Fad Diets: A Quick Fix but a Long-Term Problem
Fad diets — have you ever heard this term before? If not, maybe you have heard of the diets themselves. Well, let’s see, The Grapefruit Diet, The Tapeworm Diet, The Fruitarian Diet, The Baby Food Diet, or The Master Cleanse — do any of these ring a bell? These are among the most dangerous fad diets to exist. If you’ve not heard of them before, I’m sure you can guess what they consist of. From replacing meals with baby food to consuming a pill with an actual tapeworm egg inside, people have been following these trends and taking these extreme measures for years to rapidly lose weight. While other fad diets, such as The Mediterranean and The Flexitarian diets, are not as serious and do not have as many side effects, there are still safer and more sustainable ways to accomplish weight loss goals.
What exactly is a fad diet, and what makes it different from a regular one? When many people think of dieting, eating healthy and losing weight typically come to mind. However, fad diets are not as simple as this. Fad diets are highly advertised dietary plans that get their appeal from the “miracle effect” that they have. Some of their most common deceitful promises include “lose weight without exercising,” “lose 30 pounds in 30 days,” and “this product works for everyone.” The authors of Fad Diets: Facts and Fiction said it best: these claims all “defy the basic principles of biochemistry and nutritional adequacy.” Exercise is necessary to live a healthy life, it is not safe for your body to rapidly lose weight, and everyone’s body type is different, so one product will not work for everyone. A regular diet plan is one curated for what works for each person individually, and it will consist of small changes to one’s eating behaviors rather than the drastic and sudden adjustments that many fad diet plans employ. Safe and healthy diets are intentional lifestyle changes that can be sustained throughout the span of your life, while fad diets are quick fixes that often lead to dangerous long-term effects.
One major problem with fad diets is that their social impact and popularity supersede the lack of research and studies performed on their success rates. Fad diets are guaranteed to help with weight loss goals, however, there is little to no proof that these claims are true or that they are safe. From the article Fad Diets: Lifestyle Promises and Health Challenges, it is stated that “Nowadays, there are various types of fad diets available; however, individuals should be aware that there is no scientific evidence proving their safety.” The popularity and promotion of fad diets, no matter how dangerous, is enough for many individuals to take part without considering the outcome. Advertisement techniques as well as the impact of social media have blindsided individuals to the fact that fad diets are not thoroughly studied before they are spread from household to household. Charlotte Markey, the director of the Health Sciences Center at Rutgers, quotes in the article, Research says fad diets don’t work. So why are they so popular? “One reason people believe fad diets work is because of powerful marketing campaigns that tell them so.” This quote perfectly sums up the fact that whether a fad diet is safe and successful or not, people use them anyway because of the cunning advertisements presented before them. More studies should be completed on the success rates and long-term effects of fad diets before individuals jump on their bandwagon.
Many fad diets may have individuals rapidly losing weight, though they are typically only short-term fixes. A majority of fad diets, especially ones with extremely low caloric intake, are not sustainable, and they can actually cause long-term health problems. From the article Fad Diets: A Reality Check, Cindy Maynard states, “Very low-calorie diets compromise health and slow down your metabolism. You may lose weight initially, but it’s mostly water and lean muscle tissue, not fat. Like the other diets, fasting does not teach new or permanent healthier eating habits.” From this, we can see that sudden changes in one’s diet can cause more harm than good. It can induce stress on the body and actually cause one’s appetite to increase, leading to weight gain rather than loss. In order to maintain a long-lasting weight loss plan, healthy habits need to be put in place rather than simply eating less food. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into one’s diet, reducing the intake of processed foods, and exercising regularly are small, sustainable steps one can take to accomplish weight loss.
Fad diets have more than just physical health effects; they can impact an individual’s mental health as well. Persistently worrying about keeping up with a diet plan can lead to many different types of stress or anxiety. According to the authors of Fad Diets: Lifestyle Promises and Health Challenges, “Studies in adults have suggested that constant dieting (yo-yo dieting) is associated with a range of symptoms such as food obsession, constant calorie counting, distractibility, increased emotional responsiveness and fatigue.” Participating in a fad diet could lead to unwanted results, such as these mental health issues. Fad diets can even lead to eating disorders. As stated by Serra Tekce in the article Eating Disorders and Fad Diets Often Come Hand And Hand, “With fad diets, which include deprivation of key food groups, people experience deficiencies both physically and psychologically. Then, they may break diet “rules” and partake in binges, after which they experience guilt and confusion.” Being on a fad diet could cause an obsession with food to arise. These effects on mental health are not worth the rapid weight loss, and they could even lead to gaining the weight right back.
Speaking of rapid weight loss, many individuals believe that fad diets are beneficial because of their quick fix to weight problems; however, this solution is very rarely sustained over a long period of time. In her article 7 Popular Diets That Are Actually Backed By Science, Allison Herries states, “Many people are searching for a quick fix, whether it’s in health, beauty, or relationships. It is only natural to want to see the effects of your hard work in less time. For this reason, many turn to fad diets for rapid weight loss and other health benefits.” While this may be true, unless the diet is used for the rest of one’s life, the weight can rapidly come back. In the article Fad Diets: How They Work For Weight Loss, Pros, & Cons by Tanya Choudhary, an ISSA Certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition, it states, “The fact is that they do help in faster weight loss, but the results do not last long once you are off those diets.” Tanya Choudhary shows that while the claim regarding fad diets by Allison Herries is true, it disregards their future impacts. Throughout the years, fad diets have helped individuals lose weight at rapid rates; however, individuals must commit to them for life in order to keep the weight off, and that is highly unlikely for one to do.
Some individuals argue that fad diets are successful because they increase the consumption of “healthy” foods while reducing that of processed or “junk” foods. This claim is true that diets do help with the reduction of “bad” foods; however, one thing many diets also reduce are certain necessary foods and nutrients. In her article about the best diet for 2022, Sandee LaMotte states, “. . . these diets reduce or eliminate processed foods and stress packing your plate with fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds.” Most diets encourage the reduction of processed food, however, something not mentioned in the previous quote is that some of these same diets reduce the consumption of more than just processed foods. “Since fad diets typically restrict carbs and calories, the body uses these stored carbohydrates for fuel, carbohydrate stores decline, and water storage diminishes as well,” states Claire Wood, a registered dietitian. In addition, Hiral Patel, certified in nutrition and fitness, wrote in her article Fad Diets: What’s Wrong With Them? “Some diets demand that you cut out particular dietary groups . . . fad diets claim particular hormones are to blame for weight gain, suggesting that you need to eliminate carbs. However, it is not advisable because carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient and a valuable energy source.” From this, it is clear that many fad diets target carbohydrates as a whole. This is the main reason for the rapid weight loss, however, it’s causing unwanted side effects such as diminished nutrients and water supplies.
It is obvious that fad diets result in the weight loss that many individuals desire, but at what cost? Is it worth the stress induced physically and mentally on one’s body? Is it worth the month of weight loss for it to just come right back, or the lifelong commitment needed to keep the weight off? Fad diets may fix one problem, weight loss, but they cause many other problems down the road. Too many individuals jump on the fad diet bandwagon with the sole goal of dropping pounds without considering the harmful side effects that come with them. It is important to watch out for the “miracle” claims that diets are often promoted with and to weigh the pros and cons. There are sustainable and safe ways to reach weight loss goals, but participating in a fad diet is not the way to go.
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