What Is A Bad Diet?

A Healthy Diet

The principles of healthy eating, as advocated by most responsible weight loss plans, have not changed much in recent years. So any diet proclaiming it is 'brand new' or 'revolutionary' should be treated with caution; the presentation may be different, or other aspects may be new, but a sound weight loss diet should follow standard, familiar principles. There are other signs that indicate how effective and healthy a diet is likely to be, and to help you decide whether it is the kind of plan you would like to follow. The main features of a BAD diet are below.

*Suggest That a Normal Healthy Diet Is Not Enough To Ensure Good Health

Some diet plans prey on the fears of the 'worried well' by claiming that it is impossible to eat healthily without taking some supplements or special foods, whether you are trying to lose weight or not. However, this is counter to standard medical advice.

*Promise Weight Loss No Matter How Much, or What, You Eat

Claims that you can lose weight by eating 'as much as you like' are sound as long as the unlimited foods are specified : no one can lose weight by eating unlimited amounts of absolutely any food.

*Claim That You Can Lose Weight From Specific Areas

When fat is lost, it is lost from all over the body and therefore it is not possible to 'direct' a weight loss diet towards a specific place, such as your bottom. It may seem that weight seems to disappear more easily from some areas ('apple' shapes may find their waist shrinks quite quickly, for instance), and exercise can help tone up muscle tissue and boost weight loss, but otherwise it is not possible to spot-reduce.

*Promote Eating Only One Type of Food or Foods With Special Properties

Different diet plans set about achieving the energy (calorie) deficit in various ways. Eating only one type of food is a very effective way of reducing overall energy intake, especially if the recommended food is low in calories, such as fruit or eggs. Restricting certain combinations of foods (such as having a burger with no bread) is another way of making an energy deficit more likely. However, this is the only benefit of following such a limited diet and there may well be health risks that are associated with cutting out specific groups of foods. Also, there are no foods that have the ability to make the body burn fat faster to any significant degree; it is the overall energy intake that counts.

*Promise Weight Loss Without Dieting Or Exercise

You may be told that you can lose weight 'without dieting', but read the small print and you are likely to find that the plan in question 'doesnt feel like a diet' because it is filling, or consists of everyday foods. Nonetheless, if you are creating an energy deficit, you are dieting; it is impossible to lose weight without either reducing your calorie intake or increasing your calorie expenditure - preferably both.

*Recommend Large Doses of Vitamin or Mineral Supplements

A weight loss diet which is based on sound healthy eating principles should not normally require any vitamin or mineral supplements to be taken, except in those cases where people may have special dietary needs or restrictions. Nutritionists agree that it is generally much better to get vitamins and minerals from food rather than supplements, so a diet that relies on these may be too restrictive to ensure enough nutrients will be available from the food on offer.

*Promise Permanent Weight Loss Even When The Diet Is Over

Some diets, especially those that claim to boost the metabolism with special foods or supplements, promise that the effect will continue even after the course of treatment or diet plan is finished. However, there is no evidence that this is the case.

*Claim to Induce Substantial Weight Loss By Absorbing Fat or Calories

There is no scientific evidence that food supplements can prevent the body from absorbing fat or calories in any way that would make a significant contribution to weight loss.

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