Fad diets don't help in long run

     By Kim Springer
     View columnist
      Many celebrities have cashed in on the public by selling and promoting diet books.
      No matter what their approach to eating is, the public snatches up these books, looking for a miracle cure for weight loss. The newest celebrities to make money off this trend are promoting a diet that's been around for years and involves eating little carbohydrates and plenty of fat.
      I recently caught an episode of "Larry King Live" on which a well-known celebrity was promoting her diet and cookbooks. She stated that the reason Americans are overweight is due to our over-consumption of sugar, not fat. I was just as shocked as King to hear this preposterous statement.
      King himself has suffered from heart problems and has been on a very strict low-fat diet. Of course, he was wondering why this celebrity was telling him the exact opposite advice of that given by his doctors.
      Any diet that is high in fat is unhealthy. There is no special way of combining foods that causes fat ingested to release built-up fat deposits.
      Those who are on this diet fool themselves into thinking sugar and carbohydrates are the reason they have struggled with their weight. Like the Atkin's diet, these celebrity diets do work temporarily but the overall program does not promote a healthy lifestyle.
      Food combining has been around for years but its merit has yet to be proven. Eating a high protein meal for lunch and then eating your carbohydrates for dinner simply places your awareness on what you are eating.
      When following these diets, your carbohydrate intake level is restricted so severely that you are bound to lose weight because your daily calorie intake is lower.
      These diets also use the insulin/glycemic index around which to base the program. With the huge popularity of a "sugar-blasting" diet book, many are looking to cash in on people's fear of sugar.
      Since when did celebrities become experts on proper nutrition? Although celebrities make their living by looking good, this doesn't mean they can tell the average person how to lose weight.
      Obviously, there is a doctor in the background who helps them create these diet programs, but it's rarely presented this way. The celebrity is put in the forefront because they are recognizable and their personality is used to sell the product/diet.
      With all the diet and nutrition books out on the market, it's very hard to make informed decisions. Just because a book is on the best-seller's list doesn't mean it's necessarily safe or affective.
      When looking for an eating plan, your best bet is to stay with a program that's realistic and incorporates all different types of food. Diets that totally eliminate certain foods are not well-rounded. Unless you have a food allergy or medical condition, all foods should be available as long as they are eaten in moderation.
      Many people have tried these fad/celebrity diets with some amounts of success. Again, any program that drops your normal calorie intake, regardless of what types of foods are eaten, will result in weight loss.
      We might like to believe that it's now acceptable to eat a diet high in fat as long as the sugar intake is kept to a minimum. Common sense tells us that this isn't a sensible eating strategy and dieticians across the country would back this up.
      Instead of looking for a quick-fix diet, start investing your time in a new eating plan. Keep a diary of your food intake, measure portion sizes and eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.
      Fad diets will come and go but good nutrition with adequate amounts of exercise will always prevail as the way to stay healthy and trim.
     
     Kim Springer and her husband, Mike, are certified by ACE, NASM and ACSM as personal trainers. They can be reached at 233-9442, by fax at 233-9446 or by e-mail at springtrain@netscape.net.