Are Fad Diets Bad for You?
No matter what’s happening in the news, it seems a new diet is always trending or a celebrity is hawking another miracle diet. We asked Jennifer Cholewka, RD, a dietitian and Advanced Clinical Nutrition Coordinator with the Mount Sinai Health System, about the pros and cons of some of the hot new diets.
Why is there so much hype surrounding diets? Why are they such a hot trend?
Diets are always going to be a hot topic. People are always looking for ways to lose weight as fast as they can and keep it off. But there’s never going to be a quick fix.
Keto is really trending these days.
I’m not a big fan of the keto diet. Yes, you can eat a lot of vegetables. But I don’t see how a diet that encourages eating lots of butter, mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese can be healthy over the long term. Everyone I know who has tried the keto diet loses weight. But it’s not possible to keep it up very long. Ketosis is a metabolic process in which the body, when it runs out of glucose, burns stored fats and then ketone bodies, the substances your body produces while you are following these dietary restrictions. Our bodies prefer to use carbohydrates, such as starches and sugars like glucose, as the primary substrate for energy, for brain function, and organ function. If you’re putting your body into ketosis, your body isn’t meant to live in that state over the long term. It’s not sustainable.
Ketosis helped our ancestors survive starvation mode eons ago. They couldn’t count on regular meals. People only went into ketosis when they were starving and in dire straits. And in forcing your body to shift its preferred metabolic pathway, I see nothing but trouble over the long term.
Sometimes people rely on folk wisdom with diets like the Keto and Paleo diets. They say that our bodies have not evolved along with society, and these diets are more natural since they reflect the way we were 50,000 years ago.
Yes, people often latch onto that. Paleo is a very restrictive diet. It is technically a healthy diet. It can also be high in fat, especially saturated fat. If you have cardiovascular disease, that would be an issue. That’s why it’s important to talk to a physician if you’re overweight and trying one of these diets. You might lose weight, but in eating things like nuts that are higher in saturated fats your risks might outweigh the benefits.
Why are these fad diets so popular?
People crave rules. They want restrictions. They want to be told what to eat—and what not to eat. Dieting can be overwhelming. They don’t want to have more choices. And I think that’s why some of these diets like keto and paleo are trending. It’s simple. They’re given a list of what they can have and what they can’t have. They can eat the same thing every day if they want. All that matters is that you follow the formula, whether it’s the keto formula or the paleo formula. But you can’t keep it up over time. And that’s why people yo-yo with their weight. They may lose weight, but they gain it back rather quickly, unfortunately.
People often latch onto celebrities and their diets. For instance, Kim Kardashian lost 70 pounds on the Atkins diet, along with weight training. So they say, it worked for her, I’ll do that.
People will always pay attention to celebrities and their lifestyles. They see Kim Kardashian is following some diet that’s trending. Sure, she looks great. But she also has a personal trainer that she works with six days a week. She’s also on a very restrictive diet. I’m sure she has a nutritionist or a wellness coach that’s overseeing this whole plan. And she probably has someone preparing her meals. This isn’t a lifestyle most people can follow. Because if you’re fully going to adopt the Kim Kardashian weight loss approach, it means taking on the whole package. Celebrities are always going to have more resources, guidance, and control over their lifestyle. After all, their looks are part of their career and their income. We don’t have that luxury, unfortunately.
If you don’t understand everything that you’re going to have to do—and if you have no support, no guidance, no clinical advice—it’s very unlikely that you’re going to follow that diet for very long. Also, Kim Kardashian is quite young. We don’t know what the long-term effects of restricting carbohydrates like that are for someone that young.
What about seeing a dietitian? Is that something people should do?
I think it’s always great to touch base with a dietitian—specifically a dietitian—if you’re looking to make any sustainable changes to your diet. There are many ways to connect with dietitians that don’t necessarily involve expensive private counseling fees, or even face-to-face counseling. A lot of dietitians work through online platforms like Rise, Noom, or My Fitness Pal. I encourage people to do some research. See what is easiest for you to get started and get some support through your weight loss journey or health journey.
What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?
A registered dietitian is a person who has gone through undergraduate training, an accredited internship, passed the registered dietitians exam, and met all the credentialing requirements. After their name you would see “RD.” There are no credentialing or educational requirements for nutritionists. That being said, nutritionists can certainly offer some insight or be supportive through a diet or lifestyle change. Again, I encourage people to do their research, make sure the person is qualified, and decide whether their services are a match for your goals.
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