Fad Diets: Short-Lived Trends with Long-Term Consequences

Here are a few tips to help you spot and avoid fad diets!

The media is full of extensive misinformation regarding nutrition. To protect your health, it is important to know how to spot fad diets. Fad diets are trendy with their promises of quick weight loss and/or an easy “fix” to a health problem. Sounds pretty good! So why are they dangerous?

Although fad diets may indeed cause you to lose weight, they often fail to adequately meet nutrient needs due to excessive or unnecessary food restrictions. This can result in symptoms/conditions such as fatigue, weakness, and gastrointestinal issues (i.e. constipation or bloating). Over restriction can also lead to a negative impact on your metabolism and hormonal health. These diets also lack individualization and are rarely sustainable, meaning the weight lost will quickly return once you return to your old eating patterns.

Here are a few tips to help you spot and avoid fad diets:

• “Too good to be true” claims such as:

  • “Lose X pounds in 2 weeks”

  • “Detoxify your liver with these 3 supplements…”

  • “Reverses aging”

  • “Balances hormones”

• Eliminates certain food groups or nutrients

• Promotes one food/supplement as a “quick-fix”

• Implies that a food can change your metabolism or body chemistry

The best approach to meeting your health or body composition goals is to follow a balanced diet that allows you to meet your individualized needs. Instead of following a fad diet or blindly starting a new supplement, talk to a dietitian for safe, long-term success!