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Conventional wisdom about diets,

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including government 
health recommendations,

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seems to change all the time.

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And yet, ads routinely come about

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claiming to have the answer 
about what we should eat.

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So how do we distinguish 
what's actually healthy

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from what advertisers just want us
to believe is good for us?

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Marketing takes advantage of
the desire to drop weight fast,

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and be stronger,

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slimmer,

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and brighter.

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And in the big picture, diet plans
promising dramatic results,

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known as fad diets,

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are just what they seem:
too good to be true.

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So where do diet fads even come from?

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While the Ancient Greeks and Romans

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rallied behind large-scale 
health regimens centuries earlier,

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this phenomenon began in earnest
in the Victorian Era

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with crazes like the vinegar diet

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and the Banting Diet.

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Since then, diets have advised us 
all sorts of things:

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to excessively chew,

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to not chew at all,

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to swallow a grapefruit per meal,

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non-stop cabbage soup,

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even consumption of arsenic,

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or tapeworms.

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If the idea of diet crazes 
has withstood history,

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could this mean that they work?

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In the short term, 
the answer is often yes.

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Low-carbohydrate plans,

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like the popular Atkins 
or South Beach Diets,

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have an initial diuretic effect.

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Sodium is lost until the body
can balance itself out,

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and temporary fluid weight loss may occur.

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With other high-protein diets,
you might lose weight at first

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since by restricting your food choices,

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you are dropping 
your overall calorie intake.

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But your body then lowers 
its metabolic rate to adjust to the shift,

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lessening the diet's effect over time

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and resulting in a quick reversal
if the diet is abandoned.

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So while these diets 
may be alluring early on,

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they don't guarantee long-term benefits
for your health and weight.

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A few simple guidelines, though,
can help differentiate between

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a diet that is beneficial 
in maintaining long-term health,

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and one that only offers temporary
weight changes.

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Here's the first tipoff:

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If a diet focuses on intensely cutting
back calories

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or on cutting out entire food groups,

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like fat, sugar, or carbohydrates,

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chances are it's a fad diet.

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And another red flag is ritual,

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when the diet in question instructs you
to only eat specific foods,

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prescribed combinations,

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or to opt for particular food substitutes,

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like drinks, bars, or powders.

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The truth is shedding pounds
in the long run

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simply doesn't have a quick-fix solution.

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Not all diet crazes tout weight loss.

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What about claims of superfoods, cleanses,
and other body-boosting solutions?

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Marketing emphasizes the allure

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of products associated with ancient 
and remote cultures

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to create a sense of mysticism
for consumers.

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While so-called superfoods,
like blueberries or açaí,

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do add a powerful punch of nutrients,

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their super transformative qualities
are largely exaggeration.

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They are healthy additions 
to a balanced diet,

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yet often, they're marketed
as part of sugary drinks or cereals,

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in which case the negative properties
outweight the benefits.

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Cleanses, too, may be great in moderation

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since they can assist 
with jumpstarting weight loss

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and can increase the number of fresh
fruits and vegetables consumed daily.

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Scientifically speaking, though,

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they've not yet been shown to have
either a long-term benefit

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or to detox the body any better than
the natural mechanisms already in place.

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Everywhere we look,

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we're offered solutions 
to how we can look better,

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feel fitter,

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and generally get ahead.

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Food is no exception,

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but advice on what we should eat is best
left to the doctors and nutritionists

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who are aware of our 
individual circumstances.

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Diets and food fads 
aren't inherently wrong.

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Circumstantially, 
they might even be right,

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just not for everyone all of the time.