When the fad is bad

Every now and again a glimmer of hope appears on the horizon and soon has the world of the 'Diet Hards' in a wild frenzy. The old fad diet battles to keep up with the adulation that the new diet receives, only to be doomed to eternal oblivion. All the devotees then gather to genuflect before this new world order -- anew way of losing weight fast and staying eternally slim, taking you to the promised land of Low Fat Milk and Honey, and for some time, all is well. Until the proverbial serpent raises its hood and there you go - trouble in fat man's land once again.

Fad diet is a term coined for a diet which becomes popular either because of the person or the region which popularizes it (Acai Berry, Dukan Diet, Hollywood Diet, etc). While all that is popular may not necessarily be good, conversely, every fad dietneed not be looked upon with suspicion.

Fad diets, promoted by super skinny models, range from starving yourself to eating tissue paper and pursuing other such enjoyable activities. So do consult your inner wisdom before you take the plunge in to la la land.

Fadistic diets:

1. Acai Berry Diet: Not ‘berry’ effective but Oprah made it popular on her show.


2. Hollywood Diet Miracle Juice: An essential part of the diet is the Hollywood diet ‘miracle’ juice – a scientifically formulated blend of vitamins, fruits, minerals, antioxidants and essential oils.


3. Apple Cider Vinegar Diet: The apple cider vinegar diet involves drinking Apple Cider Vinegar, which is a tonic made by fermenting the juice of an apple.


4. Grapefruit only Diet: This logic is that grapefruit burns fat.But grapefruit can interact with many a medication.


5. Low Carb Diet : Popular towards the turn of the century, picked up recently, and is on the wane once more. This diet is popular because it promises quick results for obese people to miraculously shed fat.

The wisdom of the ancients may come in use here when it comes to battling the bulge. The body after all was meant for food, and the body doesn't really give a toss if the modeling industry doles out millions of dollars to slim girls. So, while a fad diet might give you some encouragement and hope it might just do some irreparable damage to your body and the mind in the long run.

Do fad diets work?

There are no "wonder foods" or "magical dishes" which can wipe off kilos off the body. So any kind of diet plan that lures you to go on a diet should be taken with a bucketful of salt. The rapid weight loss due to these diet plans is not fat but just water lost from the body.

Following a particular diet does help you lose weight. However, when you leave that diet, you gain the weight you have lost. Many get depressed in the process. This may even make you want to eat more.

A dietitian will never support the idea of a fad diet as they know the consequences of depriving oneself of a particular nutrient and having another in abundance. Why don't you eat healthy and have a daily exercise regime to stay fit and healthy? Because nothing other than a consistent routine of healthy diet and exercise can help you get rid of that excess baggage.