Skip to main content

Fad Diets – what's the harm?

With around 63% of the UK adult population classed as being overweight, the start of the New Year is a time when individuals have good intentions to change to a healthier way of eating. However, this is also a peak time for when social media and celebrities try to influence people to follow the latest diet trend.

From juice cleansers and magic teas to cabbage soup diets and the baby food diet, they’ve all been tried and tested and found not to offer sustainable changes. Also known as Fad Diets, they can often start a cycle of weight loss followed by further weight gain. Promising as they can seem – they may put your health at risk.  Eliminating certain foods, and entire food groups, means that the body may not get all of the essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, that are needed to remain in or develop good health. .  Diet plans which exclude food groups, those where fasting is encouraged or ‘detoxing’ is recommended, are also examples of fad diets. Although individuals can feel empowered in the early days, this rarely lasts as the restrictions are hard to stick to and can lead to headaches, nausea, constipation and feelings of failure, fatigue and irritability.

There can also be an emotional impact as a result of following such advice. This can include  triggering thoughts of guilt and shame and can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

Making healthier changes to your diet is good for your overall health, wellbeing and weight management. The eatwell guide shows the different types of food and portions required to have a healthy balanced diet.