Gunderson

Kristin Gunderson

Dr. McClure

CA 101

16 October 2015

Diet Fads Persuasive Essay

Dieting appears to be a hot topic throughout history, dating back to Hippocrates who

stated that one must "let food be your medicine and medicine be your food" (Trivedi 42). He

believed food and exercise to be the source of overall health; however, his idea has been

manipulated through years of scientific research. A diet is defined as "the amount and kind of

food and drink that a person takes in a day. It also refers to food selections planned to meet

specific requirements of the individual, by including or excluding certain foods" (Loue and

Sajatovic). Many individuals are confused by the conflicting diet-focused research. As Trivedi

says, there is an "endless flip-flopping over particular foods and nutrients- carbs, fats, eggs, nuts-

and it's no wonder we're all finding it so hard what to eat" (42). There is a never ending curiosity

regarding the food one eats and the impact it may have on an individual's health. Americans are

constantly trying to lose weight, which leads to fad diet trends growing in society. A fad diet can

be defined as a plan which "promises that you will lose weight fast or at an unrealistic pace... is

based on a single study... refers to foods as 'good' or 'bad'... use personal testimonies to 'sell' the

diet... involves crash dieting, or very intense reductions in eating or drinking" (Vann). Diets offer

quick yet unsustainable weight loss and may have negative impacts on overall long-term health.

Fad diets are not a valid solution as they are not sustainable for most lifestyles, beneficial for

long-term health and there are more effective solutions to gain overall wellness in one's life.

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Fad dieting is not a sustainable lifestyle long-term as it is high cost, requires ample

amounts of effort and negatively impacts social activities. "Most diets cost money, whether it is

paying to join a program like Weight Watchers, buying products from a brand such as Slim Fast,

or simply buying particular foods like on the Atkins Diet" ("Cost of Diets"). On average per

week, a diet may cost up to $140. This is significantly greater than the average amount spent on

groceries by those not on a strict diet which totals approximately $55 a week ("Cost of Diets"). A

year on a non-diet program totals about $2,860 while a strict diet regimen may cost up to $7,280.

Most American's need to budget for housing, clothing and social events which draw money away

from costly food purchases. High dieting costs are not sustainable for all Americans long-term as

the money can quickly run low, which causes one to quit a diet shortly after starting.

The effort required to follow a strict diet plan takes a lot of time and energy away from

other aspects of one's life. For diets such as Paleo, products containing wheat can not be

consumed. Thus, one must come up with alternate sources of energy to replace these

carbohydrates in order to properly fuel their body. Diets such as the raw food plan follow the rule

that "foods can't be heated above 118 degrees" ("Raw Food"). This stems from the belief that

heating food causes decreased nutrient absorption. Although, there is no scientific evidence to

support this belief. Following a fully raw food diet is challenging as it requires one to stock up

on fresh fruit and vegetable, raw nuts and legumes, while avoiding any processed or cooked

items. Keeping fresh produce is complicated as it requires several trips to the grocery store for

optimum quality foods.

Strict diet plans also impact social life as one may avoid restaurants, parties or special

outings where food is served. One may not be able to follow a perfect gluten free or raw food

plan unless they are willing to sacrifice their social life for the sake of a diet. People will turn

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down spending time with friends because food in their diet is not offered which causes isolating

behaviors and may produce a food obsession.

When an individual fail to follow the diet 100%, it may cause psychological issues such

as depression and decreased self-satisfaction. It is proven that "decreased self-esteem and self-

confidence [have] been associated with chronic dieting" and "the desire for thinness has been

associated with a high prevalence of eating disorders" (Carlson). Eating disorders are the top

cause of death among all mental disorders, with a prevalence of 10% death in those diagnosed

("Eating Disorders"). Eating disorders affect mostly women yet also influence men in

detrimental ways. Dieting tears down an individual's confidence and leads to unmaintainable and

unrealistic standards for long-term wellness.

Fad dieting claims to aid in disease prevention and weight loss. Many doctors promote

the idea that one macronutrient or another many lower the risk for disease. For example, Dr.

Mercola's 5:2 fasting regimen claims to have many health benefits such as "working to normalize

insulin levels, decreasing leptin sensitivity, boosting mitochondrial efficiency, normalizing

ghrelin levels, lowering triglycerides and reducing oxidative stress". Mercola claims these bodily

changes are "an important part in slowing the aging process" and also "protect your brain from

changes associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease... intermittent fasting has also been

identified as a potent ally for the prevention and perhaps even treatment of dementia" (Mercola).

In essence, Mercola is saying that one will be healthier by following his diet regimen, yet uses

scientific wording to confuse readers and persuade them of his authoritative status. Most

American's do not understand the facts behind dieting claims, however choose to follow it

because of the professional language used. The claims by doctors, such as Mercola, are

contradicted in Trivedi's article as he provides scientific evidence that "out of 140 possible links

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between diet and [disease] only 10 [experiments] had enough evidence behind them to be

deemed convincing" (44). Thus, Mercola's claim may not be correct in assuming his dietary fad

is able to impact disease as there is no science-based evidence presented to support his claim.

In fact, fad dieting may cause disease as they are commonly deficient in several

necessary vitamins and minerals. For example: a vegan diet tends to lack vitamin B12,

riboflavin, calcium and iodine (Loue and Sajatovic); paleo diets lack B vitamins (specifically

thiamine, folate, niacin and riboflavin), calcium and protein ("Paleo Diets"); and raw food diets

have several associated nutrient deficiencies such as low protein intake, minimal energy intake,

deficient vitamin B12, iron, vitamin D, calcium and zinc ("Raw Food"). These deficiencies

overtime may cause osteoporosis, cancer and anemia if not supplemented properly under a

doctor’s consent. Current research provides evidence that "diets that contain whole grains and

legumes actually reduce risk of developing cardiovascular disease" and that, "diabetes is caused

by a combination of genetics risk and overall weight or obesity- not by eating carbohydrates"

("Paleo Diet"). These facts contradict the paleo guidelines of avoiding wheat. It is also known

that "osteoporosis is strongly linked to calcium deficiency" which provides evidence that a dairy

free diet, such as a vegan or paleo plans, may be detrimental to bone health ("Paleo Diet"). As for

short term effects on the body, a fad diet is known to cause "muscle cramps, dizziness,

confusion, fainting, dehydration, severe constipation or diarrhea, mood changes and constant

hunger" (Vann). These negative effects on the body are not often discussed in the promotion of a

diet, yet it is important for an individual to understand the long-term negative consequences

along with the short-term positive possibilities.

Fad diets tend to set an individual up for complete failure in the area of weight loss as a

"diet resulting in quick weight loss without meeting your nutritional needs can lead to regaining

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weight rapidly if you revert back to your old eating habits" (Vann). It is proven that a "10 percent

reduction in body weight will reduce the women's risk for chronic disease such as hypertension,

coronary artery disease, diabetes and degenerative arthritis" (Carlson). However, fad diets often

produce a rapid weight loss of more than 10 percent of body weight which lead to negative

bodily impacts. This fact is specifically shown by a low-carbohydrate diet as "people lose weight

and keep it off for a short time" because "glycogen, the body's carbohydrate reserves, is stored

with water... about 3 grams of water is lost for every gram of glycogen that is used" (Loue and

Sajatovic). Thus, when an individual restricts carbohydrates, the body's glycogen stores decrease

causing a loss of water. This can cause dehydration of bodily tissues and may lead to more

serious consequences overtime. One consequence is a condition known as ketosis, where one's

body responds to the low fuel supply (due to lack of glycogen) by breaking down fat reserves

into ketones. Mercola claims that "ketones (not glucose) are actually the preferred fuel for your

brain" (Mercola). However, ketosis "can produce undesirable effects such as nausea, gout,

dehydration, muscle weakness, and kidney failure" (Loue and Sajatovic). These fatal possibilities

are not worth the short term weight loss produced when following a fad diet.

While a fad diet may be useful for short-term weight loss, it is not a healthy solution as

they are not sustainable for most lifestyles, beneficial for long-term health and there are more

effective ways to gain overall wellness in one's life. An individual must consider an eating plan

without nutritional deficiencies, restrictive patterns or obsessive rules which can be maintained

throughout their life. Overall wellness should be found through a balanced diet combined with an

active lifestyle, not by quick, short-term fad diets.

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