Title: Characteristics of Fad Diets | Healthy Living
Headings: Characteristics of Fad Diets
Characteristics of Fad Diets
Poor Rationale
Too Good to Be True
Blame
Not Backed by Experts
The Facts

Content: In 2007, Marketdata Enterprises estimated that the diet industry was generating about $55 billion dollars annually, which can be attributed to the 72 million dieters in America. Poor Rationale
Your body requires a well-rounded diet for energy, function, tissue repair, immunity and maintenance. Seeming to disregard this, the creators of fad diets encourage you to ban or exalt a particular food or food group, maintaining that certain foods are bad and should never be eaten, while others have newly discovered, magical fat-burning powers. A diet plan requiring you to forgo balanced meals in favor of a single food -- or concoction of tree syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper -- will leave you bereft of enough whole grains, dairy, vegetables, fruit and protein-rich foods and may cause you to dread meal time. Too Good to Be True
Fad diets propagate claims that promise maximum weight loss with minimal effort in a short amount of time. These assertions can be very attractive to cyclic dieters who are frustrated and looking for a quick fix, but losing 30 pounds in 30 days is not recommended. You may lose weight initially, but this is often regained as soon as the regimen is over because you are not shown how to eat a balanced diet. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, rapid weight loss can result in loss of water, muscle and bone mass, while your intention may have been to get rid of fat. Blame
Fad diets often fault genetics, hormone imbalances or improper cleansing function for unwanted weight gain instead of the likely relation to excessive intake of calories or insufficient levels of physical activity. Other usual scapegoats are carbohydrates and fat, as if their consumption can cause imbalances in the body and restricting them will restore your body's balance.