Which popular diets are fads?

[AussieNeil]

Found this recommended check list for assessing whether a diet was a fad and considered it could equally apply to diets promoted to help fight or cure cancer:

"Each year, new weight loss diets appear that promise to reveal the ultimate secret of success – if only you buy the book, pills or potions.

:

When assessing whether a diet is a fad, ask yourself, does the diet:

- contradict advice from qualified health professionals?

- promote or ban specific foods or whole food groups?

- promote a one-size-fits-all strategy?

- promise quick, dramatic or miraculous results with minimal effort?

- focus only on short-term results?

- promote “miracle” pills, supplements or products touted to “burn fat”?

- make claims based on personal testimonials or one random study?

If the answer to two or more of these questions is “yes”, it’s probably a fad. "

Full article is from the University of Newcastle, Australia academics Clare Collins, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, Postdoctoral research fellow Lee Ashton plus Postdoctoral Researcher Rebecca Williams: theconversation.com/blood-t...

The article looks specifically at the Blood type, Pioppi, Gluten-free and Mediterranean diets and concludes with the advice "If you need help or to check whether you are meeting your nutrient needs, consult your GP or a dietitian." Conveniently, there's a link to finding an Accredited Practising Dietitian in Australia and I'd hope that other countries have similar lists to accredited diet specialists.

Likewise "The U.S. News and World Report has however confirmed that the healthiest diet at present is the Mediterranean diet. For this report the team of experts ranked 41 different popular diets. They came to the unanimous conclusion that the Mediterranean diet can provide long term benefit to health. They named the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) as the second healthiest diet. The DASH diet is recommended for keeping hypertension or high blood pressure under control. Third on the list was a flexitarian diet that is mainly vegetarian diet which allows an occasional serving of meat. Fourth in the list was shared by brain-focused MIND diet and Weight Watcher’s diet and 11th on the list is the Vegetarian diet. Vegan diet ranks 20th on the list, Paleo diet ranks 33rd and Whole30 and Keto diets rank 38 together. Keto diet has been most in news over the last year, gaining popularity."[/I]

news-medical.net/news/20190...

Neil

[MsLockYourPosts Passed Volunteer]

I think any of us of a certain age can tick off diets that have come and gone along with the books promoting them.

[Jm954 Administrator]

I'm certainly guilty of following fad diets, especially in the 70s and 80s. The grapefruit diet was especially ineffective and I think we felt in those days that you needed to suffer and feel very hungry to lose weight.

I've learnt you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle but I still can't do it!

[G1llHa1n]

One comment on discussing diet with your GP. In the UK, unless there has been very recent improvement, the reckoning is that most medics will have one, at most two, two hours tuition on nutrition/diet in their entire training. So, unless your GP has a particular interest in the topic - which they have then brought and keep up to date . . .

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to G1llHa1n]

Hence my mention of finding an accredited dietitian .

[G1llHa1n]

I thought you would be well clued up on that. I don't know what the situation is in other places.

[Mystic75]

When my mother-in-law developed cancer, she immediately began following a diet that had been promoted as a cure for cancer, especially in the 1980s. Very difficult diet to follow and both of my mother/father-in-law took cooking lessons so they could follow it. After she left the hospital when she had her tumor removed, she did not go back to the doctor or had any treatments.

However, after a number of years it became obvious her cancer progressed and then she went to the doctor and had chemo. A short time later, she unfortunately passed away.

I have mixed feelings on the subject. On the one hand, I know diet is very important. But on the other hand, I know there is a tremendous urge within all of us to want to be able to control events.

Eating to become more healthy and avoid bad side effects from what we eat is one thing. Controlling ones diet with the anticipation that it will cure cancer is another.

If only it were that easy.