Some people are willing to go to any extreme to lose weight. From eating cotton balls to surviving on cabbage soup all day, many have experimented with severe diets to have the perfect body. Khairunnisa Anjum, a dietician at Zulekha Hospital, says diets are not “healthy”. She said: “Low carbohydrate diets are deficient in a lot of important nutrients. One is likely to feel weak, dizzy and tired and may possibly experience headaches and dehydration. There are no quick fixes or magical foods that will allow quick and healthy weight loss.”

By Rabab Khan, Community Interactivity Editor
Published: 16:05 August 18, 2010

Air diet

People are only allowed to pretend to eat – they can place food on their plate, cut it, put it on a fork and hold it up to their mouths, but not eat it. While on this diet, they can only consume water and salt soup.
Anjum said: This diet slows down the metabolism and promotes binge eating, weight regain and unhealthy attitude towards food. It is a dangerous way to lose weight.

Cotton ball diet

Some people go to the extent of replacing their meals with cotton balls. It is soaked in gelatine and consumed like food. They are supposed to be quite filling, which is why the person on the diet doesn’t feel the need to eat anything else.
Anjum said: This diet lacks vitamins and minerals. It is hazardous to one’s health as it can cause major digestive problems.

The chewing diet

This diet requires a person to chew on his or her food between 32 to 80 times – the foods becomes liquefied. They then have to spit out whatever’s left of the morsel. You absorb fewer calories and enjoy the taste of food at the same time.
Anjum said: This diet will cause a sore jaw and long meal times. It lacks essential nutrients.

Maple syrup diet

A concoction made of maple syrup, lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper is all a person can have while on this diet.
Anjum said: Only 312 calories are consumed in a whole day. This may leave a person hungry or starved, irritable and weak with a lack of energy. Nutrients like protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals are lacking. This diet also causes tooth decay.

Cheese diet

This diet has proven to show results on women. They are asked to eat one ounce of full fat cheese a day — it helps increase the metabolism rate and promotes weight loss.
Anjum said: This diet is rich in proteins. It can be followed, but people allergic to milk and milk products cannot follow it. However, as there are no fruits and vegetables in the diet, it can result in vitamin deficiencies.

Lunchbox diet

A lunchbox comprising 60 per cent vegetables, 30 per cent protein and 10 per cent fat has to be prepared in the morning. The contents have to be consumed over the day — ideally at one-hour intervals.
Anjum said: This is a creative way to lose weight with its avoidance of refined carbohydrates and sugars. It is similar to low calorie diets which consist of more vegetables and less carbohydrates. Lunchbox diet is advisable for long term weight management in a healthier way. By following this diet, people will not skip meals as this is a very important component in order to lose weight. Depending on the level of activity some complex carbohydrates can be included in this diet.

Grapefruit diet

An individual has to eat half a grapefruit before every meal as the fruit has fat-burning properties. However, for this diet to work the individual cannot consume large meals — only 800 calories are allowed per day.
Anjum said: Similar to the soup diet, the weight lost is water from your body.

Soup diet

Any person on this diet can consume as much cabbage soup as they like. The soup — made of cabbage, onions and tomatoes.
Anjum said: The weight you lose is mainly water from your body. Once you go back to a regular diet, the weight lost will be regained.

Flat belly diet

Very similar to a Mediterranean diet, this diet involves only eating food that consist of mono-unsaturated fatty acids — olive oil, nuts, fruits, vegetables and legumes. It is supposed to help burn abdominal fat. The suggested meal plan is set at 1,600 calories per day.
Anjum said: The Mediterranean diet has been found to be a nutritious and healthy plan which is good for the heart and overall health. But, what will be lost is just visceral fat. Hence, one loses weight throughout the body.

Baby food diet

A diet that involves substituting adult meals with baby food. People tend to lose weight because they are restricting the number of calories they intake during a day.
Anjum said: This diet cannot make up for all the nutritional requirement of adults. It can be included in your diet but not replace adult meals.

Five bite diet

Two meals a day — each meal should only consist of five bites. You can consume any liquid, as long as it does not contain calories. After three days on the diet, an individual stops feeling hungry as their body resets the value of what it sees as “full”.
Anjum said: Once again, the weight lost is only water from your body — similar to the soup and grapefruit diet.

Tapeworm diet

This diet involves swallowing a pill containing tapeworms — these were available for sale in the early 1900s. Having one after a meal would mean the tapeworms would eat the food in your stomach, thus allowing you to lose weight.
Anjum said: If there is a worm in your stomach, it might cause nausea, headaches, infections and diarrhoea. The tapeworm could reproduce and its larvae could spread throughout the body. This might result in death. It is intelligent to go for exercise or eat salads rather than risking your life by eating a tapeworm!