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Fad Diets

Old 05-21-2010, 04:52 AM
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Default Fad Diets

I saw this link on a blog I read and thought it was funny, and interesting. Which of the diets of today will we see on a list like this in twenty years?
Fad Diet Types ? Fad Diets Explained at WomansDay.com
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Old 05-21-2010, 06:25 AM
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Those are ridiculous!!! Ahhhh!!! It would be interesting to see what diets of today end up on there...I can think of a few...

The worst diet I have ever been on (which I DON'T recommend!) was the 2-4-6-8 diet. It was extreme calorie cycling with 200 calories the first day (yes, DAY), then 400 the next, then 600, 800, and back around to 200. Yes, of course I lost weight, but it totally wasn't healthy! Those 200 cal days were painful. I remember on the 800 calorie days I was always baffled as to how I could possibly eat that many calories - LOL!

It's amazing what people will do to be thin, huh? I think I'll take healthy and fit over skinny and miserable any day!
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Old 05-21-2010, 07:38 AM
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They were talking about this on NPR. Basically, during bad times, we all get a little anorexic, and try to control the one thing we can. Our food intake.
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Old 05-21-2010, 12:09 PM
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HCG will be on there in a few years
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Old 05-21-2010, 01:57 PM
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I think the biggest "fad" we are in right now is the high-protein fad. I spent 5 years eating 6 small meals a day consisting of protein. I consulted various trainers and they all gave me roughly the same diet - lots of protein. I happened to stumble upon a book called "The China Study" and I was dumbfounded by the harm so much protein was doing to by body. I then read "Eat to Live", and was convinced that I needed to change my diet. I discovered a great website Whole Food Mommies - Nutrition, Whole Food Plant Based Diet Blog and Recipes that had lots of great recipes to get me started. I also LOVE The Cancer Project / A Nutrition and Cancer Nonprofit Organization / Dietary Guidelines, Recipes, Resources, and Classes

Last edited by lighten; 05-21-2010 at 02:02 PM.
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Old 05-21-2010, 03:11 PM
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I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you there, lighten. I strongly suggest you read the debate between T. Colin Campbell (author of "The China Study") and Loren Cordain on the efficacy and necessity of protein here (pdf). IMO Dr. Cordain has the more compelling argument (in favor of greater protein intake), mainly because he clearly cites over 150 different scientific studies in support of his statements. Dr. Campbell, on the other hand, offers up a few quite dated in-text references in his position piece, which is also written in what seems to me a condescending, almost sarcastic tone. Furthermore, Dr. Campbell makes blanket statements like "a variety of adverse health effects have been demonstrated and these effects are remarkably consistent among ... studies" without actually offering up any evidence at all.

So I feel the arguments stack in favor of getting more protein, especially if you are a regular exerciser. The dangers of protein intake are largely exaggerated in the healthy population. It's only problematic if kidney disease is already established. Personally, I wouldn't call high-protein a fad.
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Old 05-21-2010, 03:52 PM
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For me personally, high protein works. I don't subscribe to Atkin's or South Beach, it's just what I've found keeps my blood sugar stable. But humans are omnivores, and since we can handle pretty much any food in nature, it stands to reason we can eat very different diets as individuals but still stay healthy. I do think it's better to get your vitamins and minerals in your diet naturally vs taking a pill, and 15 minutes in the sun beats a vitamin D supplement. I don't see logically how mild sun exposure is worse for you than covering the largest organ of your body in chemically based sunblock on a daily basis to the point where vitamin D deficiency is becoming common. I don't believe holistic and organic really mean squat aside from being fashionable buzzwords of the moment. What are commercial drugs anyway, except refined plant compounds? Holistic remedies ARE drugs, unregulated untested drugs dispensed by a community built on hearsay and severely lacking in formal medical education. Some holistic remedies help, some can do a lot of harm, and most of them really do nothing at all. I don't see how letting diseases run rampant in a food animal herd or culling (aka killing) animals at the first sign of disease to control (notice I didn't say stop) the spread of disease is better than the judicious use of antibiotics as needed. Remember there are reasons why we started using chemical fertilizers and antibiotics in farming to begin with, and a lot of those reasons were pretty darn nasty. Not to mention, in this day and age where humans are overpopulating the Earth, demanding farming methods that produce a smaller yield is probably not the wisest course of action. There's got to be a reasonable middle ground between reducing pesticide/antibiotic/chemical use and keeping fresh food accessible and affordable. Anyway, sorry that turned into a rant I get pretty passionate about nutrition sometimes, and deep down I am pretty opinionated. Feel free to agree or disagree, the above is totally my opinion only.
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Old 05-21-2010, 05:06 PM
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What I find amusing is that there is a grain of truth in most of those fad diets. In many cases it is a matter of taking a good, or maybe not so good idea to an extreme. Like smoking. One of the things the medical science does not like to tell us is that smokers are, on average, thinner than nonsmokers. Not there aren't a helluva lot of other negative consequenses associated with smoking that make it an unacceptable diet program, but, in truth, smoking is a well known appetite suppressant.

The carbohydrate vs protein debate falls into the same category from a scientist perspective. Environmentally, a high animal meat diet isn't such a good idea, but if you are only eating 1500 calories a day of which 30% to 40% is protein that really isn't such a big deal. The problem arises when we are eating 3500 calories a day and 40% of it is protein and the rest processed carbohydrates - now we have more of an environmental problem.

Wheat, corn, potatoes and other grains have been historical staples of human culture because they are 100% digestable, especially following grinding and/or processing. However, in our culture where we have more calories available to us than we need, these foods are more of a problem, therefore subsituting less digestable foods decreases fat accumulation.

In my opinion, many of the diet guru's today are taking a fundamentally good idea to an lousy extreme. Protein is great and for many of us increasing it while reducing carbs really helps eliminate pounds. Taken to extreme you get kidney failure, mental sluggishness and muscle paralysis.

Anyway, you get the idea... Some is good, more.... not so good.
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Old 05-22-2010, 02:46 AM
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Personally, I'm in the "everything in moderation" and "listen to your own body" camp. The same things absolutely will not work for everyone. Unfortunately, people assume they will, and that's why the diet industry is so huge...we all want to run out and buy a book that has The Answer. Truth is, there isn't just one answer.

It will take some trial and error, and it will also take developing a sense of listening to your own body...which many of us have fallen away from in the years we let ourselves get out of shape.
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Old 05-22-2010, 05:04 AM
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Can't talk now, going to stock up on cotton balls!
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