Learn more about ‘5 Toxic Fad Diets That Could Shorten Your Life’ Wacky poisonous fad diets are still coming out of hibernation to satisfy the requirements of people who seek a quick fix for slimming down, even if January may be coming to an end and lofty New Year’s resolutions are gradually giving way to skepticism.
Many of these popular but harmful fad diets cut out entire food groups, and some even forbid eating altogether. For instance, do you recall the risky Cotton Ball diet, also known as the Elf Diet, where models and other people trying to lose weight would eat cotton balls like Buddy the elf played by Will Ferrell in the movie Elf? You may be wondering why anybody would do that in Grinch’s name. to purportedly satisfy hunger without adding calories—despite also being exposed to a variety of toxins and increasing the risk of several health issues.
The majority of today’s deadly fad diets are much less extreme than the Cotton Ball diet or, for example, the tapeworm diet or the clip-your-nose-so-you-can’t-smell-your-food diet, but they can still be harmful. A fad diet will, at most, result in modest weight loss. However, they are also frequently short-lived, so you will probably quickly gain the weight back. At worst, harmful fad diets might hurt you.
Let’s examine a couple of these well-known harmful fad diets used for weight loss and see what medical professionals and nutritionists think about them.
The Warrior Diet
In this common kind of intermittent fasting, you skip meals for 20 hours each day and eat dinner within a four-hour window. This is a considerably tighter variation of the popular 16:8 fast, which calls for a 16-hour fast (usually overnight) and an 8-hour window for eating, such as from 1 to 8 p.m. These types of fasts may offer certain health advantages, but because they restrict calories, they often promote weight loss. The shortened “eating windows” result in you consuming less calories overall.
According to registered dietitian Lauren Chaffin, MS, RD, proprietor of Nourished Nutrition, “restriction is the fundamental component of every ‘diet’ plan with the goal of losing weight. It seeks to place the dieter in a calorie deficit so that their body can utilise other energy sources.
The body enters a condition of stress as a result of which it makes every effort to save energy.
According to Chaffin, “the body doesn’t know the difference between a diet and a famine.” In order to preserve energy, the body may, among other things, slow down the heart rate, metabolism, and stop generating enough reproductive hormones. Although it is a defensive reaction, this reaction can also be harmful.
The Werewolf Diet (Aka The Moon Diet)
There isn’t any howling involved, but you do need to pay attention to the moon. It’s time for you to fast for 24 hours once it’s full or has entered a new phase. Only juice and water are allowed on this regimen, same like the Fat Flush and others.
This is how it is supposed to operate: According to the website Moon Connection, the diet reportedly uses the moon’s strong gravitational pull to help you lose weight and cleanse your body because the human body is mainly made up of water. Desired weight loss Over the course of a spooky night in the hills with your coyote brethren, you gained six pounds.
The 24-Hour Fat Flush Diet
In a book published in 2002, nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman described this diet. Since then, she has written recipes, weight-loss programs, and a line of dietary supplements. The Fat Flush is a purported “detox” diet that limits solid meal intake to zero calories for 24 hours and caps fluid calorie intake at roughly 300.
A 24-hour fast shouldn’t damage most people except for the potential for headaches, low energy, and brain fog, according to Dr. Su-Nui Escobar, RD, a doctor of clinical nutrition and the founder of MenopauseBetter.com. She does not, however, suggest adopting a fasting or detox diet.
Dr. Escobar argues that they are ineffective and do not result in any significant change. “Water weight loss will make up any weight loss.”
The Hollywood 48-Hour Miracle Diet
Want to drop a few inches and up to 10 pounds in only two days? The advocates for this Left Coast juice diet claim that this is the right diet for you. But be careful; you’ll be hungry, and it can make you feel sick. In order to follow this diet, you must refrain from eating and drinking anything other than water and 4 ounces of a fruit juice mixture combined with water four times a day. Only 400 calories per day are ultimately obtained from the juice.
“Generally speaking, a “VLCD,” or very low calorie diet, is anything that has fewer than 1,000 calories per day. It should only be carried out briefly and under medical supervision “The co-founder of Appetite for Health and a member of our Medical Expert Board, Julie Upton, MS, RD, issues a warning. “What are you accomplishing?” I asked. “The lower you cut your calorie intake on a diet, the more likely it is that it won’t last.”
The Lion Diet
After a night of werewolf fasting, your stomach could be growling, so you might be curious about the lion diet, which calls for just red meat, salt, and water. It’s an elimination diet made to find dietary intolerances, reduce inflammation, and promote gut healing. Since the diet excludes items like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, which are anti-inflammatory and may be beneficial for the gut, the premise is illogical.
Foods that are anti-inflammatory are virtually entirely plant-based, according to Upton; eating any form of meat or following an animal-based diet is pro-inflammatory.
According to William Li, MD, author of the soon-to-be-released book Eat to Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer, “Humans are not built to eat like a lion; this diet over time puts your health in peril.” “People with hypertension should avoid added salt. Your metabolism and cardiovascular system are put under stress when you consume a lot of saturated fat.”
Dr. Escobar continues, “This diet lacks fiber, which is needed for regularity in the bathroom, heart health, and blood sugar control.
