A fad diet is a diet which promises weight loss or other health advantages such as longer life by strictly following a certain kind of diet which allows or restricts you from eating certain kinds of food without any actual scientific proof and backing. We as a generation are fast witnessing the everyday changes in food diets. Brands are making money by jumping on the fad of the moment (think avocado and kale), the trick however is to know what works and doesn’t work for you and when to get out of it. While these fads are intriguing, they must also be met with skepticism. Every year there seems to be a new food diet that promises you a healthier body and while we many succumb to these trends what me may not fully understand is the harmful impact these food fetishes have on our health. Most fad diets go something like this ‘Take a few foods, give them magic power and set a plan to convince people that eating this way and only this way will promote weight loss’ says Alexandra Caspero, RD A nutritionist In Sacromento, California.
While we Indians have adhered to our usual palate of dal, rice, chapati and sabzi, in recent times these new food concepts which have grown popular in the west have fast caught onto us. Like kale has suddenly replaced the otherwise good old spinach and other local leafy vegetables. Not that kale is bad but the sudden switch because you’ve been told to do so is absurd and these vegetables also come for a much higher price compared to the locally grown ones. The want for a better lifestyle is evident in our recent choices but what is the practicality of it?
Celebrity Nutritionist and author Rujuta Diwekar in her new book tells you why you shouldn’t skip certain items when your’e on a diet. The idea is to eat food that you are familiar with but what you consider healthy. She goes on to add “Today you are told to eat a certain vegetable and the next day its considered to be the worst villain, what are you supposed to do ? How often can you change your lifestyle”? Get motivated, but don’t starve yourself!
The following lists a few food fads that have been trending;
THE RAW FOOD DIET- This diet consist of consuming only raw vegetables and not in any cooked or processed form. While any nutritionist or weight loss expert would tell you to increase your veggie intake while reducing the amount of junk you eat to lose weight but this method of weight loss is totally absurd and unpractical. As a food enthusiast, I’m seeing some extreme form of veganism everyday on my social media handles. Plates full of raw, green and other vegetables. It looks healthy, nice and makes for such great pictures but I often wonder if the people resorting to such diets are really that happy and consistent with this ridiculous form of dieting? Cooking vegetables doesn’t necessarily deprive us of their nutrients. In fact it helps in killing bacteria and they still contain a lot of fibre, vitamins and minerals apart from the obvious fact that they make your stomach stay fuller for a longer time. Some vegetables are meant to be eaten in raw form but not all of them are. Personally the most ridiculous one for me is sliced avocado on toast? How and why would anybody eat a fruit or veggie on a bread? I tried it making it myself at home because of the curiosity but seriously its better to stick to your honey or organic jams.
KETO DIET- The Keto diet plan isn’t to just lose weight but to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Keto diet is one of the hottest trends this year as it promises weight loss in just ten days. This diet is about eating real food (meat, nuts, vegetables, eggs, yogurt) and to avoid any kind of processed or coloured food at any cost. Food like bread, grains and sugar are strictly prohibited. With no carbs to burn, the body burns fats- known as ketosis. This diet isn’t extreme and wont harm anyone but the only problem is the calories bounces back soon. This diet works well if your’e looking to shed some weight for an upcoming occasion. A lot of brides resort to this diet.
UPDAYDOWNDAY DIET- The deal in this diet is you get to eat anything you want in one day (below 500 calories) and then reduce or limit your intake on the ‘downday’. This alternative day fasting and diet pattern could work well for you if you can restrict temptation. 500 calories is already a minimal calorie intake. Also your body needs some time to adjust to a new diet plan. Once you change your diet plan and timings your body does not know when food is coming next so it saves some fat always to keep it going. So skipping meals doesn’t really help in the long run and might just give you a flat stomach for a few hours.
LEMON JUICE DIET-The lemonade diet also known as the Master cleanse is one of the more common fads and has been followed for a while now. This diet plan is simple basically. You cant eat anything at all. It is done to completely empty your intestinal tract. You may look and feel great at first but fact is no food=no energy and soon you’ll start feeling hungry and may just end up binging! Kudos to you if you have a habit of sipping lemonade every few hours but completely depending on it to shed those calories is a big no no.
THE BLOOD TYPE DIET- The blood type diet is developed by Naturopathic physician Peter D’Amo based on the notion that the food you eat reacts chemically with your blood type. For example those with Blood type O should eat lean meats, vegetables and fruits and to avoid wheat and dairy. Meanwhile blood type A should eat only vegetables and those with type B should avoid chicken, corn eat, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. It might sound pretty legit but there has been no actual proof till now that blood type affecting weight loss. This diet is also completely restrictive and therefore may just cause you more body harm.
Fact is that most of us are or were at some point desperate to shed some kilos to feel and look healthier therefore these food fads will continue to reign. We just have to take it upon ourselves to know what is good and what isn’t good for us. Balance is key to everything, so eat what you eat in right moderation. Sticking to just a particular food is just hard, impossible and impractical.
RAYSE THE BAR 