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Extreme Diets: Almost As Risky As Extreme Sports
Your body needs a wide variety of nutrients and adequate calories to fuel basic functions. Unfortunately, many of today's "quick weight loss" plans advocate a menu that relies very heavily on one nutrient, while virtually eliminating another.
High protein/low-carbohydrate diets are a perfect example.
Many of the high protein diets emphasize foods from animal sources that are rich in both protein and saturated fat such as meats and eggs while drastically limiting high carbohydrate foods such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk products. Eating large amounts of these high fat foods over time has been shown to increase risk for heart disease and certain types of cancers.
The bottom line is that extreme diets often result in rapid, temporary weight loss…but it's due to loss of body fluids. Which is why Jenny Craig advocates a diet that incorporates a wide variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid.
