Why Trendy Diets Don’t Work and How to Recognize Them
Fashion diets come in many different forms. Some of them are downright weird and some are less crazy than others, but almost all of them have a few key characteristics. This video shows you how to spot snake oil in healthcare from a mile away.
For centuries, we have been fed mouth-watering solutions for quick and easy weight loss, using diets such as the vinegar diet and the first ever low-carb diet, the Bunting diet , dating back to the Victorian era. Today we are still seeing the updated, trendy scientific diets of the new century because many of us still fall in love with them. This TED-Ed video suggests looking at the following red flags:
- The diet aims to vigorously reduce calories or whole food groups (such as fats and carbohydrates).
- You are only allowed to eat certain foods with very specific instructions.
- Most of the foods they recommend you eat are expensive brand name bars, powders, drinks, and other foods.
Another not mentioned red flag is the support of celebrities or self-proclaimed “health gurus” who make a living not by treating patients, but by selling books and conducting lecture tours.
Admittedly, quirks like Blood Type Diet, Alkaline Diet, Lemonade Diet, and so on can work … for a while. In fact, any diet can “work” as long as you manage your calorie reduction with strict rules, complex rituals ( no carbs after 8pm! ), And eliminating whole food groups and sources of high-calorie junk. After all, you are consuming fewer calories, which means that you will lose weight. Whether this lost weight is water, muscle, fat, or your sanity is another matter.
However, what works in the short term does not mean long-term success or even good health – mainly because, for most people, these diets are not sustainable. The video really raises the fair question that sometimes rapid weight loss can be justified in very specific medical circumstances. For everyone else, the real methods of making the most beneficial and lasting changes in your mind and body are irrelevant.
How to spot a fad diet | TED-Ed