Fad Diets: Term Definition Term Paper

Introduction

Good health remains one of the most important assets that any human being can have and it is therefore crucial that every individual takes very careful thought about the health care choices he/she makes. People must learn to become wise consumers of the various health care plans in the market by taking full charge of their personal well-being as well as the well-being of their families. Every health care plan should be investigated and a second opinion sought about it before any decision can be made about its implementation. This is because uninformed decisions could turn out to be very costly often exposing people to healthcare frauds and putting their lives in jeopardy. In the course of their desperate battle against excessive weight or the bulge as most people refer to it, Americans have often become vulnerable targets of fraudulent health care schemes which have constantly been advertising various weight-loss diets and gimmicks. The self-proclaimed experts have really capitalized on most Americans’ love for meat and other cholesterol and saturated fat-rich diets and managed to convince millions of Americans that carbohydrates are responsible for extra weight, especially around the waistline. They encourage their clients to follow low-carbohydrate diets (low-carb diets) while ignoring the side effects that such a diet would have on the general health of the user. While no specific research has proven their effectiveness, a lot of research has on the other hand proved that low-carbohydrate diets can be harmful (Krystosik, pp. 9-10).

Body

The American overweight population can however only be blamed, not on carbohydrates intake, but on the continuous absence of essential nutrients in the common American diets. And millions of people are now being lured into various fad diets and their promises for miracle cures but which are nevertheless doomed to fail because they too, restrict foods that are nutritionally very essential and which help to prevent disease while also helping to maintain a trim and fit body. A fad is any interest or practice that gains a popular and zealous following for a short period of time. Fad diets are merely bogus schemes that have been designed to cause quick and dramatic loss of weight for desperate dieters. Most of them are unrealistic, monotonous and so restrictive that they only teach dieters how to set restrictive boundaries to their eating habits while failing to provide the necessary advice that would help them to balance their nutrition and maintain a permanent weight loss. Because of their unrelenting battle against the bulge, fad diets seem to have captured the attention of most of the American general public (Lyons & McGlashan 184; Krystosik, p. 191).

Dieting has been so embraced into the American culture that the creation and marketing of specific foods and various diets have become a booming business. Over the last few years running into the present day today, supermarkets have continually embarked on appealing to public desires by staffing their shelves with labelled products that promise a fat-free or low-fat diet to most of the population that has been obsessed with living healthily or those who merely want to lose off some weight. Since the 19^th century, fad diets have greatly increased in the USA with some like the Atkins diet losing popularity soon after take-off while others like the low-fat diets have remained popular for decades. The prevalence of obesity in the USA has led to this boom in fat-free or low-fat foods mainly due to an increase in obesity and high fat consumption related diseases that has raised a new consciousness about people’s health. Fad diets are all over on television, in music, popular magazines and have made cover stories in some popular magazines, a clear indication of this nation’s obsession with dieting (Gilman, pp. 174-175).

For most Americans, dieting is a hobby and fad diets have become a favourite because they come in a package that promises very dramatic and quick results. But to achieve such quick results, fad diets have constantly encouraged dieters to consume particular foods at unrealistically small portions. This soon makes the dieter feel deprived and he/she may start cheating. By limiting a dieter to certain food types, fad diets exclude those nutrients associated with these foods and this may expose the dieters to certain health risks. High protein foods for example are known to be rich in fat and may therefore be harmful to the cardiovascular system. But the most unfortunate fact about fad diets is that they are not the mastermind of nutrition experts but are usually the product of certain people or even companies hiding behind fad diets but with a sinister motive of making quick dollars. These diets exploit the insecurity and negative feelings that most people have towards their physical appearances and use such opportunities to sell ineffective prepared meals, diet books or instant weight loss products. But ‘too good to be true things are always questionable and these diets can cause serious health problems (Scalise 139; Zahensky, p. 7).

There are several options of fad diets such as Atkins’ Diet, Glycemic Index, Liquid Meal Replacements such as Master Cleanse and Cabbage Soup Diet, South Beach, Zone Diet and Diet Pills and Supplements to name but a few. But fad diets do not guarantee permanent loss of weight and once normal eating resumes after going off the diet, most people soon gain back the weight they had so joyfully lost plus a bonus of about 5% more. This explains the reason why despite more and more people taking to dieting, more are getting fatter every day. The sudden weight loss caused by most fad diets is normally a result of dehydration in the body especially in specific unique cases where the dieter manages to shed off several pounds within a duration as short as one week. But dehydration is dangerous because the salts, minerals and electrolytes that balance bodily fluids get lost in the process. An imbalance of electrolytes means that the blood in circulation reduces in volume and pumping blood becomes a tedious exercise for the heart as it becomes harder. In such instances, it is difficult to maintain controlled blood pressure (Krystosik 191; Scalise, p. 140).

Most fad diets cause weight loss through three main ways namely elimination of certain food groups, use of stimulant drinks or pills, and severe restriction of calorie giving foods. Elimination diets normally restrict certain foods like meat, fruits, carbohydrates or even fats, which in the long run leads to deficiency of vitamins and minerals and can also cause conditions such as hair loss, nausea, constipation, general weakness and irritability. The low-carb craze is a result of these elimination diets (Zahensky 185). Fad diets come and go only to resurface again often under different names. But there are five main types of fad diets that have enjoyed a popular and long-lived history namely high-protein-low/no-carb diets, low-fat and high-carbohydrate diets, the glycemic index diet, liquid meal replacements and diet pills or supplements. The low carb high protein diet is the worst of them all as it emphasizes excessive consumption of vegetables, fruits and grains leading not only to weight loss but also a massive loss of muscle mass. Most people under this diet complain of tiredness, nausea, bad breath and headaches and high consumption of foods rich in saturated fats has been know to cause insulin resistance. These diets recommend the consumption of such foods as meats, cheese and bacon, the same type of foods that health nutritionists encourage people to avoid to help in controlling diseases like cancer and heart disease. Atkins diet is one such diet that initially reflects a successful weight loss not because it has a miraculous touch of changing the normal metabolism of the body but because of its ability to cause massive loss of body fluids. When there is little or no consumption of carbohydrates, the kidneys produce a lot of urine through which the body loses a lot of its retained fluids (Lieberman & Bruning 44; Gilman 164).

The very Low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet is basically a vegetarian diet although some versions allow the limited intake of fat-free dairy products and some egg white. Poultry, meat and fish are completely ruled out. Most of them allow only those carbohydrates that are of good quality such as vegetables, whole-grain bread, beans, fruits and lentils while excluding or severely limiting all refined carbohydrate products like sugars, pasta, bagels, and white bread among others. For many people, this is certainly a very good strategy but one that is also uncomfortable and quite difficult to follow. Without it, those under the diet normally feel tired, hungry and generally do not feel very good. This type of diet is therefore prone to high failure rates among food lovers unless one is really committed to preparing meals within the given limitations. It is also a great challenge to those who love going out (Lieberman, pp. 47-48).

Liquid meal replacements come in two main types; prescribed and medically supervised liquid diets and over-the-counter (OC) meal replacements such as milkshakes. Initially, these low-calorie diets provide impressive weight loss for most people but are also very difficult to follow. Those able to follow them over a long period, end up feeling weak, deprived and generally tired. They are also nutritionally unbalanced and can cause constipation, and interestingly enough have high sugar content often as high as 14 grams (Lieberman & Bruning 49). Another liquid diet, the Master Cleanse also popularly referred to as Lemonade Diet causes serious safety and health risks because it provides very small traces of key vitamins, phytochemicals and minerals while completely cutting off essential nutrients like carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Although some celebrities have claimed successful weight loss through this diet type, various side effects like energy loss, digestive problems, headaches and constipation have been reported and they could be a signal of acute starvation (Matt, 2008).

Prescription diet pills, another form of fad diet are known to contain a combination of phentermine and fenfluramine ingredients that have been proved to lead to leakage in the heart valves. Over the counter diet pills are even more dangerous because they fall under the category of food supplements and therefore are not regulated by the Food and Drugs Association (FDA). Most of these diet pills contain phenyl-propanolamine (PPA) a chemical ingredient that FDA has been pulling out of the market because of its association with hemorrhagic stroke. Ephedrine is also another ingredient found in diet pills but one that is also equally dangerous being highly linked with psychiatric symptoms and heart palpitations (Gilman, p. 231).

The Glycemic Index Diet proposes complete avoidance of those carbohydrates responsible for a very fast rise in insulin and glucose in the body. It also proposes a 40:30:30 ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats respectively. But a fat ratio of 30 per cent is a bit high for anyone who wishes to lose weight and worse still, a lot of bad fats are consumed through foods like cheese and fatty meats such as ham and bacon. It is also a well-known fact that saturated fats are risky to the general health of a person and though advocating good fats, these diets still maintain a high level of saturated fats and are not effective in treating carbohydrate sensitivity. Raw food diets such as cabbage soup, Simkins and grapefruit diet are more dangerous because they either restrict the daily calories intake to below 800 or completely exclude essential macro-nutrients from the diet (Lieberman & Bruning 48-49; Matt, 2008).

Despite the adverse effects that most diets have on the general health of the followers, the fad culture has become a never-ending process with fading diets being replaced by new ones that seem to promise the same benefits under the same conditions. While most fad diets have been blamed for the failure to help the users achieve permanent weight loss, there are a few healthy diets that are commercially available such s Seattle Sutton, a meal delivery system and Weight Watchers which is a point system. These two diets encourage their users to observe healthy choices of food and also to maintain a sensible calorie limit. The positive aspect about them is their effort to help people adopt healthy lifestyles, a concept that is conspicuously lacking in fad diets. They also advise people to eat from various food groups, eat balanced meals and exercise regularly. Such diet plans can be very useful for those who wish to have some process guidance in the weight loss process (Buynak & Gregory 144). Some popular fad diets like the Zone diet and South Beach can also be regarded as safe methods of weight loss. This is because they are all-inclusive diets, embracing the use of certain complex carbohydrates, fresh vegetables, healthy fats and some protein as well. Fruits are however optional for the dieters under these programs. But long term carbohydrate reduction as advocated by these diets becomes highly debatable when such factors as the efficacy and safety of living on a low-carb diet are put into consideration (Matt, 2008).

However, fad diets and the magic pills that have regularly appeared in magazines, radio and TV have done little to solve the obesity problem in America. They are simply unrealistic and very short-term interventions to long-term problems. Most people end up regaining back the lost weight with some bonus on top after having been deeply hurt not only in their wallets but also dangerously trading their general health in through systems that have made blood glucose control a very difficult process (Buynak & Gregory, p. 141).

In America today, there are more people suffering from obesity than have ever been recorded in the history of this nation and the obesity menace is crippling. But the truth about the dangers of being overweight has also begun to surface. More young people are suffering from obesity and overweight related problems than ever before. Obesity has become one of America’s leading medical problems and has been a major cause of heart problems and diabetes which have also reached epidemic levels. The fast-food culture has been blamed for such a high rise in the obesity menace and yet such truth has not deterred the fast food markets from producing monster burgers and duping people about almost everything they have on offer. And the consumers continue to joyfully move on with this fast food epidemic, blindly consuming the monster burgers and extra everything with no consideration of the consequences of eating unhealthily. Fast foods seem to have suspended all reality and although everything else in America changes equally fast, most people no longer have a perception of what in reality is good or bad to them. The majority of the people do not have the least idea about which diet guru would be right for them or which would make things worse in the long run, in the same way, that they cannot decide how to maintain proper eating habits (Simons, p. 88).

The most efficient and probably also very efficient method of controlling obesity is getting rid of all symptoms associate with an unhealthy lifestyle. Current programs are only dealing with a symptom while ignoring its root causes and this could only be leading to worse problems. The issue at hand is not going slim, which has become the craze for most people in America, but living healthy. Doctors and health officials should therefore stop raising the alarm about weight but instead focus on making people aware of the factors that lead to excessive weight gain, and address the obesity problem from the source. Perhaps if health authorities would stop labelling obesity as a disease that has reached an epidemic level, then most obese people would probably accept that it is a condition that they can take full responsibility for rather than seeking medical intervention. If people took more interest in their type of diet, then all the dietary programs which aggravate rather than solving the obesity problem would be rendered useless and no one would have to blame who for their predicaments (Oliver 11-12, p. 37).

Conclusion

To achieve and maintain an obese free society, it is important that every individual learns to maintain high self-esteem about himself or herself, eat only when hungry, and adopt those habits that will help promote life-long weight control. Obesity is not a disease in the real sense; it is a condition that can be controlled through a disciplined food lifestyle (Zahensky 7).

Works Cited

1. Buynak, Robert J and L. Gregory. Dr. Buynak’s 1-2-3 Diabetes Diet: A Step-by-Step Approach to Weight Loss Without Gimmicks or Risks. Alexandria, VG: Alexandria, VA: Robert Buynak, 2006.
2. Gilman, Sander L. Diets and Dieting: A Cultural Encyclopedia. London, UK: Routledge, 2007.
3. Krystosik, James D. Carbs from Heaven, Carbs from Hell: Discover the Carbs That Take on Pounds and Those That Don’t. New York: Square One Publishers, Inc, 2004.
4. Lieberman, Shari and Bruning Nancy. Dare to Lose: 4 Simple Steps to a Better Body. Westport, CT: Arvey, 2003.
5. Lyons, Kim and McGlashan Lara. Kim Lyon’s Your Body, Your Life: The 12-Week Program to Optimum Physical, Mental & Emotional Fitness. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008.
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9. Simons, George. AMERICA: Advancing Into CHAOS. South Manche, France: Lulu.com, 2008.
10. Zahensky, Barbara A. Diet Fads. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2007.