All Fad Diets

When a diet claims to have been labeled the “best diet overall,” the DASH diet warrants some attention to discuss its creators, core principles, and overall merit in the scientific community dedicated to health, diet, and nutrition.  The Dash diet is an acronym, short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.  Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is most commonly attributed to poor eating habits or lifestyle choices, such as smoking.  Hypertension has been linked to several chronic or terminal illnesses, including kidney stones, certain types of cancer, Type II diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.  It is believed that a healthy diet is critical in reducing individual risk for the conditions mentioned previously, and the Dash diet claims to provide a road map that an entire family can follow to eat healthy.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the low-sodium Dash Diet is effective at lowering high blood pressure.

DASH Diet Creators:
The current incarnation of the Dash Diet is entitled the DASH Diet Action Plan.  According to the cover and the author, Maria Heller, M.S., R.D., the Dash Diet Action Plan is proven to reduce high blood pressure without medication.  While Maria Heller’s name is on the most recent book, the Dash for Health diet plan was designed and tested by a team of physicians, collectively with a long list of accolades.  Below are their names and an abridged list of credentials:

• Tom Moore, M.D.,  Director, DASH for Health, author of The DASH Diet For Hypertension, Professor of Medicine, Boston Medical University
• Caroline Apovian, M.D., Associate Director, DASH for Health, Director of Nutrition and Weight Management, Boston Medical Center.
  Diana Cullum-Dugan, R.D., L.D.  Instructor of Aerobics
• Pao-Hwa Lin, PhD, lead dietician of the original DASH diet and subsequent trials, faculty member at Duke University Medical Center.
• Megan Murphy, MPH, program manager of DASH for Health.  Earned Masters Degree of Public Health from Boston University of Public Health, emphasis on encouraging people to adopt healthy diets and exercise.

Many other people remain involved in the day-to-day operations of the DASH diet, and the diet has received much testing and review based principally on its creators and their commitment to better health.

Whom is The Dash Diet is For:
The DASH Diet is designed to treat patients with hypertension or prehypertension.  Because each patient responds to high blood pressure uniquely, the DASH Diet does not claim that it will eliminate the need for medication in every patient every time.  Rather the DASH Diet low-sodium Action Plan provides flexible options for dieters so that some may be able to reduce their medication or stop taking blood pressure medications all together.  When followed properly, the DASH diet is designed to increase the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications, reduce high cholesterol, and increase insulin sensitivity in individuals at risk for diabetes.  The DASH Diet recognizes that the calorie and nutrition needs for everyone is unique.  Consequently, they leave it to the dieter to choose their own calorie needs to narrow in on their specific manifestation of the DASH plan.  Despite adjustments for the individual dieter, the core principles of the Dash Diet remain the same.

DASH Diet Core Principles:
Because the DASH diet was designed to reduce high blood pressure, the diet certainly focuses on reducing the intake of foods that contribute to high blood pressure, without eliminating them entirely.  In every case, the DASH diet will be:

1. Low in sodium (salt)
2. High in fruits, vegetables, and fiber
3. Allows for modest amounts of dairy, meats, and poultry
4. Allows for modest portions of fats and sweets

While eliminating sodium is a great start in the effort to reduce blood pressure, it’s only half of the diet equation in the DASH diet.  It’s also about what’s taken in.  The DASH diet focuses on increasing the intake of key minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, each of which play a role in reducing blood pressure.  The DASH diet also addresses other lifestyle choices that elevate blood pressure and put increased strain on the heart, namely excess weight, not enough exercise, smoking, and excessive alcohol, though moderate amounts of alcohol are allowed in the DASH diet eating plan.

How The DASH Diet Promotes Weight Loss:
The DASH Diet promotes weight loss by focusing on the tried and true methods of dieting that are common threads in many successful diets.  The DASH diet is not a “crash” diet, meaning that the emphasis is not rapid weight loss.  Nor is the DASH diet a short term diet so much as it is a long term eating plan.  By following the DASH diet, a dieter should continue to lose weight until their body feels that it is at a comfortable weight.  Thus, the early stages of the DASH Diet should naturally transition into a stage where the body maintains a stable weight.  Assuming no food allergies, there are no food groups that need to be eliminated by the dieter, allowing for both variety and long term stability in the diet.  The following are a few of the concepts that allow the DASH Diet to both reduce blood pressure and promote weight loss:

• The DASH Diet emphasizes a high intake of fruits and veggies, which are nutrient dense foods with few calories.  The stomach cares more about volume than calories in determining when it’s full.
• The DASH Diet is low in refined carbohydrates, things like white sugar or starches such as are found in pasta.  These two restrictions keep carbohydrate levels in check.
• The DASH Diet does not skimp on protein.  Adequate protein intake when combined with a sensible exercise plan (which the DASH Diet also promotes) does two things.  First, it prevents sugar crashes between meals when combined with carbohydrates, and it also prevents the muscle loss which can crash the metabolism.

DASH Diet Nutritional Goals:
The nutritional goals listed for the DASH Diet are listed for a target calorie count of 2100 calories.  While the numbers will vary based on individual calorie needs, ideally the percentages (of calories) should remain the same.

Total Fat:  27%
Saturated Fat:  6%
Protein:  18%
Carbohydrates:  55%
Fiber:  30 grams
Potassium:  4700mg
Sodium:  1500mg-2300mg
Calcium:  1250mg
Magnesium:  500mg
Cholesterol:   150mg

The average American typically consumes up to 8% more fat, 3%-5% less on protein and carbohydrates, and double to triple the amount of sodium recommended.

DASH Diet Exercise Recommendations:
The DASH diet has some very broad recommendations and comments to make about exercise, recognizing that each dieter will start the DASH lifestyle at their own individual level of fitness.  The following guidelines can be utilized by virtually anyone to increase the effectiveness of their exercise routine, or to begin one from the ground up.

Find something you enjoy and do it safely.  Healthy enthusiasm toward exercise is necessary.  Pushing your body too hard too fast is the fastest way to derail an exercise regimen.

Alternate exercise activities.  Allowing muscle groups to rest every other day can prevent injury and provide variety.
Set a schedule.  The DASH Diet recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week, though these can be brokendown into 10 minute blocks if time is short.

Partner up.  An exercise partner can increase what exercises you can do safely, provide someone to be accountable with, and can also reduce the nervousness that can arise from working out in a gym full of strangers.

Reward yourself for setting and reaching goals, but don’t use food as your reward.

The DASH Diet, in Summation:
The DASH Diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, attempts to steer the dieter into making changes in the short term that are extremely beneficial in the long term.  Because high blood pressure is a risk factor in many chronic illnesses and can increase their severity, the DASH Diet approach is to nip the cause in the bud.  The DASH Diet percentages are suitable for dieters between 1600 and 3100 calories, which means they are suitable for most.  Following the DASH Diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure on its own, and even increase the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.  The merits of the DASH Diet are many, including the fact that it is developed by doctors and provides a framework for healthy eating regardless of whether or not weight loss is needed by the dieter.

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The Nordic Diet, written by Trina Hahnemann, takes many threads of dietary models and weaves them together to create a diet with unique emphases of its own.  Like many other trendy diets, the Nordic Diet acknowledges that dieting is evolving into more than just an “eat this, not that” mentality.  In changing the foods we eat, we must spend equal time in changing the way we eat and our approach to eating.  The Nordic Diet promotes a much more back to basics methodology of eating, cooking, baking, and keeping track of nutrition.  Counting carbohydrates or calories is not necessary, as people have known how to eat long before carbohydrates or calories were ever defined.

For some time now the Mediterranean Diet has been held up as a virtual gold standard for healthy living and healthy eating.  While author Trina Hahnemann does not dispute this belief, in her book, the Nordic Diet, she presents compelling evidence that the same principles that govern the Mediterranean Diet can also govern the Nordic Diet.  The most distinctive difference between the Mediterranean Diet and the Nordic Diet is the cuisine.  The Nordic Diet emphasizes buying locally grown fruits and vegetables, poultry and cattle raised on local farms, and fish either farmed locally or caught wild.  Trina tends to favor organic foods less for any added nutritional value (which is still disputed) but more for the fact that organic farming practices utilize more environmentally friendly techniques, and that, to her, organic foods simply taste better.

While no diet book is expected to be perfect, the Nordic Diet is simple to read and easy to follow.  In the foreword, Trina lays out 7 fundamentals of the Nordic Diet:

1.  Balanced meals emphasizing whole grains with in-season fruits and veggies.
2.  Home-cooking using fresh ingredients, including baking bread
3.  Eating a little less.
4.  Consuming fish at least twice per week.
5.  Eating vegetarian meals at least twice per week.
6.  Eating game, poultry, or red meat at most three times per week.
7.  Eat with family or friends on a daily basis.

The Nordic Diet has a very eloquent and simple way of stating the obvious, “Balance is at the core of a healthy and happy life.”  In a sense, a balanced diet means nothing without balanced living.  In one sense, the Nordic Diet contends that the kitchen and the dining room should be the main family rooms in the house, not the living room or den.  Because food is known to draw people together, emphasizing home cooking may yield a positive impact at bringing families to the dinner table.

Like many recent diets, the Nordic Diet emphasizes conscientious eating.  Cook it, set the table, and sit down to eat with nothing else to do but focus on enjoying the meal.  In the Nordic Diet there are a few guidelines to follow so as to know what’s in store.

1.  Eat three main meals of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
2.  Cut down on portion sizes.
3.  Aim for 30% to 50% of food intake to be from fruits or vegetables.
4.  Snacking is left to the dieter’s discretion.  Don’t eat if you don’t feel hungry.
5.  Allow your diet to change as the season changes.  Focus on eating what’s in season.

The Nordic Diet does not cover much on the subject of exercise, but what it does say on the matter is sound.  First of all, start somewhere.  There are three basic guidelines for exercise in the Nordic Diet.

1.  Exercise at least 30 minutes per day.
2.  Do something you enjoy; hiking, swimming, biking.  So long as it increases the heart rate and it’s something to look forward to it will have both the proper physical and psychological benefits.
3.  Like eating, find partners to exercise with, set goals with, or maintain accountability.

Though there is no mention of Trina Hahnemann’s credentials in fitness or nutrition, she covers some basics for attempting to establish an ideal weight for dieters and setting reasonable goals to lend to a dietary success rather than a failure.  And since the Nordic Diet approach tries to wean dieters away from processed or packaged foods, Trina was diligent in incorporating several recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts.  Perhaps the ultimate goal set forth by the Nordic Diet would be not for a dieter to lose weight; that will be a byproduct of healthy eating and exercise; the true emphasis of the Nordic Diet is for the dieter to reduce weight, stress, and their overall environmental impact by leading a balanced life.

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The 5 Factor Diet, created by Harley Pasternak, claims that it is a lifestyle that “gets real people Hollywood results.”  For the goal-oriented dieter, this bold claim may certainly merit attention.  What the discerning dieter must do is to study up and decide for themselves whether or not the 5 Factor Diet is worth the hype and whether the diet may prove successful for them.  Any successful diet is worthless if it fails the dieter.  Many concerns should be addressed before beginning any diet program:

• What is the background of Harley Pasternak? Does he have any credentials in fitness or nutrition?
• How long has the 5 Factor diet been around, or does it have a proven track record?
• How much will it cost to follow the 5 Factor Diet?
• Does the 5 Factor Diet incorporate exercise?
• Does the 5 Factor Diet recommend or endorse any special supplements?
• Does the 5 Factor Diet focus solely on losing weight or is the program balanced to provide weight management?

Harley Pasternak, creator of the 5 Factor Diet, does have a fitness and nutrition background.  For a creator of diets, this lends him and the 5 Factor Diet more credibility than other fad diets that are not attributed to anyone or are attributed to false sources.  Pasternak received a Masters Degree of Science in Exercise Physiology and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto.  From the University of Western Ontario he rounded this out with an Honors Degree in Kinesiology.  Needless to say, he is educated on the subjects of fitness and nutrition.

The list of celebrity clients Harley Pasternak has catered to is long enough to make most name-droppers blush.  Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, Natalie Portman, Val Kilmer, Jeff Goldblum, and LL Cool J are just a few of the celebrities that Harley Pasternak has reported to work with.  In fact, there are nearly 80 celebrity names listed on the 5 Factor Diet Website.  And though celebrity results on a diet do not always translate into equal results for a working man or woman, a diet program that can cater to the needs of a variety of people and preferences, including vegetarians, certainly warrants some attention.

The 5 Factor Diet currently is not available in stores.  It is exclusively an online program that offers a lot of perks.  The bottom line for the wallet is $4 per week, billed every 91 day.  That amounts to $52 billed every 13 weeks.  By comparison, the 5 Factor Diet basics are inexpensive.  The program has many benefits to offer its members for this price.  These benefits include:  5 Factor Recipes, a daily meal planner, customized fitness plan, personal recipe box, shopping list tool, food log, cooking shortcuts, a guide for eating out, weight tracking, an online journal, an ideal weight calculator and Harley’s daily inspiration.

The 5 Factor Diet can easily be described as structured yet simple.  To elaborate, there are five core “factors” in the 5 Factor Diet.
1.  Eat 5 meals per day.
2.  Build each meal to contain Protein, Fiber, healthy carbohydrates, a healthy fat
and one sugar free beverage.
3.  Featured 5 Factor Diet recipes require only 5 minutes of prep time.
4.  One day per week is free for the diet to indulge their favorites guilt free.
5.  Exercise consists of 5 workouts per week, 25 minutes per day and done in-home.

Factor 1:  Eat five meals per day.  There is some debate in the dietary community as to whether or not eating smaller meals frequently or larger meals more sparsely is the proper course for dieting.  For instance, the Leptin Diet argues that at least 5 hours elapse between meals.  By doing so, the liver will be stimulated in breaking down fats to maintain energy levels.  The counter theory is that smaller meals eaten more frequently may aid in stabilizing blood sugars, preventing severe spikes and dips.  As blood sugar stabilizes it is theorized to be easier to control appetite.  Regardless of which dieting mentality works best for the individual dieter eating frequent meals requires two things:  portion control and conscientious eating.  By managing portions, calories are kept in check and the dieter is prevented from grazing (eating a little here and a little there, but never really stopping eating).  By eating conscientiously, (focusing solely on eating) dieters can learn to reduce stress and increase their satisfaction with their meals.

Factor 2:  Protein, Fiber, Healthy Carbohydrates, Health Fat, and a sugar free beverage is present in every meal.  Again, this is another contested issue among dieters.  The generally accepted theory is that combining all these elements in a meal provides a balanced and complete diet.  The less accepted theory is that protein and carbohydrates should never be combined.  Carbohydrates should be eaten first, since they are digested faster and protein later as it digests more slowly.  Theories about food combining to manipulate metabolism are viewed skeptically at best.  Of more importance is the fact that the Five Factor Diet does not eliminate any food particular food groups.  Even sugar and saturated fats can be enjoyed on the guilt-free cheat day.

Factor 3:  Recipes are kept to a five minute prep time.  This by far is one of the most important aspects of the 5 Factor diet, as it disarms one of the most common excuses for not eating healthy. “I don’t have time to eat healthy.”  By minimizing prep time, the 5 Factor Diet provides the ability for even the busiest dieters to eat healthy.  Remember that cooking shortcuts and a shopping list tool are also available to the 5 Factor dieter, included in the price of the online membership.  For a greater degree of planning, a daily meal planner is also included and food prep can be done in advance of cooking if necessary.

Factor 4:  Enjoy one day guilt free.  True around the world and especially in America, life is celebrated with food.  Weddings, graduations, wakes, holidays, sporting events, birthdays, and more are all celebrated with food, alcohol, or some combination thereof.  Cheat days are built-in for a number of other diets.  One such example is the Slow Carb Diet.  It is important to remember that it is extremely difficult to derail a diet on one cheat day per week, assuming that the diet is properly followed on the preceding six days.  For a dieter to gain one pound of fat per week they need to consume 3500 calories beyond what their metabolism burns.  For the sake of example, say a dieter is successfully losing one pound per week.  If a working diet is followed throughout the week, the dieter can expect at least one pound of weight loss per week, or at least a 3500 calorie deficit over the prior six days.  For a dieter to add one pound of fat on a cheat day, they would have to consume 7000 calories beyond what their metabolism burns.  What is more likely is that the scale will show a weight gain of 1 to 3 pounds on the day after a cheat.  It is shown that the more carbohydrates are consumed, the more water weight the body can hold.  According to numbers presented in the Atkins Diet, water weight can range anywhere from two to eight pounds in a week.

Factor 5:  Exercise at least 5 times per week, 25 minutes per day in the comfort of home.  This last factor again eliminates common excuses for would-be dieters.  Yes, gym memberships are expensive.  And true, many dieters may feel self-conscious when they are exercising in front of others.  Stay at home parents may not be able to arrange child care to sneak away and workout.  For whatever reason presented, 25 minutes per day is tolerable for most individual dieters.  By scheduling exercise 5 times per week many benefits are introduced.  First, exercise is done consistent enough to become part of an everyday routine.  Second, consistent exercise is shown to be effective at raising BMR (basal metabolic rate).  Third, exercise aids in generating the calorie deficits necessary for a successful diet.

Though the diet does not specifically mention quitting the 5 Factor Diet, the 5 Factors of the 5 Factor Diet plan can carry the dieter through the process of maintaining their weight.  For the purposes of a weight loss discussion, a dieter is generally considered to be maintaining their weight if they are plus or minus five pounds of their ideal weight on any given week.  As the body nears its ideal weight, weight loss will naturally stall.  By slowly increasing portion sizes, the 5 Factor Dieter can figure out how much they can eat without gaining or losing weight.  Continuing with the 5 a week workouts can help to maintain their weight loss, and the meals are sensible and balanced enough to continue even after losing weight has ended with the 5 Factor Diet.

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