Fad Diets | Low Carbohydrate Diets
Knowing what to believe when it comes to food and nutrition
With so much conflicting nutrition advice around it can be difficult to know who and what to believe. The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) provides the following guidelines to help you separate fact from fiction.
Look for food and nutrition information or advice that:
- Is backed by science
- Fits with generally accepted nutrition and health guidelines
- Comes from a professional with recognised nutrition qualifications
- Can be adapted to individual lifestyles while meeting individual nutritional needs
- Is designed to be followed for the long-term
Steer away from food and nutrition information or advice that:
- Makes unrealistic claims or promises
- Promotes unbalanced and unhealthy eating advice such as avoiding nutritious foods or entire food groups
- Is difficult to follow for the long term
- Is expensive to follow
Diets that encourage and promise rapid weight loss often lead to weight being regained just as quickly. Australian women spend over $400 million per year in an unsuccessful quest to be slim, with 95% of people who go on weight loss diets regaining everything they have lost plus more within two years.
Not only are many popular diets ineffective, but they are also a health risk. Research into popular diet books found that only one in four diets reviewed met current nutrition guidelines with many eliminating important, nutritious foods.
The Dietitians Association of Australia recommends weight loss diets that:
- Meet individual nutritional and health needs
- Fit with individual lifestyles
- Include a wide variety of foods from all food groups
- Promote physical activity
- Focus on realistic life-long changes to eating and exercise habits.
The Dietitians Association of Australia does not recommend weight loss diets that:
- Cut out entire food groups or specific nutritious foods
- Promote and promise rapid weight loss without the supervision of a dietitian and a doctor
- Focus on short-term changes to eating and exercise habits
- Recommend unusual foods or eating patterns
- Encourage miracle pills and potions.
There is not one magic or 'ideal' weight loss diet. It is possible to lose weight while meeting individual nutrition and lifestyle needs through a variety of approaches.
To lose weight and keep it off see an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD). An APD can help you get off the diet merry go-round by developing a lifestyle plan that's right for you and can be followed for life.
Fad Diets
Fad weight loss diets encourage short-term changes in eating behaviour and as a result, weight lost on these diets is often regained. They often suggest avoiding particular foods or food groups which can mean missing out on important nutrients.
A fad weight loss diet is any diet that promises fast weight loss without any scientific basis. These diets often eliminate entire food groups and as a result do not provide a wide range of important nutrients.
Weight loss and fad diets
Diets that encourage fast weight loss usually have little effect on levels of body fat. The initial weight lost on a fad diet is a combination of fluid, muscle and a little fat. When speaking about losing weight, we should probably talk about fat loss rather than weight loss as fluid and muscle are important components of body weight and it is generally not desirable to reduce their levels.
When very little food is eaten, the body begins to break down muscle to meet energy (kilojoule) needs. Unfortunately, this occurs much more readily than the breakdown of fat stores. Breaking down muscle leads to a loss of water, creating the illusion of rapid weight loss. Additionally, breaking down muscle leads to a lowered metabolic rate meaning that when the diet is stopped, it is much easier for the body to gain fat than it was prior to going on the diet. As a result, over time, people can diet themselves fatter.
Weight loss diets often encourage a short-term change in eating behaviour, rather than encouraging changes that can be sustained in the long-term.
We are continually bombarded with a range of misleading wonder-cures for weight loss. Australians spend millions of dollars each year in their attempts to lose weight. It is estimated that at least 40% Australian women and 20% Australian men are "on a diet" at any one time.
It is important that efforts to lose weight incorporate healthy lifestyle changes that can be sustained for the long-term (see healthy weight). It is also essential that any diet meets nutritional needs, is practical and suitable for each person's individual lifestyle. Regular physical activity is also important for those wanting to lose weight.
Low Carbohydrate Diets
It is important to consider that not all "low carbohydrate diets" are the same. These diets vary greatly in quality and how much carbohydrate, protein and fat they contain. It is important to ensure that the diet information you are getting comes from a credible source.
Low carbohydrate and high protein diets have recently been promoted in the popular literature for weight loss. Books have especially focused on people who have the cluster of disorders known as Syndrome X or the Metabolic Syndrome.
Low carbohydrate diets are not new and have regularly come in and out of fashion. However, there has been no long-term research to how well these diets work in treating obesity and its associated disorders of high blood fats, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.
Some low carbohydrate and high protein diets are of concern because they encourage people to eat foods high in saturated fat and cut out some fruit and vegetables. There is considerable research evidence to link a high saturated fat diet with increased risk of heart disease and blood vessel damage. Also a low carbohydrate diet can be deficient in fibre and result in constipation. A high protein diet is usually not recommended for people with any degree of kidney impairment or renal disease.
Recent reviews of the available research into low carbohydrate diets indicate that they are effective in reducing body weight for up to six months. However, in the longer term there is no real difference between weight loss on these diets and more conventional diets. There is evidence to suggest that, for some people, low carbohydrate diets are easier to comply with than low fat diets. Also, in the short term, low carbohydrate diets may be more effective in lowering high blood levels of triglycerides than low fat diets.
It is important not to be distracted by quick fix solutions that appear in the popular press. Making a decision to adopt a healthy lifestyle is most effective when it is approached as a long-term change. Smaller changes that can be sustained are most likely to lead to improved health over time.
All the scientific evidence shows that the best way to control and lose body weight and excess body fat is to balance energy intake with energy output. Choosing foods and an eating pattern that help you to reduce the amount of kilojoules you eat, is the simple key to weight loss when combined with being more physically active and generally "moving more".
