Fad Diets: Good or bad?

Mirkin, G.B., & Shore, R.N (1981). The Beverly Hills Diet:  Dangers of the Newest Weight Loss Fad .  JAMA,  246(19), 2235-2237. Retrieved from: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/364293. doi:10.1001/jama.1981.03320190067036. The Ohio State University Office of Student Life Student Wellness Center (2017). Grocery deals and meals. Retrieved from The Ohio State University Student Wellness Center website: http://swc.osu.edu/posts/documents/grocery-deals-and-meals.pdf. United States Department of Agriculture. (2017, April 19). MyPlate tool [Digital image]. Retrieved April 26, 2017, from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate Wolfram, T. (2017). Staying away from fad diets . Retrieved from Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website: http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/fad-diets/staying-away-from-fad-diets

As a college student, I understand that life gets pretty hectic between balancing class, work, having a social life, and taking care of your wellbeing. Eating healthy can be an easy way to work on your wellbeing and doesn't need to be a chore. Whether you live on campus or off, check out these helpful resources to get you started on the right path: Link to FREE nutrition coaching at Ohio State's Student Wellness Center from a dietitian -- the true nutrition experts: https://swc.osu.edu/services/nutrition-fitness-and-body-image/nutrition-coaching/ The Student Wellness Center provides nutrition coaching free of charge to all students. The dietitian can offer you advice on how to eat healthy, how to eat on a budget, and how to reach any nutrition goals you may have.  Tasty, cheap, and healthy meal ideas for off-campus (an on-campus) students: http://swc.osu.edu/posts/documents/grocery-deals-and-meals.pdf If you live on campus, check out all the great dini...

Fad diets may seem to have their positives, but they also can have negatives. Depending on the result the individual is looking for, they may appear to be a quick fix. However, what are all the positives of these diets? What are the negatives? You may ask, "But I'm only eating healthy foods with this diet, how can this be bad for me?" Some fad diets, like the cabbage or grapefruit only diet, encourage dieters to eat only one food; however, this food could generally be considered healthy. Diets such as these will cut back on calories immensely, and will cause the dieter to lose weight rapidly. This may be seen as a benefit to these types of diets. Here's the problem with the weight loss: The weight the dieter loses is mainly water weight. Further, weight lost as a result of fad diets is typically regained very quickly once the diet is stopped (Wolfram, 2017). Fad diets may seem so attractive because they provide the dieter with a rigid meal plan that doesn...

From trying to lean out for a spring break trip in Fort Laudy to getting rid of the notorious "Freshman 15" before summer, many college students have probably felt a need to lose some extra weight. To do this, they will probably change what they eat and how they exercise -- usually with an emphasis on what they eat. But what happens when you realize you only have a couple weeks to shed those pounds? Ever heard of 'juice cleanses', the 'all-grapefruit diet', or dieting by eating only cabbage? These are examples of fad diets. According to Taylor Wolfram, MS, RDN, LDN (2017) at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ,  fad diets are "quick fixes" that are meant to help someone reach weight goals in a short amount of time. These are often very restrictive on food options, require a "magic product" purchased from a company, or are expensive to complete. Although they may make an individual lose weight, many people who undergo these diets don...