How to take off extra holiday pounds: The popular diets

Melissa Southern-Garcia, Dietitian, southerngarcia@yahoo.com

The first few weeks of the year are usually full of good intentions: a new attitude and a new look. For some, a new look means a different haircut or a new set of clothes, for others it is a tight-scheduled exercise or possibly a new diet.

Many readers have asked me about specific diets this week, so I would like to look at some of the more popular diets on the market and comment on each.

Sugar Busters: This diet claims that all sugars are bad for the body. As with many of the other currently popular diets, it is based on the fact that carbohydrates -- this includes bread, rice, potatoes, and other starches, along with fruits and most vegetables -- are all broken down during digestion into sugars.

When this sugar is released into the blood stream, the body responds by producing insulin. One of the many responses of the body to insulin is to cause the body to store sugars as fat.

Therefore, the diet proposes that avoiding foods that the body will turn into sugar means avoiding fat. It provides a list of foods to avoid such as simple carbohydrates and a list of acceptable foods to indulge in.

The problem with this diet is that if a person does not eat carbohydrates, their only choice of foods will be protein and fat, and, if either of these are eaten in excess they too can be stored as fat.

In other words, carbohydrates (sugars) are not the only thing that is stored as fat. Eating too much of any food will lead to excess fat. The principal reason for weight gain is either an increase in calories consumed or a decrease in physical activity that burns those calories.

Another issue with this diet is the use of "lists". Any diet that says certain foods are forbidden does not make for lasting changes. How realistic is it to expect someone to follow this diet when eating at a restaurant or at someone's home?

The South Beach Diet: Another carbohydrate banning diet, except that this one does it in phases. The first phase of the diet bans all carbohydrates and explains that there will be dramatic weight loss in the first few weeks. The second phase allows a slow reintroduction of certain carbohydrates, specifically those that are high in fiber and take longer to digest.

During this stage, the diet indicates there will still be weight loss, but at a slower pace. The third and final stage allows a virtually unrestricted diet observing portion sizes.

This diet appears to be less radical than most of the other "no-carb" diets since it does allow a reintroduction to normal eating patterns. The author realizes that it is not realistic to forbid an entire set of nutrients for the rest of a dieter's life.

It also does a good job of emphasizing healthy choices such as lean meats, whole grains, and drinking plenty of water. However, the problem with this diet is that dieters lose weight not because they are avoiding carbohydrates, but because the first phase of the diet only provides about 1400 calories per day, much less than the 1800-2000 calorie intake needed for an average individual. When dieters come back to reality in the unrestricted third phase of their diets, they may take up their old habits and see the weight creep back on.

The Raw Food Diet: This diet claims that all foods should be eaten raw since cooking foods causes a loss of vitamins and minerals. The diet also proposes that certain enzymes which protect our immune system are lost when food is cooked.

The benefits of this diet are that it emphasizes healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and foods that are high in fiber and low in fat. Although you may think that sounds like a dietitian's dream, it has many drawbacks.

Following this diet implies avoiding all animal products and although a vegetarian lifestyle may be perfectly acceptable for many people, it does make it difficult to get some important nutrients like vitamins D and B12. This diet also includes nuts and seeds which are an excellent choice as a source of fat, but are also packed with calories.

A serving of almonds, for example, can be as little as five or six nuts. Most people tend to eat a lot more than that amount, especially if the rest of their diet consists only of raw fruits and vegetables. All in all, the primary problem with this diet is practicality. Is it really possible to follow this diet long term? Avoiding all cooked foods is almost as daunting a task as avoiding all carbohydrates.