Fad diet digest

A quick guide to some of the most popular diets on the market.

The Atkins Diet. Invented by the late Dr Atkins, this diet is a low carbohydrate plan where starchy foods such as bread are replaced with foods that are high in fat such as fried eggs. It claims to make the body enter a state called ketosis, which means it switches from using glucose for energy and starts burning fat. Documented side effects include constipation and bad breath.

What the experts say

“The body needs a wide range of nutritional elements in order to function. Carbohydrates are vital to the body for energy and fluctuating blood sugar levels can lead to type 2 adult diabetes. I don’t recommend the Atkins Diet.”
Lesley Hampton
Nutritional science expert

What you say

“I lost quite a bit of weight but it didn't stay off long-term and it made me very tired with aching bones. I've since had much better success joining a gym.”
Daniell Morrisey
Recruitment account manager, London

South Beach Diet. Two weeks and lose 13lbs, that’s what this diet claims. It also says that the weight will come off specifically in the most unwanted body areas such as the bottom and stomach. It is basic combination of the GI Diet and the Atkins Diet where a carbohydrate free diet is recommended for the first two weeks and then a healthy diet follows.

What the experts say

“The recommended weight loss of up to 13lbs worries me. While most of us would love to lose almost a stone in a fortnight, it's not a healthy way to lose weight and unfortunately, it's likely to go straight back on once you return to less restricted eating habits.”
Juliette Kellow BSc SRD
Consultant dietician, Weight Loss Resources

What you say

I went on the South Beach diet and lost a stone. I’ve also managed to keep the weight off. I feel more confident and have more energy. I wish I’d done it years ago.”
Vanessa Kudom
Charity press officer, London

The GI Diet. Based on the glycemic index of foods, which is a measure of how quickly carbohydrates are digested. The diet is designed to sustain energy, avoid blood sugar swings, and encourage your body to burn fat. It works by replacing simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates, and allows a broad range of food choices.

What the experts say

“It certainly benefits diabetics and is useful in controlling blood sugar levels but that doesn’t mean it works for weight loss.”
Doctor Frankie Phillips
British Dietetic Association

What you say

“I’m trying the GI diet because it feels like basic common sense and just cuts out foods you know you probably shouldn’t eat anyway like crisps and cakes.”
Jess Burt
Trainee editor, London

Blood Type Diet. The top-line of this super scientific diet is that your blood group will determine which foods are antigens (or alien) to your blood type and you should avoid them. For example: type O’s are evolved from hunter gatherers and should eat a diet suitable for this activity - lots of meat and few carbohydrates. It was a big hit with former Eastenders star, Martine McCutcheon.

What the experts say

“This diet is filled with pseudo-science and has the potential to scare people into avoiding many nutritious foods in an effort to lose weight. It’s also worth bearing in mind that although the diet gives the impression that it’s based on sound scientific research this is, in fact, far from the case.”
Juliette Kellow BSc SRD
Consultant Dietitian, Weight Loss Resources

What you say

“I am blood group A and therefore a descendent of farming vegetarians. I was putting on weight despite an active lifestyle and have lost 22lbs in a year on this diet.”
Alfio Battistini
Guesthouse manager, Algarve

The Cabbage Soup Diet. As the name suggests, this diet allows you to eat unlimited amounts of cabbage soup. You are also allowed the occasional bit of fruit and vegetables. Cabbage contains little nutritional value and dieters mainly lost water rather than fat. One of the most extreme fad diets ever although it declined rapidly in popularity due to allegations of people smelling like rotten cabbages.

What the experts say

"This diet works on deprivation and is not sustainable."
Doctor Jennie Brand-Miller
Professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney

What you say

“I once tried it out of desperation but gave up after a couple of days. You have to make up sachets of dried cabbage into soup. Thinking back it was pretty disgusting.”
Alexia Panos
HR assistant, Kent

You are what you eat – Dr Gillian McKeith. A number one bestselling book was produced as a spin off for the popular Channel 4 series which tried to improve the eating habits of overweight people. Gillian has been accused of pseudo-science. For example: apparently green plants contain more chlorophyll and oxygenate the blood when eaten. Ben Goldacre from the Guardian’s Bad Science, says this is scientifically impossible. Dr Gillian was unable for comment.

What the experts say

“The Dr Gillian movement is good to an extent but it worries me when ordinary foods are attributed with unnecessary pseudo-science and mythical qualities.”
Dr Andrew Hill, senior lecturer in the academic unit of psychiatry and behavioural sciences
Leeds University School of Medicine

What you say

“My girlfriend read the book and made me eat Dr Gillian’s favourite super grain, quinoa, for a week instead of bread or pasta. It tasted a bit like bird food but I did lose a few pounds.”
Paul Goldsmith
Store replenishment team leader, London

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