Fad Diets – 719woman.com
What’s for dinner? How about a few cotton balls soaked in orange juice or maybe even a tapeworm? Seriously, some dangerous diets are out there that not only sound weird but can really cause danger to your body. Health.com has a list of 14 fad diets they say you really shouldn’t try because they restrict healthy foods, can cause adverse side effects, (like fatigue, listlessness, losing muscle, or even causing death,) and once you stop the diet, you typically gain the weight back. This is their list, not mine, since I’m not a registered dietician or have any medical background.
When I was in my late teens, early 20’s, I was always carrying a bit of extra weight and tried quite a few very restrictive diets, including the “cabbage soup diet,” which I love how the article describes as the ‘grandmother of all fad diets’…guess that fits since I’m so old…ha!
I’m not saying some of these can’t help but really, I’d skip the cotton balls, tapeworms and days of just sleeping. Sometimes, shedding a few pounds in a short time can help motivate you to keep going if you need to lose weight but typically, after you stop one of these diets, the pounds will come right back, especially if you go back to your unhealthy eating patterns that caused you to gain weight in the first place.
The article focuses on the fact that some of these diets can be dangerous and the more you know, the better choices you can make. I think the gist of the entire article is that when you severely restrict healthy foods from your diet or consume so few calories you can’t function, you’re not doing your body any good. I don’t know that I totally agree with the raw food diet as a fad since I’ve personally known some people who have followed that lifestyle for years and don’t consider it a “diet” but a lifestyle. I personally believe in moderation, burning more calories than I consume and knowing what weight I feel most comfortable at. One thing I have found that works for me, and saves money, is buying and eating seasonal fruits and vegetables, which costs less since they are in season and plentiful…and are good for you.
And just for the record, I’m totally not advocating being skinny, going on a diet, or suggesting thinner is healthier…just found this interesting and practical. And as I always say, if you have medical issues or are under a doctor’s care, you should always check with him/her before starting something new.
And please…don’t eat a tapeworm or stuff your stomach with cotton balls!
As always, we welcome your comments, especially if you’ve tried any of these diets.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/22/worst-fad-diets_n_5592013.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular