My ADA

Forget the Fads

August 31, 2006

The “grapefruit diet,” the “rice diet,” “the cabbage soup diet” … There’s a weight-loss plan for almost every taste, but they all have one thing in common: No single-food (or single-food-group) diet can healthfully melt the fat away and keep it off.

Almost any diet will work in the short term: If you eat less, you will lose weight. Long-term, fad diets don’t work for several reasons:

They lack variety. It’s boring to eat the same things day after day.
They don’t provide adequate amounts of all the nutrients your body needs, as detailed in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.
You may find yourself overeating the foods featured in the diet plan.
No one “super food” can reverse weight gain resulting from either inactivity or overeating.

Your best advice is to forget the fads and consult a registered dietitian who can help develop a healthful eating plan that is right for you.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

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