Crash and burn!

Fad diets may help you lose weight quickly but harm you in the long run

Eisha Sarkar

Posted on Hello Wellness on Aug 24 2010 11:21AM

Salma Hayek

Some people bite off more than they can chew and some people don't bite at all. Take Salma Hayek for instance. She's rumoured to drink juices instead of eating meals. The $58 per day 'detox diet' is fashionably labelled the Cooler Cleanse. A little heavy on the pocket but if you're going to look like Hayek, will you not give it a shot?

What is it about fad diets or crash diets that make them so promising? Probably it's the idea that you can lose oodles of weight in as little time as possible. Perfect for you to steal the show at the wedding that's coming up two weeks down the line!

Fad diets are diets that claim weight loss by mechanisms other than calorie restriction. There are three categories of food fads:

1. The virtue of a particular food or food group is exaggerated and purported to cure specific diseases, and is thus incorporated as a primary constituent of a diet
2. Foods are eliminated from a diet because they are viewed as harmful
3. An emphasis is placed on eating certain foods to express a particular lifestyle

Some of the popular celebrity fad diets are:

Mariah Carey

Purple Diet

Celeb fan: Mariah Carey

You eat: Purple foods such as red grapes, plums and brinjals containing the antioxidant reserveratrol, which is supposed to be a wonderful anti-ageing nutrient. So rather than promoting weight loss, The Purple Diet promotes youth

Promises: Quick and short-term weight loss, promotes eating nutrient-rich foods

Problems: You may not always find purple foods and they don't come cheap either

Baby Food Diet

Celeb fans: Rumoured to be followed by Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross

You eat: Jars of nutritious baby food as a healthy alternative to snacks and sometimes a meal or 14 portions of puréed food ever day, followed by a normal-portioned healthy dinner

Promises: Created by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, the diet is said to eliminate toxicity and break bad habits

Problems: It can leave you feeling weak and tired. Baby food portions will not satisfy the hunger for a meal

Gwyneth Paltrow

Macrobiotic Diet

Celeb fans: Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna

You eat: Well-chewed whole cereal grains (40–60%), vegetables (25–30%), beans and legumes (5–10%), Miso soup: (5%), sea vegetables (5%). Avoid processed foods, refined foods (like sugar and white flour), meat and dairy, chocolate, soda, caffeine and tropical fruits

Promises: Created first by philosopher George Oshawa in the 1920s, the diet is based on the Japanese concept of Ying and Yang. The diet focuses on foods that are low in saturated fats and high in fiber, it can help you lose weight, besides lowering your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, heart attack and stroke

Problems:  Extreme macrobiotic eating can be very low in calories, posing a risk for starvation. The diet is also very low in calcium, iron, vitamin D and the B vitamins. Children and pregnant or breastfeeding women should not follow a macrobiotic diet

Master Cleanse

Celeb fans: Rumoured to be followed by: Beyonce, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

You eat: Sip an elixir of filtered water, maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper in order to melt fat, detoxify and test your will power for seven to 12 days

Promises: Ensures quick and short-term weight loss

Problems: Nearly all of it consists of water, which is no nutritional value. Maple syrup is the sole source of calories. Cayenne pepper irritates the lining of the GI tract to potentially cause diarrhoea. No one can survive very long on such a starvation diet

Crash diets such as these are intended for short-term use, but can quickly become habit forming. You may not actually lose weight and even if you do, if may be because you’re losing water and glycogen (the body's carbohydrate reserve) instead of fat. Have a balanced diet instead and regularise your meals by eating smaller portions often in the day instead of piling everything on your plate at one go.