Main Principles Of Work Of Fad, Prescriptive, And Dysfunctional Diets
Differentiate between fad diets, prescriptive diets, and dysfunctional diets.
Fad diets
A fad diet is a very strict diet, this diet includes quite a few amounts of foods and some unusual combinations of foods. A fad diet is a short-term diet however results are positive as people lose weight in a quick amount of time. This diet also has some negative impacts because eating the same foods repetitively can become very boring and dull for someone who’s following a fad diet. This may lead to eating unhealthy foods and putting the weight back on with immediate effect.
Fad diets can be very dangerous as they restrict certain nutrients that are vital because they are needed daily to be active. The nutrients that are inadequate are minerals and vitamins, not having these nutrients can lead to short-term effects such as Nausea, Headaches, dehydration, and constipation.
The Atkins diet
The Atkins diet focuses on foods with low carbohydrates, you can have fat and protein in this diet however it cannot contain large amount of carbohydrates. According to Gunnars (2018), the foods you should be eating for an Atkins diet includes “(1) Meats: Beef, pork, lamb, chicken, bacon, and others, (2) Fatty fish and seafood: Salmon, trout, sardines, etc. (3) Eggs: The healthiest eggs are omega-3 enriched or pastured. (4) Low-carb vegetables: Kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and others. (5) Full-fat dairy: Butter, cheese, cream, full-fat yogurt. (6) Nuts and seeds: Almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. (7) Healthy fats: Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and avocado oil”. According to U.S news (2018) the Atkins diet overall rating is 2.2 stars out of 5. “The low-carb Atkins diet is not a good all-purpose diet, experts said. Unfavorable marks include ease of compliance, nutrition, diabetes and heart health”.
The ketone diet
The Ketone diet consists of very low carbohydrates intake, this diet mainly consists of high-fat foods as well as the Atkins diet. When the body’s carbohydrates are reduced and replaced with fat foods the body is in a metabolic state which is known as ketosis. When the body is going through this phase the body becomes remarkably efficient for burning fat instead of energy. The ketone diet also has some positive impacts on health as it drastically reduces insulin levels and also blood sugar levels. Mawer (2018) states that there are some side effects following the ketone diet. “This is often referred to as the keto flu and is usually over within a few days. Keto flu includes poor energy and mental function, increased hunger, sleeps issues, nausea, and digestive discomfort and decreased exercise performance”. The foods to eat for a ketone diet are chicken, turkey steak, and bacon from the meat perceptive of foods. Nuts such as almonds are also snacks you can have when following a ketone diet. U.S news states that the diet is an overall 2.1 starts out of 5. US health news (2018) “The Keto diet was among the lowest-ranked diets overall. Many of our experts expressed concerns about the diet’s emphasis on fat-rich foods. “This diet is fundamentally at odds with everything we know about long-term health”.
The 5:2 diet.
The 5:2 diet is a very basic diet as you can eat normally for 5 days every week; however two days a week the calorie intakes are reduced to 25% of what you normally have days. Calorie intake for a woman is five hundred calories whereas it is six hundred calories for men. The 5:2 diet also has some positive impacts on health as it helps improve metabolic health. It is also an efficient and easy way to lose fat or weight.
According to Bjarnadottir (2018) “It’s important to emphasize that eating ‘normally’ does not mean you can eat anything. If you binge on junk food, then you probably won’t lose any weight, and you may even gain weight. You should eat the same amount of food as if you hadn’t been fasting at all”. This shows that the diet is not as easy as it looks as you also have to maintain what you eat on the other 5 days a week. The 5:2 diet is a very simple and quick way to lose weight in my opinion as it is not a long going process that a person has to follow every day and can also be seen as a “part-time diet” however experts differ and do not agree as it 5:2 diet can be very dangerous. Kate di Prima who is a dietician states that “I don’t think people realize how limited they’ll be eating only 500 calories a day on a 5:2 diet. It means no rolls, no wraps, no cereals, no dining out”.
Prescriptive diet.
The vegan diet
The vegan diet only consists of plants, examples can be fruits, vegetables, and nuts, it can also include foods that are made from plants. Vegetarians cannot eat any type of dairy products or foods that are from animals. People who follow vegetarian diets have a variety of different reasons such as, being against animal killing, religious beliefs, and also to improve and maintain their health. According to Petre (2016) vegan diets can have positive impacts on health, “Several studies show that vegans benefit from lower blood sugar levels, higher insulin sensitivity and up to a 78% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-vegans”. The vegetarian diet is also rated very highly by U.S. news as it is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars. Experts say vegetarianism is a very healthy and beneficial diet. “Vegetarianism is strong in heart health and nutritional completeness. It is a complete, healthy diet overall”.
Lactose intolerant diet
Lactose intolerance can be defined as not being able to break down lactose which is a natural type of sugar. The foods that contain lactose are the following butter, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and the most important one is milk. There has been no cure found for lactose intolerance however changing your diet can be beneficial as it helps to control the symptoms. Changing your diet means you will have to replace lactose intolerance foods with lactose-free foods. The amount of lactose substance you can consume varies, according to NIDDK “People with lactose intolerance can handle different amounts of lactose. Research suggests that many people could have 12 grams of lactose—the amount in about 1 cup of milk—without symptoms or with only mild symptoms”. Lactose intolerant symptoms are as follows, abdomen pains such as cramps, diarrhea, and sickness.
Dysfunctional diets
Dysfunctional dieting can be seen as diets that are very unhealthy and chaotic. People who follow these diet regimes normally tend to skip meals, binge on foods drastically, or in other instances skip meals to lose weight. This can be very dangerous as the body is sometimes underfed and not getting the nutrients it needs daily to stay healthy and active or sometimes overeating which can cause health problems in the future, an example would be diabetes.
A disordered (dysfunctional) eater eats less for nourishment and more for purposes of reshaping the body for thinness or to relieve anxiety and stress. This often causes distress. After eating, instead of feeling better, one may feel guilty, ashamed, uncomfortably full, or unsatisfied, and fearful of bingeing. When food is restricted thoughts of food, eating, hunger, and weight often dominate waking hours. Because food is unsatisfying and may be limited, dysfunctional eaters often feel tired, irritable, unable to concentrate, and increasingly self-absorbed. Discuss specific disordered physiological processes that can occur due to poor dietary habits. Eating problems and habits can have a major effect on your overall lifestyle. It can be difficult to maintain concentration and feel tired, feel down and depressed, avoid social occasions, suffers from low self-esteem, find it challenging to be spontaneous, and develop a short- or long-term physical health problem.
Some people develop an eating disorder which is a medical diagnosis for people who have problems due to their eating habits and this is indicated through blood tests and other further tests. On the other side, you can have an eating problem where you find it difficult to eat certain types of food, this is not diagnosed as an eating disorder. Many people with poor dietary habits sustain mental health problems too. Some of these are depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Helen highlights that food is one vehicle that can help express problems such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Poor dietary habits can lead to Bulimia. This affects a person psychologically as when they feel upset or if they are worried about something, they will eat a large amount of food all in one go which is known as binging. Helen highlights that after binging, a person may feel guilty or ashamed and will try removing the food from their system through purging. This can have physiological effects such as you may feel ashamed, guilty, very low and upset, depressed, and anxious. This can also lead to health problems such as you can become dehydrated with purging and also if you are making yourself sick, your stomach acid can harm your teeth and can affect your throat too.
A person may also be diagnosed with Anorexia due to eating habits. This occurs when an individual is not eating enough food and therefore they are not getting enough energy they require to stay healthy. Helen relates as she expresses that anorexia is assumed that people to do this to losing weight and become slim but rather it is much more than that and it is highly connected to an individual having low self-esteem, having a negative image about themselves, and suffering from intense distress. Anorexia leads to a person developing health-related problems such as osteoporosis as the bones become very fragile and a person generally becomes weak overall which affects them from functioning properly.
