International No Diet Day: Unhealthy fitness fads

The world is obsessed with diets. Every few weeks or so, a new diet is invented and the next thing you know, it’s trending on social media and has people lapping it up with gusto. The more bizarre the fad, the more popular it gets. These diets come with the promise of weight loss and that’s all it takes to find numerous takers at the drop of a hat. On the occasion of International No Diet Day, we asked health experts on the mania and what is that one diet that they wouldn’t recommend to anybody...

POOJA MAKHIJA, NUTRITIONIST

The last two-three decades have witnessed awareness of health as a great concern. Earlier, it was about trying to get healthy, now it’s about getting healthier. Also, we follow a herd mentality. So, if a particular diet is trending or if a celeb is following a particular one, everyone else also wants to jump on the bandwagon. The obsession with diets is in order to live healthily but whether it’s being done in the right way is debatable. The age group of 25 to 40, mostly women, is the most prone to obsessing and experimenting with diets. As for teens, I would say it’s a fair mix of both the sexes as even young guys are conscious about wanting a well-built physique.

A DIET YOU DON’T APPROVE OF: It’s a big craze right now and this will sound controversial but I don’t approve of the Ketogenic/Keto Diet. Getting close to 80 per cent of your calorie consumption through fats, even if it’s good fat, is not something I agree with. The diet is known to give results in terms of weight loss, however, it’s temporary and won’t sustain in the long term. Also, not having fruits (which are abundant in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) is a ridiculous idea!

LUKE COUTINHO, INTEGRATIVE AND LIFESTYLE MEDICINE — HOLISTIC NUTRITION

People are so sold with the idea of diets that they often forget where to draw the line. For example, the Ketogenic Diet was originally designed to heal brain diseases and patients who got on to it had their kidneys and liver tested every three months to check and rule out any side-effects that a high-fat diet could produce on them. However, today, it has made its way in the weight-loss industry. No doubt, it does help you shed some kilos but that’s only initially. No one ever talks about how sustained was the weight loss or its side-effects.

Which section of people is most obsessed with diets? Everyone, right from teenagers, youngsters to middle age, elders as well as some seniors. The internet, social media and air-brushed pictures of human figures on magazines cover pages fuel this to a large extent. Because of this, there is always a competition to look better than your friend, colleague or neighbour.

A DIET YOU DON’T APPROVE OF: Everybody is different. Their metabolism, genetic predisposition, digestive capacities, gut microflora, mental state, culture and lifestyles, in general, are totally unique to everyone. So there is no one diet that fits all. I am yet to come across two people following the same diet and experiencing the same results, let alone the masses. Hence, I am not in approval of any diet. However, there are certain guidelines for diets like Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet that are helpful, but it has to be customised to every individual.

MUNMUN GANERIWAL, NUTRITIONIST AND FITNESS CONSULTANT, FOUNDER — YUKTAHAAR

It’s a simple case of demand and supply. The world doesn’t seem to stop asking for quick weight loss. And the health industry doesn’t seem to stop making money out of it by giving the world a new fad diet that promises everything from weight loss to a thin body. There’s a term, Orthorexia, an eating disorder that represents those who have an ‘unhealthy’ obsession with eating healthy. In an attempt to eat healthy, these people get so restrictive in their diets that they get as dangerously thin as anorexics. I feel this obsession is seen among both genders, age group as young as 10 to 50 plus and across all backgrounds.

A DIET YOU DON’T APPROVE OF: The Gluten-Free Diet. Unless one has Celiac disease or gluten allergy, it’s not right to go gluten-free, it means avoiding grains like wheat, barley, and rye. At it is unprocessed, wholesome form, these grains offer many nutrients like fibre, B vitamins, micronutrients, prebiotics, etc. apart from gluten. Prebiotics are important to induce changes in the composition of the gut microbial populations and confer multiple benefits to the host health including weight loss, fighting diabetes, cancer, etc.

DR DEEPTI BAGREE, HEAD OF DEPARTMENT, HEALTHCARE, RESET: HOLISTIC LIVING CONCEPTS

Instead of diet being a way of healthy lifestyle, it has now become an obsession. We often see people getting obsessed about eating clean, greens and lean. There are certain health enthusiasts that are obsessed with everything that goes into their system without giving much preference to the actual nutrient intake. More people are joining the bandwagon for being skinny. The age group that is more likely to fall in this category are the college-going teens from well-off families due to peer pressures, middle-aged females of age 35 plus and young adults pursuing a career in showbiz.

A DIET YOU DON’T APPROVE OF: The word ‘diet’ has been exploited in recent times so much so that nutrient-deficient meal plans have gained more popularity than the nutrient dense ones. There are various diets that have no scientific backing but due to popularity, people follow them. Beware of the General Motors Diet (GM Diet) and Mono Diets (having only single macronutrient to be eaten for few days/ weeks). These diets make one lose body water and then lose muscle gradually.

PALLAVI SRIVASTAVA, FITNESS NUTRITIONIST, PROPRIETOR — Q-SLIM FITNESS STUDIO

Weight loss can be empowering, rewarding, and will give you happiness and satisfaction. Whereas weight gain for many can cause emotional distress. But to get obsessed with a fad diet or follow a very low calorie restricted one, is not advisable. What you watch on TV or what your favourite celebrity eats may not suit you. Acceptance by society, weighing yourself every day, starving yourself to look thinner, lose those extra grams you gained by the previous meal by working out extra without thinking about your body’s capacity is what people are obsessed with these days. The younger lot in the age group of 18-35 years and more of females are more prone to these fad diets.

A DIET YOU DON’T APPROVE OF: Many fad diets like Blood Group Diet, Raw Foods Diet, Cookie Diet, 5 Bite Diet. I do not prescribe any fad diets. Diets should be customised as per body type, likes and dislikes, exercise, medical conditions, age, height, weight and other such parameters.

KANCHAN PATWARDHAN, CLINICAL NUTRITIONIST, KANCHAN’S HOUSE OF HEALTH AND NUTRITION

We have seen many cases, especially teenagers, who have gone overboard with their obsession with diets. Both girls and boys are quite obsessed with their physique. Girls try to follow fad diets to lower abdominal fat and boys try to build up their muscles have protein shakes to get six-pack abs.

A DIET YOU DON’T APPROVE OF:  There are many fad and restrictive diets, and I won’t recommend such diets, especially the GM Diet and Fruit Diet. Besides weight loss and weight gain, there can be deficiency of vitamin and calcium, body ache, hair loss, etc.