The American Heart Association says that adopting healthy eating habits permanently, rather than impatiently pursuing crash diets in hopes of losing unwanted pounds in a few days through fad quick weight loss plans.
What is a fad diet? It’s a well marketed diet with some miracle scheme to lose weight in an impossible manner, often by eating nothing but one food like a cabbage.
One food or one type of food is generally overemphasized with fad quick weight loss diets. They violate the first principle of good nutrition which is to eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods. If you are able to stay on such a diet for more than a few weeks, you may develop nutritional deficiencies, because no one type of food has all the elements a human being needs for good health. The Cabbage Soup Diet is one example. This so-called fat-burning soup is eaten mostly with fruits and vegetables. The diet supposedly helps heart patients lose 10–17 pounds in seven days before surgery. On top of not working to lose weight, this diet lacks essential nutrients and can cause serious health issues. Pixies, elves and fairies, or even cabbages, can’t provide magical weight loss. That’s why you should eat moderate amounts from each of the food groups rather than cutting out everything but a cabbage and water.
The second principle of good nutrition is that eating should be enjoyable. You think eating only cabbages every day is enjoyable?. It’s impossible to stay on these diets for a long time because they’re so dull. Consider a week on the Cabbage Soup Diet. By Wednesday you’d dread meal time, and by Friday you’d never again want to look at a cabbage much less eat the soup. They’d carry you away in a straight jacket on Sunday.
There are many other ways fad diets aren’t good for you. Many don’t mention exercise, for example, walking 30 minutes most or all days of the week. Physical activity helps maintain weight loss, while physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. When you hear a diet that mentions no need for exercise, run for the hills, or at least run on a treadmill.
Quick weight loss is possible. Just don’t fall for tricks or gimmicks that might end up destroying your health.
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