The Fading Glory of Fad Diets

Do we ever wonder why amidst strong campaigns on the benefits of eating a proper and balanced diet, we are still misled into following different diet plans for weight loss?

From Atkins to Zone to the New Beverly Hills Diet, there have been accounts of new diets promising “universally quick results.” The “low-carb” or “fat-free” versions of the favorite meals have taken over the relatively monotonous diets of varying nutritional quality based on indigenous staple grains or starchy roots, locally grown legumes, other vegetables and fruits, and limited foods of animal origins.

We are bombarded daily with conflicting information about what, how much, and when to eat. Multiply that by the very real hunger signals our bodies send and by the comfort and enjoyment inherent to the act of eating – who wouldn’t feel confused and question how these fad diets achieve enormous popularity despite the copious research proving their dangers and inefficiency?

As early as the 18th century, a craze over a low-carbohydrate diet has been documented in a pamphlet entitled “A Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public” by Dr. William Banting in 1863. Dr. Banting described a low-carbohydrate diet that enabled him to lose 46 pounds in a year. From then on, different diet plans came into the picture, such as the Atkins Diet which promotes an intake of low carbohydrate or the Zone Diet which promotes an intake of high protein. There is also the Weight Watchers which restricts caloric intake between 1,200 and 1,600 kilocalories daily.

Other fad diets include the Ornish Diet which promotes a low-fat vegetarian diet, Protein Power which promotes a low-calorie diet by restricting carbohydrate intake, and Sugar Busters which demands that both refined and processed sugars be abolished from one’s diet.

Still, there is the New Beverly Hills Diet which advocates for consumption of fruits because it contains all of the enzymes necessary to break themselves down into nutrients like proteins and carbohydrates. However, it requires special enzymes that slow down the process.

Looking at each type of diet plan, the notion of the “quick fix” is common to all. So, too, is the mistaken belief that a change in the body can only result from a radical change in how a person should eat. After all, we look at these diet plans not to teach us how to make gradual, long-term adjustments to our overall lifestyle, but to “melt fat in just two weeks!” as the enticing commercial promises.

The word diet comes from the Greek word diaita, which means “manner of living.” By this definition alone, it is clear that the advocates of the diet plans mentioned have taken the term out of context.

Scientists and nutritionists agree that any long-term program of weight loss and maintenance must be more than a matter of limiting carbohydrates and calculating calories. It must extend to the entire “manner of living.” Meaning, we will not be concerned about what and how much foods we should eat, but also what kind of physical activity we must involve ourselves to burn those calories.

It is interesting to note that the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF) begins with eating a variety of foods everyday and ends with the benefits of doing regular exercise to achieve a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition. The NGF was developed by a Technical Working Group led by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST).

It is apparent that by omitting certain foods, and sometimes even entire food groups, fad diets are deficient in major nutrients such as carbohydrates, as well as in essential vitamins and minerals.

Fad diets are also out of balance, prescribing a daily dietary intake that is high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrates. On a practical level, such high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets tend to promote the loss of water weight. However, much of this diuretic effect may create a false sense of accomplishment in the dieter, as this suppose weight loss can and does return quickly.

If such an imbalanced diet is maintained, the body soon reverts to a fasting state called ketosis, in which the body begins to metabolize muscle tissue instead of fat. In fact, this state is one of the body’s last-ditch emergency responses. Deliberately inducing ketosis can lead to muscle breakdown, nausea, dehydration, headaches, light-headedness, irritability, bad breath, and kidney problems. In pregnancy, ketosis may cause fetal abnormality or death. It can be fatal in individuals with diabetes.

No single diet plan nor even food can provide all the nutrients the body needs. Also neither one diet is more effective than another. Forget the latest fad diet. Instead of spending time and money trying to determine which diet is the right one, learn by heart the messages stated in the NGF – and stick to them.

Following these guidelines leads to healthy proportions on the plate. Vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains, all good sources of carbohydrates, may take up to two-thirds of the space on the plate. Animal sources of protein and fat will be one-third of the space on the plate.

The guidelines also call for daily physical exercise to become part of the “manner of living.” Regular physical activity is as much a part of overall health and disease resistance as a healthy, nutritious diet.

For more information on food and nutrition, contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Telephone/ Fax Nos: 837-2934 or 837-3164; Direct Line:839-1839; DOST Trunk Line: 837-2071-82 local 2296 or 2284; e-mail: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or at mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph. Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/FNRI.DOST or follow our Twitter account at twitter.com/FNRI_DOST. (Divorah V. Aguila, FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)