1. Fad Diets

2. Anatomy of a Fad Diet Step 1: Tout program as new, improved, or based upon some new discovery (never supported with sound scientific information). Step 2: Claim rapid weight loss, preferably with little or no physical exercise. Step 3: Discourage variety and balance, and encourage restriction of certain foods. Step 4: Ensure that success hinges upon special foods and supplements.

3. Fad Diet Claims You can lose weight with “easy to follow” guidelines. – Most fad diet plans have complicated rules that require you to count carbs, combine certain foods, time your meals to specific intervals, purchase special products, and/or plan daily menus. You can lose weight by eating a specific ratio of the macronutrients. – It’s simple math. Weight loss hinges upon expending more energy than you take in.

4. Fad Diet Claims “Revolutionary diet” can reset your genetic code. – Sorry, your genes are inherited and cannot be altered. High-protein diets energize the brain. – The CNS depends upon glucose for energy. The primary source of glucose is carbohydrates, not protein.

5. Fad Diet Claims Thousands of people have been successful with this plan. – No author of any fad diet has published his or her research findings in any scientific journal. EVER. Carbohydrates just trigger insulin production and fat storage. – Yeah this is true, but only when energy intake exceeds energy needs.

6. How to Recognize a Fad Diet 1. Magic or miracle foods that burn fat. – Foods do not and cannot burn fat. The principle is very simple, if the body has more calories than it needs, the excess is stored as fat. 2.Bizarre quantities of only one food or food group. – All foods can be part of a healthy diet. Over emphasizing one particular food places the balance of a diet at risk.

7. How to Recognize a Fad Diet 3.Rigid menus. – A limited selection of foods places the variety component of a healthful diet at risk. 4.Specific food combinations. – There is absolutely no scientific evidence that eating foods in specific combinations or sequences has any physiologic or medical benefit.

8. How to Recognize a Fad Diet 5.Rapid weight loss. – Weight loss of more than 2 pounds/week has been shown to have severe and long-lasting adverse effects on metabolic rate. 6.No health warning. – Individuals with chronic diseases should always seek medical advice from a physician before going on a diet.

9. How to Recognize a Fad Diet 7.No increased physical activity. – To lose weight and maintain weight loss in a healthy manner, physical activity must be an integral component to the diet plan.

10. Ten Red Flags of Bad Nutrition Advice Recommendations that promise a quick fix Dire warnings of dangers from a single product or regimen Claims that sound too good to be true Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study Recommendations based on a single study Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations Lists of "good" and "bad" foods Recommendations made to help sell a product Recommendations based on studies published without peer review Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups

11. Well my (insert affiliation here) went on this diet and lost a lot of weight really fast….. Composition of weight lost during initial caloric restriction: – Week 1 Water: 70% Fat: 25% Protein 5% – Weeks 2-3 Water 25% Fat: 60% Protein: 15% – Week 4 Fat 85% Protein 15%