How to Recognize a Fad Diet Health Article

Can you really lose weight if you eat only grapefruit? Will the inches come off if you feast only on foods high in protein? Do those "miracle diets" you see advertised really work?

No matter what their gimmick, fad diets do not work in the long run, experts say. And some can put your health in jeopardy because they lack important nutrients. The best prescription for losing weight is to eat a variety of healthy foods and increase your activity level by exercising regularly.

The American Heart Association (AHA) says these are diets to avoid:

A diet that says it burns fat

Foods don't burn fat -- they create fat when we eat more than we need. Fat is your body's way of storing extra food energy. Your body converts extra calories -- units of food energy -- from food into fat when you take in more calories than your body needs to burn.

To lose weight, you must use more energy than you consume, forcing your body to use some of its surplus. You can burn fat by increasing your physical activities or by decreasing the amount of food you eat.

A diet of only one or two foods

These diets include bizarre quantities of only one food or type of food, such as eating only tomatoes or beef one day or unlimited bowls of cabbage soup or grapefruit.

These foods are fine as part of an overall healthy diet, but to eat large quantities of them could lead to unpleasant side effects such as intestinal gas, bloating, flatulence and bad breath, as well as nutritional imbalances that could have a serious impact on your health. Also important, emphasizing only one food or food type is boring and often leads to disappointment when an individual can't stay on this unrealistic type of diet.

A diet with rigid menus

Many diets set out a very limited selection of foods to be eaten at a specific time and day, exactly as written. Frequently, these limited diets don't address the widely varied taste preferences of our diverse American population.

The AHA's dietary guidelines recommend a varied diet emphasizing whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean meat, fish, poultry and skim and low-fat dairy products.

A diet with specific food combinations

Although some foods taste good together, like the classic "soup and sandwich," there is no scientific evidence that eating foods in certain sequences or combinations has any scientific or medical benefit.

A diet that promises quick weight loss

A diet that emphasizes weight loss of more than two pounds a week does not contain enough calories to keep you healthy.

A diet dangerous for diabetes or hypertension

A diet should carry a warning for people with either diabetes or high blood pressure to seek advice from the physician or health care provider.

Some fad diets could raise blood pressure or blood glucose, even if you lose weight. Diets high in fat, which are often those that overemphasize protein, can lead to heart disease and cancer. In addition, high-protein diets can worsen kidney or liver function in people with moderately advanced liver or kidney disease.

A diet that doesn't emphasize exercise

Simple physical activities, like walking or riding a bike, are one of the most important tools to losing weight and maintaining weight loss. Yet many fad diets don't emphasize these easy changes. Any increase in physical activity will help you burn more calories.