Avoid these Four Fad Diets

Please do yourself a favor – do not fall prey to these schemes. Just like cults, these “diets” suck you in with a religious fervor, making false promise. Avoid them at all costs.

1. Juicing cleanses and diets – starving yourself to cleanse your digestive track is wrong on so many levels. First, you’ve got a liver to do that for you. Second, the minute you’re done with the cleanse, your body will be screaming for extra calories. Within a few days you will be back to your original weight. Lastly, juice cleanses may rob your body of important nutrients.

2. Fruitarian diet – perhaps inspired by the Steve Jobs book and movie, this diet is composed of 80% fruit. News flash – there is absolutely too much of a good thing! Too much sugar, and not enough muscle building protein, healthy fats, and essential nutrients.

3. Ketogenic diet – this is an extreme version of a low carb diet that is high in fat and protein to the point that not enough energy is available for proper cellular function. The body starts to break down fats to provide the energy the body needs. But the breakdown also creates “ketone bodies” that can cause ketosis – a condition that can easily lead to life threatening ketoacidosis. Not to mention that this extremely restrictive diet is almost impossible to keep up with for more than a few months.

4. SAD – also know as the Standard American Diet, is an extremely unhealthy way to eat that most of us have taken for granted because it is the norm these days. Going on a low calorie version of this diet won’t do you much good if you eat processed diet foods that are full of artificial ingredients.

Our suggestion for this year is to focus on eating healthy, home made food that is rich in plant based dishes. You will start losing weight, albeit at a slow pace, but you will be able to keep at it for years.