The good, the bad and the fad

BENGALURU : Recently, 27-year-old Navya (name changed), who works with an advertising company in the city, fainted at her office because a fad diet she was following took a toll on her health. After eating heavy meals and junk food for a few days in a row, she attempted the GM diet (General Motors diet) - which is a strict, one-week diet that involves eating one category of food on each day - which made her very weak and tired. Like her, nutritionists tell us that several others attempt fad diets without consulting a doctor, and this sometimes backfires.City Express spoke to some nutritionists in the city, who tell us about the most popular fad diets followed by Bengalureans, and how this can be dangerous when not followed properly or without consulting an expert.

Liquid diets most dangerous
Dr Sreemathy Venkatraman, nutritionist/clinical dietician, Brains Neuro Spine Centre, says, “Juice diet is a dangerous and crazy diet to follow. Being only on juice is popular among college girls and adolescents, which makes them weak, anaemic and fatigued. They follow it for a short time just a few weeks before a party or a function in the family to look good. Adolescence is an important age, where the body is still growing and being on such diets will compromise on their long term health, causing problems such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, brittle bones, irregular menstrual cycle, and more.”
Shalini Arvind, chief dietician at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, adds that she gets about four or five people coming to her every month, in the age group of 25-40, inquiring about fad diets.

“The most dangerous diet Bengalureans try are when they consume only juice or buttermilk to lose weight fast,” says Arvind.Case study: “20 year old Sunaina (name changed), a second year graduate student, had started a juice diet in order to lose weight quick. Initially, she lost 2-3 kgs, but few months after she started off with this juice diet, she had missed her monthly menstrual cycle for about 6 months. She had complains of frequent fatigue and lack of energy. Following which, she had to drop her semester as well. She was irritated and had mood swings. She had come to the clinic with her mother,” says Dr Sreemathy.

Top trends today are Keto, Paleo
Talking about some of the other trending diets, Dr Sreemathy says that she gets four to five inquiries at her clinic each week on the Keto and Paleo diet. “There are also people who follow some way of eating and call it a popular name without realising what they are following. The biggest influencers among working professionals, whom I see the most number of in the 20s and 30s, are their colleagues and friends,” she says.

Jyothsna Reddy, HOD and chief clinical nutritionist at Sakra World Hospital, also says that the the fad diets inquiries she gets from people in the 25-35 age group, are mainly on the Keto and Paleo diets. She says, “ Women speak out and ask openly for clarifications about fad diets; men disclose their doubts about these fad diets only at the end of a consultation/conversation, and ask more about whey protein consumption.”

Case study: “Manjula (name changed), a 31-year-old working professional who wanted to lose weight, tried several fad diets, but nothing worked for her. Learning about the Keto diet from her friends and hearsay, Manjula started off with it, which again failed. Even after following it for three months, she did not lose any weight. This is because she did not do it under correct medical supervision, and had to go in for a consultation,” says Dr Sreemathy.

No deprivation, No starvation
“An individual’s approach to any diet, before jumping into it, should be that this is something  enjoyable and can be maintained long term. No deprivation and no starvation should persist in the mind. Make a commitment to lifestyle changes, adequate sleep, smart picking of foods and most important, seeking a qualified nutritionist’s advise/ guidance,” says Tanisha Mehta, head of department, Department of Nutrition and Diabetics, Columbia Asia Hospital.

A person should start a diet that they can sustain for a long time, says Arvind. “Go for a diet with science and logic behind it, not for a quick fix fad diet. It is easy to get tempted to lose weight, but one must give time to the body to lose fat that has been stored for years,” she says.

 High protein not recommended for teenage boys
Dr Sreemathy says that among boys, the trend is to be on high-protein diets, which is not recommended for all teenage boys. “Boys want to look bulky with muscles, and tend to take a high-protein supplement that comes in mammoth jars without supervision. Teenage athletes or sportspersons of both genders should get evaluated by a sports nutritionist and then a follow high protein diet, which a professional recommends. The diet recommended should be based on the nature of the sport you play.”

 Don’t go no-carb
A lot of people assume that giving up on carbohydrates, such as rice and wheat, will lead to weight loss. Talking about this, Mehta says, “Zero carbohydrates, which means no fuel to the brain and body, is one of the scariest and craziest diets we come across. Young adults are in a haste to shed their weight quickly, and are impatient to get an instant makeover.”