There are Many Risks Associated With Fad Diets

A diet that is written only to be followed for a short time is categorized as one of the fad diets. Another popular culture meaning for the term is a diet that becomes wildly popular for a period of a few months to a few years, and then fades into obscurity. Some of these fad diets include the cabbage soup diet, the Atkins diet, and the cookie diet.

Fad diets are a subcategory of food fads. A food fad is a phenomenon in which some food or category of food suddenly becomes very popular. These all have two things in common:

- The food is attributed with miraculous powers.
- Some foods must be avoided because they have equally amazing powers, but that do bad things.

As an example of these elements of fad diets in the diet, take the Atkins diet. Carbohydrates are avoided like the plague, because a carbohydrate low diet can do amazing things for your body. Carbohydrates take on both of the common elements in that removing carbohydrates from the diet creates a near magical metabolic state in which fat is burned at an incredible rate. Although it is a long-term diet, it did have short phases during which carbohydrate cutting was taken to the extreme. However, many people are able to continue the Atkins diet for years.

As with many have diets, Atkins popularity was extreme and short-lived. For a number of years the Atkins diet was everywhere, and everyone seemed to be following it . People from Hollywood actors to politicians were all on the Atkins diet. Although still around today, the diet is far from as popular as it was at its height.

There are many risks associated with fad diets. Even a seemingly healthy diet like the Subway diet could be dangerous. It revolves around the extreme weight loss case of Jared who ate Subway sandwiches and baked chips to lose over 250 pounds in the span of a single year. But Jared had made a radical shift in his caloric habits. That could have killed him. Even so in moderation the Subway diet can work, particularly when combined with exercise -- Jared walked 6 miles a day.

Beware of fad diets. You're better off learning how to eat well on an everyday basis and maintaining a program of rigorous exercise.

About the Author

Learn more about Fad diets as well as other proven diet methods

Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com