Fad Diets Handout

HEALTH A Closer Look meets at Fad Diets FOOD™

Let’s explore the various fad diets and how they differ from the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate.

None of these fad diets are supported by published scientific research and are in fact pseudoscience.

Fad Diet The Claims Pros Cons Negative Wants you to eat ‘negative calorie’ Consists of a good amount vegeta- No dairy or grains allowed. Calorie Diet foods that will cost more to digest bles, white meat and fruits. Only certain vegetables are allowed. than they yield in nutrients. Eat Right 4 Wants you to eat according to which Type O: Hunter-gatherer diet and Eliminates certain food groups de- Your Type blood type you are. Claims that food- avoid grains. Type A: Vegetarian pending on person’s blood type. Any Diet based lectins will cause a reaction in diet. Type B: More varied with health benefits found due to this diet the body that lead to health problems. meat and dairy products. was not linked to the person’s blood Type AB: Can eat both type A and type. type B diets. Atkins’ Diet Wants you to exclude carbohydrates It is designed simply. It cuts out Increased meat and fat consumption from your diet because excess carbo- carbohydrates. while limiting vegetables and fruits in hydrates are converted to body fat. order to avoid carbohydrates. South Beach Wants you to avoid foods high in car- Claims that it is not low carb, no It contradicts all these claims in its Diet bohydrates that increase blood sugar calorie counting and no sacrifices. step-by-step guide and is based on a too quickly and cause food cravings still developing science. Limits carbo- and more hunger. hydrates. The Zone Diet Wants you to have a balance between ⅔ fruits and vegetables and ⅓ low On lower side for carbohydrates, carbohydrates and proteins using a fat protein doesn’t give dairy and grains separate block system. attention but is not excluded from diet. Dean Ornish Wants you to divide food into Completely vegetarian, almost Less than 10% of calories from fat, Life Choice unrestricted, moderation and avoid vegan diet. limits protein and dairy. categories. Weight Wants you to eat a certain amount of 1 Weight watcher point = 50 calo- Emphasizes calorie amount and Watchers points based on your weight. ries or 12 grams of fat portion control instead of from what source calories are coming from. Paleo Diet Wants you to eat like hunter-gatherer All lean meats, fish, seafood, fruits Completely avoids legumes, cereals ancestors. and non-starchy vegetables. and dairy products. Wheat Belly Wants you to avoid wheat because its Also supports eliminating other Completely eliminates wheat from the Diet hybridization and genetic alterations carbohydrate-rich foods. grain section. are supposed to be linked to obesity.