In the ongoing tug of war with our zippers and buttons, we often fall prey to the lure of fad diets and their promises of bodily perfection. Sara Taher uncovers the truth.
Our obsession with looking good shows no sign of slowing in 2013. Unfortunately the quest for a quick-fix solution to our own hang ups means some people succumb to fad diets and the utopian idea of an overnight makeover. Despite our best efforts, many of us might ignore common sense and throw ourselves into various diet crazes without ever considering their real risks.
We often subject ourselves to starvation, vitamin deficiencies and poor mental performance among various other torturous symptoms. The reasons many rational people commit to outrageous methods are the typically tantalising promises of smaller dress sizes and more confidence. Here, we scrutinise some of these increasingly popular diets, highlight their distinct flaws and offer alternatives.
Negative calorie foods
This one sounds like a dream come true; eat all you can and you will still be able to trim your waistline. The theory that fuels this popular diet is that certain foods take more energy to burn than they actually contain; essentially allowing you to eat yourself thin. Foods that one can eat on this diet freely include celery, onions, grapefruit, kelp, lettuce and most green vegetables. While these foods are very nutritious, high in fibre and may fill you up, eating them exclusively does pose certain risks. Most people will pile the weight on very quickly once they then start introducing more complex foods back into their lives and some people may also suffer from mineral deficiencies while on it.
Do the right thing: Introduce more negative calorie foods into your diet and try to substitute your regular snacks with them. You will lose weight safely without shocking your system.
The protein diets
From Atkins to the Dukan diet, many claim that sticking to proteins is the quickest and best way to drop the needle on the scale. While the exact specifics concerning the amount of weight loss vary, all protein diets promise fast results by eliminating carbohydrates. While it is true that your weight will drop dramatically, the health risks inherent with this regime are plentiful. Sticking to the protein diet could cause high cholesterol, kidney stones and even, in severe cases, organ failure.
Do the right thing: Instead of sticking to eating just proteins, make your dinner a protein meal and allow yourself those missing carbohydrates for breakfast and lunch.
The liquid option
Liquid diets come in all shapes and forms; however most work by severely restricting your calorie intake. The biggest pitfall with all liquid diets is that the weight you lose on them is gained back exponentially faster as soon as you reintroduce solid food. Additionally, the body might also start burning muscle mass as opposed to fat, which can cause a host of problems such as dizziness, electrolyte imbalance and heart problems.
Do the right thing: Try substituting your midday doughnut with a fresh orange juice; it’ll satisfy your sweet tooth, fill you up and has vitamins.
Low fat alternatives
The assortment of diets in this family promise results by eliminating or severely restricting the fat content in your food. While this may sound reasonable enough, issues start to arise when people don’t discern between good fats and harmful ones. Our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function well as fats help us absorb vitamins and produce energy. The trick lies in eliminating saturated and hydrogenated fats and eating vegetable oils and fish oils instead.
Do the right thing: Instead of totally eliminating fat from your diet, choose your fat content wisely. Skip the French fries but welcome the olive oil sautéed veggies with open arms.
Some healthy food delivery services
Abu Dhabi is full of nutrition centres that can assist you with weight loss by delivering all your healthy meals directly to your front door.
Health Quest: One month costs Dhs2,900. www.healthquest.ae (02 443 3449).
Slim’n lite: One month costs Dhs2,700. www.slimandlite.com (02 222 2677).
Bite Rite: One month costs Dhs2,999. www.biterite.ae (02 641 1660).
Nutrislim: One month costs Dhs2,772. www.nutrislim.ae (02 667 3999).
Tips and tricks
Abu Dhabi-based Nutritionist Raghda Keblawi offers some healthy suggestions
Don’t eat heavy meals late.
Don’t skip breakfast.
Avoid carbs after lunch.
Do make sure you eat a balanced diet every day.
Skip the soft drinks.
Drink water. Having a glass of water before each meal helps fill your stomach so you don’t over eat or end up bingeing on really unhealthy food.
