The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories (original) (raw)

| | Fitness Trail Fad diets are not for keeps Renu Manish Sinha Let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food, said Hippocrates. But the Gen X refuses to believe this centuries-old advice of the great physician. For it believes that food is just a tool to mould your body according to the fashion of the moment, whether skinny is in or well-endowed bodies are popular.Food or �diet� as is popularly known as, just something to decrease or increase the kilos. Though 99 per cent of the time it is to decrease the kilos.This obsession with the weight has this entire generation in search of a perfect diet which will get their body into shape (read skinny). This constant search for a perfect weight loss plan has them flitting from one food plan to another. It has spawned a whole industry of fad diets trying to cash on this obsession of Gen X. From no-carb to all carb, to no-sugar to no-protein to no-starch to only cabbage-soup, various fad diets have tried all kinds of permutations and combination to hit upon the perfect diet.Since many Hollywood stars too have tried many of these diets at one time or another for youngsters it is sort of an endorsement of these diets though city-based nutritionists speak against these diets in one voice. The high protein/high-fat/low-carb diet was designed Dr Robert Atkins. In this diet plan you can have unlimited amount of protein, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, mayonnaise, cheese etc. This diet also allows a good amount of fat unlike other diets. But carbs are restricted. Foods like bread, roti, grains, brown rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes, lentils, dosa, jowar, bajra, corn, carrots, beans, onions and all fruits are also banned. Because Dr Atkins claims those carb-rich foods stimulate appetite and make people hungry.The diet plan claims to switch the body�s metabolism to a fat-burning system. Normally the body burns carbs first for energy requirements not touching fat reserves of the body. But if carbs are unavailable then the body turns to stored fat reserves changing the metabolic rate of the body and the person loses weight in the process.The initial weight loss takes place due to increased metabolic rate as protein takes three to four hours to digest and fat takes four to eight hours.However, the rapid weight loss in initial phase is mostly water loss and not fats loss. During this water loss, vitamins and minerals also leech out of the body says Dr Sudha Khurana, Consultant Dietician, Department of Dietetics, PGI. This puts the load on kidneys. Also a high-protein diet will produce more nitrogenous waste in body affecting the kidneys, asserts Dr Neelu Malhotra, Diet Consultant, Silver Oaks, Mohali. When the body burns fat in absence of carbs, the fat does not get burnt completely releasing substances called ketones into blood. Ketones are toxic cells producing a condition called ketosis, which suppresses appetite. Ketosis causes nausea, dizzy spells and fluid loss. Ketone production in diabetes and pregnant women can have adverse effects said Dr Malhotra.Also when ketones get oxidised we need anti-oxidants to counter their harmful effects. But as veggies and fruits are restricted in this diet plan anti-oxidants are not available to body, says Dr Khurana. This diet is not good for diabetics or people having heart, kidney problems or high BP. A diet high in fat and low in fibre can increase the risk of heart disease, high BP, stroke, diabetes, various cancers (colon, prostate) constipation, headaches, dehydration etc. says Dr Malhotra.High intake of animal proteins over a long period can cause liver disorders and possible bone loss (as too much protein leads to acidic urine causing calcium to leech out of bones), she further adds.Cabbage soup or General Motors Diet: General Motors Inc developed this diet plan for its employees and their families in 1985. During this plan you can eat as much cabbage soup as you want plus various offbeat food combinations. On day one all fruits. Day two all veggies are allowed. Day three fruits and veggies (except bananas and potatoes). Day four bananas and milk only. Day five meat and potatoes. Day six meat and veggies. Day seven brown rice, fruit juice plus veggies. Soup is a constant feature on all seven days. This plan claims to detoxify the system. Since the choice is restricted the calorie-intake is less leading to weight loss.But one cannot stick to this regime for long, says Dr Malhotra. All major food groups required on a daily basis are missing. This kind of restrictive plan encourages binge eating and can cause depression, iron deficiency, nausea, says Dr Malhotra. This is a monotonous plan, not sufficiency balanced lacks many minerals and vitamins, says Dr Khurana. It is like sleeping all day once a week or eating all day once a week. Since body needs to perform all functions on a daily basis, similarly a balanced diet is a daily requirement, adds Dr Khurana. There has been other fad diets, which have been quite popular.Fit for life: Designed by Harney and Marilyn Diamond in early 1980�s this diet plan says when proteins and carbs are eaten together they cannot be digested by our digestive system as enzymes that digest protein nullify the enzymes that digest carbs and vice-versa. This plan recommends eating only fruit till noon and for lunch and dinner a carb-only or a protein-only meal. Dairy foods are banned, as are fish, chicken, mutton, eggs etc. Not a balanced diet as food combining may create deficiency of zinc, calcium, vitamin D, B-12 and protein. Difficult diet to be followed by Indians. Imagine eating rice without rajmah or curry.Beverly Hills diet: actress Judy Mazel designed it. It includes various offbeat food combinations and relies heavily on fruits. It says fruits like papaya can soften body fat, pineapple burns it off and watermelon flushes it out. Monotonous and severely restrictive it is unhealthy as it results in inadequate intake of fat, protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B-12 and essential fatty acids. Not a long-term option says Dr Malhotra. South Beach diet: Authoured by cardiologist Dr Arthur Agatston it was designed for heart patients to lower cholesterol and for diabetics. It encourages you to have healthy carbs and bans processed carbs. Also recommends good fats like olive oil, nuts, omega-3 fats from fish and fish oils and bans trans fats. Low-fat protein foods skimmed milk, skin-less chicken, egg whites, fish grains etc are recommended.The Zone: The zone diet comprises 40 per cent carbs, 30 per cent proteins, 30 per cent fats. This is reportedly a hunters/gatherers type diet which claims humans were genetically programmed to digest. This diet plan too encourages you to have good carbs and good fats and avoid processed carbs and trans fats. When you are in the zone you will have more energy; less hunger and cravings, better mental focus and you will soon achieve your optimum weight. Frequent small meals are recommended (with four to five hours between every meal and 2.5 hours after a snack whether you are hungry or not). You are not supposed to remain hungry as being in the zone means your mental focus is heightened, that is not possible when you are hungry. The only diet that will work in the long run is the one with which you can live all your life, a balanced diet, says both the diet consultants. Both recommend six small meals a day and 30 minutes of exercise for a planned and sustained weight-loss plan. Celebraties on fad diets Atkins admirers: Geri Halliwell, Sarah Jessica Parker.South Beach followers: Bill and Hilary Clinton.In the Zone: Jennifer Anniston, Brad Pitt, Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Mathew Perry, Demi Moore, Sandra Bullock. | | 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