Fad Diets

Hello everyone!

I have been cooking up a storm with my new Quinoa recipes; I will get the pictures online soon!

I have recently been hearing about the Paleo diet, AKA the cave man diet and wondered, what is the obsession with fad diets? Year after year a new one is introduced, last year the controversial OMG diet hit headlines and this year there seems to be the Paleo diet and Alternate day fasting diet neck and neck to win the Fad Diet award 2013.

The Paleo diet

The Paleo diet involves eating only what a hunter gatherer human would eat. So that’s no dairy, no salt, no processed foods, and no chocolate!! The creators of this diet claim that obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems are all products of a 21st century eating plan, and going back to our caveman routes would significantly reduce the risk factor of many overweight issues.

I wanted to try this diet out for you guys so I could give it a full review, but it was a bit hard to do as I am a vegetarian and Tofu, beans and pulses are off the menu with this diet! It involves fruit, veg and meat, a lot of meat!

So through internet research, it seems this diet does have its advantages, you can eat as much fruit and veg as you like, and lean, clean cut meats are promoted rather than fatty bacon and sausage. It will definitely help you lose weight as all processed food are eliminated, but so are many healthy food groups such as dairy and grains which are important for a health digestive system and strong bones.

However although nutritious and full of protein, I imagine this diet is quite hard to sustain. You can't forget to take your lunch to work and head to the cafe with this diet; you have to be prepared to make sure you do not eat anything other than fruit, veg or meat. As well as this, this diet would be a hole in your wallet!! Having to buy lean cuts of meat and fresh fruits and vegetables every week can be expensive. I think this is a celebrity diet probably best left in the celebrity world.  

Alternate day fasting diet

According to the BBC news, scientists have found that short periods of fasting could lead to a longer life and reduce worldwide obesity. The alternate day diet has taken this seriously and advised dieters to fast (eating less than 500 calories) every other day.

This diet seemed a lot easier to test than the placebo diet so I gave it a go for a week. I would eat 100g of special K in the morning, a garden salad with no dressing for lunch and a Tuna salad for dinner, with snacks such as almonds on my fasting days. I did lose weight, In fact I lost half a KG and only did it for a week so clearly this diet works.

However, on my fasting days I felt drained and couldn't be bothered to do much. I usually go to the gym in the evenings but having had only salad for lunch I barley had the energy to walk home! As well as this I get very grumpy when I am hungry so I annoyed my boyfriend A LOT! BUT, I did lose weight so if there was a particularly tight dress I would like to wear on a Friday night or a beach day coming up I would probably do this diet again for a week before hand.

But why are fad diets so popular? Most people I speak to have a healthy eating lose weight plan for 2013, and fad diets are a quick way to achieve these weight loss goals. Fad diets soar as people are looking for a quick fix and do not want to be patient with their bodies, because unfortunately, people only want to change how they look rather than improve their health.

But the next time you read about a quick fix diet, then be sure to check out the smaller print, how will this affect your health, your heart, your skin, your hair!?

If you want to lose weight, why not try the old fashioned diet of healthy eating and physical action? You do not need to rush your weight loss and fitness goals, you will get there!

 

Sarah 

xxx  

Question time

Will you be trying any of these? What diets have worked for you? Leave a comment below.