Fad diets are an eating plan which follows a popular method of trying to lose weight. These diets might be published in books, offering in online videos, or even sold as a consumer product.
Are they helpful or harmful to the people who follow them? Here is a closer look at the pros and cons of fad diets.
List of the Pros of Fad Diets
1. They can help you identify poor nutritional habits.
Many fad diets, like the VB6 diet, get rid of the standard Western diet. Many Americans eat refined flours, added sugars, and processed foods without thinking about it. A fad diet will usually encourage more fruits and vegetables with whole grains as an eating alternative.
2. They can encourage accountability.
Fad diets are often followed by friends who are attempting to reach the same goals. This gives you an opportunity to have more accountability with your eating habits. When you are accountable to someone, you are more likely to reach your weight goals.
3. They are affordable.
Most fad diets can be followed at a price which is similar to that of your regular grocery spending.
List of the Cons of Fad Diets
1. They can be overly restrictive.
Fad diets tend to take certain foods out of your regular eating plan as a way to lose weight. Some are very restrictive. The Whole30 fad diet, for example, bans corn, legumes, rice, and grains for an entire month.
2. They don’t teach long-term eating habits.
People who lose weight on a fad diet will gain at least one-third of it back within 12 months. Most of the weight is regained in 5 years or less. Because entire food groups are often cut out with these diets, some people are just replacing one bad habit with another.
3. They can be difficult to follow.
If you’re following a fad diet which eliminates carbohydrates, just one slip-up can be enough to ruin the entire diet. Because many of these diets are so restrictive, they can be difficult to implement. If you fail, then you might believe you can’t reach a healthy weight any more. Most of these diets do not encourage exercise as part of the process.
These fad diets pros and cons show that this type of eating is not for everyone. Before going on a new diet, speak with your doctor about what the unique benefits or disadvantages may be for your health.
