How to spot a fad diet - Mia Nacamulli

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Conventional wisdom about diets, including government health recommendations, seems to change all the time. And yet ads routinely come out claiming to have THE answer about what we should eat. So how do we distinguish what’s actually healthy from what advertisers just want us to believe is good for us? Mia Nacamulli gives the facts on fad diets.

Lesson by Mia Nacamulli, animation by Avi Ofer.

Conventional wisdom about diets,

including government
health recommendations,

seems to change all the time.

And yet, ads routinely come about

claiming to have the answer
about what we should eat.

So how do we distinguish
what's actually healthy

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

Marketing takes advantage of
the desire to drop weight fast,

and be stronger,

slimmer,

and brighter.

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

known as fad diets,

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

So where do diet fads even come from?

While the Ancient Greeks and Romans

rallied behind large-scale
health regimens centuries earlier,

this phenomenon began in earnest
in the Victorian Era

with crazes like the vinegar diet

and the Banting Diet.

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

to excessively chew,

to not chew at all,

to swallow a grapefruit per meal,

non-stop cabbage soup,

even consumption of arsenic,

or tapeworms.

If the idea of diet crazes
has withstood history,

could this mean that they work?

In the short term,
the answer is often yes.

Low-carbohydrate plans,

like the popular Atkins
or South Beach Diets,

have an initial diuretic effect.

Sodium is lost until the body
can balance itself out,

and temporary fluid weight loss may occur.

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

since by restricting your food choices,

you are dropping
your overall calorie intake.

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

lessening the diet's effect over time

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

So while these diets
may be alluring early on,

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

A few simple guidelines, though,
can help differentiate between

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

and one that only offers temporary
weight changes.

Here's the first tipoff:

If a diet focuses on intensely cutting
back calories

or on cutting out entire food groups,

like fat, sugar, or carbohydrates,

chances are it's a fad diet.

And another red flag is ritual,

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

prescribed combinations,

or to opt for particular food substitutes,

like drinks, bars, or powders.

The truth is shedding pounds
in the long run

simply doesn't have a quick-fix solution.

Not all diet crazes tout weight loss.

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

Marketing emphasizes the allure

of products associated with ancient
and remote cultures

to create a sense of mysticism
for consumers.

While so-called superfoods,
like blueberries or açaí,

do add a powerful punch of nutrients,

their super transformative qualities
are largely exaggeration.

They are healthy additions
to a balanced diet,

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

in which case the negative properties
outweight the benefits.

Cleanses, too, may be great in moderation

since they can assist
with jumpstarting weight loss

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

Scientifically speaking, though,

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

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

Everywhere we look,

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

feel fitter,

and generally get ahead.

Food is no exception,

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

who are aware of our
individual circumstances.

Diets and food fads
aren't inherently wrong.

Circumstantially,
they might even be right,

just not for everyone all of the time.