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Iesha Perales English 1010 April 17, 2014

Which do I follow? Every day all around the world we see what is considered to be beauty on billboards, magazine covers, commercials, internet ads, the list goes on and on. We see fit and/or skinny attractive girls representing the ideal weight. Although they are seen in this way, most people do not look like that. Weight loss is a major concern for the U.S. population. Surveys consistently show that most adults are trying to lose or maintain weight. Nevertheless, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased steadily over the past 30 years(freedman). With the raising rate of weight gain across the world the hopes of looking what is considered as beautiful and healthy is dwindling. That is where fad diets come in. Fad diets prey upon people who are heavier than the average person, promising them that as long as they follow along with the rules they will achieve their dream weight with promises quick, dramatic or miraculous results; bans or severely restricts specific foods or food groups (carbohydrates are the usual favorite); focuses on short-term changes to eating and exercise habits; has rigid rules that need to be followed; encourages miracle pills, potions and supplements; and makes claims based on a single study or

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individual testimonials(Crowe). But they are not doing this out of the kindness of their hearts but in fact to make a pretty penny from each client they convince into paying for this miracle plan. Some are quite convincing in their ideals. Some claim calorie control is the right way, or that you need to take miracle pills that will have you shedding pounds in weeks rather than months. The true question about fad diets though is not which is the right plan or how much can I lose in the next couple of weeks but in fact- do they really work and is it healthy for us? So the main question here is that if they really work and which kind do work. Most people assume that their chosen plan is the correct one. But is it really? Between USDAs Pyramid, Detox diets, High Protein, or counting calories, which is the healthiest for our bodies and works for weight loss goals. Not all people who are wanting to go on the latest fad diet arent all looking for the aesthetic of losing weight, but for the health benefits that come from not having extra weight on their bodies. Poor diet and physical inactivity account for more than 400,000 premature deaths each year in the United States, second only to deaths related to smoking, says the CDC (Bren). Over weight individuals are at risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, joint problems, and some types of cancer. Thus losing weight becomes a higher priority. Freedman goes through several popular diets reports her findings regarding them.

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- high-fat, low carbohydrate diets--55% to 65% of calories from fat, less than 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. Examples: Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution; Protein Power; Life Without Bread. - moderate-fat reduction diets--20% to 30% of calories from fat, high in carbohydrates and moderate in protein. Examples: USDA food guide pyramid, Dash Diet, Weight Watchers. - low-fat and very-low-fat diets, very-high-carbohydrate, moderate protein diets--11% to 19% of calories from fat, and less than 10% of calories from fat, respectively, very high in carbohydrates and moderate in proteins. Examples: Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease; Eat More, Weigh Less; The New Pritikin Program.(Freedman) But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The intake is variable, but which work better than the others and which is really the healthiest for our body. This shows the related intake of fats and carbohydrates of common diets including the USDA Food Pyramid that has been around for years and even it is not perfect. In its life time obesity has been on a rise and is now getting questioned on whether it is the pyramids fault which it could in fact be. The Pyramid was not set up for individuals, so a new pyramid has been created. Cowley introduced Wiletts pyramid in his article which looked more towards Mediterranean cuisine looking to have more good oils most important at the bottom and

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the red meats at the point with the fast burning carbs. Protein is no longer considered one group but is scattered through different ranks on the pyramid and dairy getting put as an optional, them easily being replaced with a calcium supplement. Wiletts pyramid is trying to implement a healthier version to the USDAs own pyramid, which it seems to be doing well. Crowe goes through the recently popular detox diets that promise weight loss as well as increase in energy due to the toxins being taken from the body. But in fact a special diet to help our body eliminate toxins is not supported by medical science. Our lungs, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract and immune system remove or neutralize toxic substances within hours after we eat them and work 24 hours per day.(Crowe) meaning that our body does not need extra help neutralizing toxins. Though it is highly received it has some known downsides such as tiredness, expensive (from buying organic food) or cost of detox kit or supplements, stomach and bowel upset. This plan not being as healthy as it seemed for your body. Norris starts her paper with a very strong point. DR. ATKINS' NEW DIET REVOLUTION, Michael and Mary Dan Eade's PROTEIN POWER, and Rachael and Richard Heller's HEALTHY FOR LIFE have collectively sold more than 1.5 million copies to a public fed up with being fat. The popularity of these get-thin-quick schemes seriously disappoints nutrition researchers, who see them as nothing more than

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reheated versions of the red meat and cream diets that were big in the early 1970s. Although they've been repackaged, these regimens have the same drawbacks as ever: people who follow them closely can lose an unhealthy amount of nutrients and water. The revamped fix it quick diets are still not solving the weight problems they claim to fix. They urge people to cut out or avoid rice, pasta, grains, and many fruits and vegetables claiming that these raise blood sugar and insulin production. But any food that is consumed produces sugar and thus produces insulin. This is one mark against these protein focused diets. This high protein makes people lose their appetite and consume less calories which then makes them lose weight. The claim that a high-protein diet fights cancer appears ludicrous to Michael Thun, director of analytic epidemiology at the American Cancer Society (ACS). "I've seen no evidence that a high-protein diet protects against cancer," said Dr. Thun. He then goes on to say that "It's much better to adopt a steady diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, lower in fat, and possibly lower in protein."(Norris). Protein high diets could potentially be bad for your health in that they restrict carbs so much that your body believes it is starving and releases water with the small amount of carbs it has into the body. This reaction has the dieters losing weight quickly giving the impression of a great weight loss plan. This could cause a serious problem called Ketosis.

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Ketosis is when the body does not have enough glucose in the blood so it uses its stock pile of fats as a source of energy. This causes ketones, substance that gathers in the blood when the body believes it is staring, which could cause nausea, light headedness, and sometimes loss of appetite. Norris goes on to say Dr. Atkins advises his followers to test their urine with specially treated paper strips that change colors when exposed to ketones to have visual evidence that they're ketotic--and losing weight. Ketosis, however, doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with weight loss. It only means that the body is producing less insulin. There is then Low-Fat Diets which claim that weight is based on consumed fat. Thus if you stopped eating fat altogether then you could eat as much as you want of anything. Claiming that "Calories do not count "What counts is how you eat those calories and where they come from: carbohydrates, protein, or fat (Fumento). Though cutting all fat from our diet would be suicidal. We need fat in order to absorb certain vitamins and carry out certain functions. In fact dropping fat from the diet completely could actually cause you to gain more weight because of increased caloric intake. Cutting just fat from your diet but not holding back on any other form of calories doesnt allow you to lose weight. Calories are calories, no matter if they come from fat or from carbs.

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Finally counting calories. Counting Calorie diets are more like combination diets. Not only do you count the number of calories you consume, but you also must work out in order to see improvement in weight. Reducing dietary fat alone--without reducing calories--will not produce weight loss, according to the NHLBI's guidelines on treating overweight and obesity in adults(Bren). Although cutting foods high in fat could help, calories must still be considered in order to have some kind of weight loss. Including watching which foods to eat based on the type of fat. Saturated and trans fats are something to take in moderation and be well watched. Labels are your friends. Food labels have a bunch of valuable information on how many calories are in the product, what the product is made of, as well as a breakdown of fats, nutrients, minerals, and sugars. Too often, people use the food label only when they want to restrict calories and fat--but not as a tool to help them increase the nutrients they need to get in adequate or greater amounts," says Kulakow. While restricting calories is important for weight loss, getting adequate amounts of fiber, calcium, and other key nutrients is also critical to good health.(Bren) Not only do you need to eat right but there needs to be exercise put into the daily routine. Not necessarily long hard sessions every single day, but even short sessions

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several times a day could help increase weight loss when combined with the low calorie diet. Most fad diets are not as healthy as they promote. They claim health benefits as well as weight loss miracles. The plans are simple but with rigid rules that must be followed in order to lose the weight. In a survey that went through the normal diet plans showed that exercise (82.2%), decreased intake of fat (78.7%), food (78.2%), and calories (73.2%). However, the duration of any one of these behaviors was brief. Even the most common strategies were used only 20% of the time (freedman). Diets need a balance of several factors, not just one that you role with for a couple of months to lose the weight. The balance is necessary in order lose the weight and then keep it off, it is about holding a healthy weight, not just achieving it. All in all, fad diets do not really work, some have an idea that has some sort of backing in losing weight. But when it is focused on one aspect of eating and dieting the plans usually are not sustainable and require either a lot of money or a lot of time. The best solution that I see is a combination of several different regimens. Protein is good and our body needs it but it also needs other nutrients. We need fat in our bodies in order for it to function even though it looks as though fat is the enemy. And finally counting calories as well as exercise Is important to losing unnecessary weight as well as keeping it off. Healthy does not always mean pencil thin that needs to be kept in mind.

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Works Cited
Bren, Linda. "Losing Weight: Start by Counting Calories." FDA Consumer (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Jan./Feb. 2002: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Cowley, Geoffrey. "A Better Way to Eat." Newsweek. Jan. 20 2003: 46+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Crowe, Tim. "Are Fad Diets Worth Their Weight?." Australasian Science. Jan/Feb 2014: 18-19. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 Freedman, Marjorie R. "What Is REALLY Known About Popular Diets?." Consumers' Research. Feb. 2001: 24-27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Fumento, Michael. "Busting the Low-Fat Dieting Myth." Consumers' Research. Oct. 1997: 15-20. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Norris, Eileen. "High-Protein Diets: Where's the Beef?." Harvard Health Letter. Jan. 1997: 1-3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.