By Rachel Gardner
gardner@newsroom.byu.edu
In a time where thin is beautiful, miracle diets are becoming in high demand, disregarding the lasting effects on health.
At any given time, about one in three women is dieting, according to a study by Good Housekeeping.
A Fad Diet is a diet that is usually followed by people desperately wanting to lose weight, but it is unbalanced and unhealthy.
Right now in the United States, according to Good Housekeeping, there are six main fad diets.
They are high-protein diets, liquid diets, the grapefruit diet, juice or broth fasts, food-combining diets and the cabbage soup diet.
High-protein diets, such as the Zone and Protein Power began in 1970's with the Atkin's Diet. The theory is that too many carbohydrates prevent the body from burning fat, so instead dieters should fill up on proteins.
Pounds drop off quickly in the beginning due to water loss and it helps the blood sugar levels remain steady and keep hunger at bay, according to Atkin's Diet.
Unfortunately, this diet is full of saturated fat and cholesterol which can increase a risk of heart disease, according to Baylor College of Medicine's web site.
'High blood cholesterol is the leading cause for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States,' said an authority from the American Dietetic Association.
Liquid Diets are very popular in America, starting in the 1930s. These diets consist of the Slim-Fast shake or the meal-in-a-shake.
It is a convenient diet with little to no food preparation and the shakes tend to be nutritionally balanced, according to food fad web site.
Once you return to solid foods, the pounds are usually put back on.
The grapefruit diet also began in the 1930s and is commonly known as the Hollywood diet. This 3-week diet consists of a lot of grapefruit and coffee. With such a limited food choice, one misses out on calcium, iron, folic acid and most vitamins, according the University of California Berkeley's web site.
The juice and broth fasts have been around since biblical times. These can last from one day to a week and consist of juices, water, tea, and broth.
Though there is limited food preparation, this diet can lead to dizziness and fatigue from the lowering metabolic rate.
'These will not sustain yourself long term, it just boils down to exercise and eating calories that are not empty,' said BYU alumni, Kim Smith, a registered nurse.
The food combination diet became popular in 1985 with Fit for Life. This diet is based on consuming only fruit and juices before noon. Since fruits are low in calories, the weight loss comes early. Even though this diet is high in variety it is very low in vital nutrients, according to Good Housekeeping.
The Cabbage Soup Diet consists of eating cabbage soup for a week and it claims to clean out the system. This diet sheds mainly water weight and has no fat burning powers, according to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York's web site.
'Fad diets are bad, they usually trick people into believing that they work, while in reality they are just losing water weight,' Smith said.
Basically, one should not experiment with fad diets without consulting a doctor. And know that fad diets have a low chance of success and can cause side effects to your body, according to Good Housekeeping.
'If people would stick to a food guide pyramid they wouldn't need to diet,' said Kathleen Galt, 22, a senior from Foothill Ranch, Calif., majoring in community health. 'The motto of our major is moderation and variation.'