Strive for a Balanced Diet Rather than a Fad Diet

What is a fad diet?

Have you ever seen an advertisement or recommendation for a diet that seemed too good to be true? maybe something like, "Stop eating carbs and lose 30 pounds in just one month!" This was likely a fad diet. A fad diet is a very general term used to describe a temporary diet that offers a specific result, often weight loss, by instructing you to eat and avoid certain foods.^1,2 We are often attracted to fad diets for several reasons. Perhaps they offer "easily" achievable dramatic results with promised health benefits. We seem to hear about fad diets all the time, often from our friends, family, or influencers on social media. Social media greatly influences our dieting habits, and we can be influenced to follow or reject fad diets.^1,2

Although fad diets might be popular due to their strategic marketing and promises of weight loss. They are not effective at sustaining weight loss and often result in weight regain. It's also important to know that fad diets can result in major health concerns, and you should always consult with a professional like a Registered Dietitian.

What are the major health concerns with fad diets?

• Poor long-term weight control: Research shows that after long periods of time, those who follow a fad diet keep off less weight than those who follow a balanced diet.⁴
• Increased risk for chronic disease: following a fad diet is shown to increase your risk for cancer, and heart disease.⁵
• Following a fad diet can lead to disordered eating and body image: seeking and following fad diets triggers body dissatisfaction and body weight concerns.⁶
• Generally unhealthy: fad diets are unhealthy because they restrict calories and nutrients.⁷

What is a balanced diet?

Many people crave a simple, one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to nutrition information. They want to be told what they should and shouldn't eat, and how much. The truth is nutrition isn't straightforward, and the idea of "good" and "bad" foods can be misleading and even harmful. A balanced diet rejects the idea of good or bad foods and instead supports eating a variety of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. You can eat a balanced diet by eating a wide range of foods among the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein foods. Furthermore, a balanced diet is more sustainable to manage throughout your life.

Instead of following rigid rules, we have dietary guidelines that offer insight into what a balanced diet looks like. However, everyone is different and has different nutritional needs. Fortunately, we have tools to help us determine our own needs, we call this useful tool, MyPlate. MyPlate tells you how you can individualize your plate at mealtime to eat a variety of different foods and meet your nutritional needs.^8,9

What are the benefits of eating all the different food groups?

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are full of potassium, fiber, Vitamin C, and folate. These are essential nutrients that help you maintain healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and repair injuries. Eating whole fruits and vegetables regularly can help reduce your risk of heart disease, and they can protect against certain types of cancer.⁹

Dairy

Dairy products are great sources of calcium, potassium, Vitamin D, and protein. Calcium and Vitamin D are both used to build and maintain healthy bones. By having strong bones, we can reduce our risk for osteoporosis.⁹

Grains

Whole grains are simply that, the whole grain kernel. Whole grains consist of three parts, the bran, germ, and endosperm; all of which provide different health benefits. Examples of whole grains are oatmeal, brown rice, bulgar, and quinoa. MyPlate recommends making half of your grains, whole grains. Grains provide us with complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber which aid in digestion and many B Vitamins which help us use energy from food.⁹

Protein

It is common misconception that we do not eat enough protein. In fact, we often overconsume protein as a society. While it is important to consume an adequate amount of protein, it is just as important to vary our sources of protein to receive the many benefits they offer. Red meat is a good source of dietary iron and B Vitamins which keep our blood healthy, salmon and fatty fish are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids to improve bone health, and tofu is a good source of calcium which is good for bone health.⁹

To sum up everything, fad diets offer quick and easy fixes to health concerns. They often propose an unsustainable approach to one's diet which can cause less success and even long-term harm to one's health. In contrast, a balanced diet is more sustainable, inviting and accepting of all foods. By using a tool such as MyPlate. Americans can more easily access dietary guidelines and can learn how all foods fit into their diet and why all food groups are beneficial to their health.

References

1. Anderson K. Popular fad diets: An evidence-based perspective. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2023;77:78-85. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2023.02.001
2. Spadine M, Patterson MS. Social influence on fad diet use: a systematic literature review. Nutr Health. 2022;28(3):369-388. doi:10.1177/02601060211072370
3. Research says fad diets don’t work. So why are they so popular? www.heart.org. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/02/18/research-says-fad-diets-dont-work-so-why-are-they-so-popular
4. Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(3):229-241. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0708681
5. Mazidi M, Katsiki N, Mikhailidis DP, Sattar N, Banach M. Lower carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a population-based cohort study and pooling of prospective studies. European Heart Journal. 2019;40(34):2870-2879. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz174
6. Ramadhani ID, Latifah L, Prasetyo A, et al. Infodemiology on diet and weight loss behavior before and during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: Implication for public health promotion. Front Nutr. 2022;9:981204. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.981204
7. Khawandanah J, Tewfik I. Fad diets: lifestyle promises and health challenges. Journal of Food Research. 2016;5(6):80-94. doi:10.5539/jfr.v5n6p80
8. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 and online materials | Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials
9. Myplate | u. S. Department of agriculture. Accessed September 19, 2024. https://www.myplate.gov/