Independent Articles About:

1. The Cabbage Soup Diet Plan
2. The Grapefruit Diet Plan
3. List of Most Popular Fad Diets

The Cabbage Soup Diet Explained

This one is almost certainly in the 'Fad' camp. And you REALLY have to like cabbages in order to try this diet! You probably won't be surprised to find that this 7 day diet plan requires you to eat cabbage soup, constantly. The rationale behind the Cabbage Soup Diet is that cabbage can somehow 'flush' fat from your body. Of course, this claim is unsubstantiated, and has no medical research to back it up.

While you have to basically eat a lot of cabbage soup, you can eat a few other things too. According to research done by staff at www.supadiet.com, a typical Cabbage Soup day might include all the cabbage soup you can eat, a couple of glasses of skinned milk, and an entire bunch of bananas. This, of course is a recipe for wind, and that side effect is something the proponents of the Cabbage Diet don't dwell on (much like Atkins Diet fans don't mention the bad 'Lion' breath it tends to give you!).

If the cabbage soup diet works at all, it is because the base foodstuff is low cal. This restricts your calorific intake, while simultaneously filling you full of fiber and filling your stomach which lessens hunger pangs. The cabbage soup diet claims you can lose up to 10 pounds in a single day, which is dangerous to the extreme, and definitely not regarded as safe practice by doctors. As a 'crash' diet, the initial weight loss tends to be mostly water, which is, of course, rapidly replaced. At www.supadiet.com, we therefore believe that as a long term solution to losing weight and keeping it off, the Cabbage Soup Diet probably has rather marginal utility.

Should you try it? If your doctor has no objections, and you have a mild fetish for cabbages, and an air-conditioned house, feel free. Otherwise, you will probably be better off following a more health-orientated diet.

Gloria writes articles exploring the latest fad diets for www.supadiet.com the free diet site.

Beware of Diet Fads When Trying to Shed Pounds

It might be actresses such as Suzanne Sommers and Jane Fonda, or models such as Christie Brinkley or Kathy Ireland. It seems that a number of celebrities today offer their own weight loss programs. The programs are appealing because we see these various svelte celebrities and we want to have bodies just like them. The celebrities are also highly likable, so we have a predisposition to be accepting of their products.

However, did you ever stop to think whether these celebrities have any nutritional training? Do they have medical training? Is the information that they offer nutritionally sound? Or is it just a good sales pitch?

Nutrition experts Annette B. Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin, authors of the book Get Skinny the Smart Way, say that consumers should be leery of celebrity-inspired diet books. They point out that such books are often based upon nutritional fiction and that, while the diets outlined in these books may result in short-term weight loss, they can be far from healthy in the long run. Therefore, you might consider passing up the celebrity diet books and opting for those written by nutritional experts instead.

But celebrities aren't the only ones preaching fad diets. For instance, there's the so-called grapefruit diet which recommends consuming a grapefruit prior to each meal. Another fad is the cabbage soup diet, which requires you to consume all the cabbage soup you can handle. Other fads call for eating all the eggs you can...consuming only raw foods...or fasting every other day. Such diets are not only based on nutritional misinformation--they can also be dangerous.

For instance, let's take a closer look at the cabbage soup diet. No major health organization has endorsed it. Moreover, the American Heart Association disapproves of it, noting that it can actually harm you. Promoters of this diet say that you can lose as much as 15 pounds a week by following it--what they don't say is that most of that weight is water weight. Once you begin eating normally again, you will see your weight rise once more. Some of the side-effects of the cabbage soup diet include a feeling of weakness, stomach pains, and diarrhea.

Yet another questionable diet approach is what's known as food combining. Such a diet assumes that you are overweight because you are not eating the right combination of food. The requirements of such a diet can seem quite arbitrary. For instance, you might be told that you can eat a banana only in the morning. This is rubbish, since your stomach can deal with a variety of different foods at one time. The idea behind such a diet is to eat food with fewer calories, but there are other methods you can use to accomplish the same goals.

Some companies even claim that you can shed pounds while you dream. They say that, if you use their product right before bedtime, you will lose weight. In actuality, no company can make such a claim with any degree of credibility. It is impossible to burn a large number of calories while snoozing. In other cases, you may be tempted to try to lose weight by consuming special milkshakes or candy bars. In essence, these products are just milk and candy with certain vitamins and minerals added. However, one rarely feels satisfied after consuming these products.

As a result, you may find yourself actually consuming additional calories during the rest of the day. While you might be able to theoretically lose weight in the short-term, you'll find it difficult to maintain the weight loss over the long haul.

The fact of the matter is that there is a great deal of money that can be made through the sale and marketing of diet products. As long as America has a large contingent of overweight people, companies will try to make a profit off of overeating. It is up to you to be savvy enough to recognize a diet fad when you see it and opt for a different approach to losing weight. You'll find that there are really no short-cuts to weight loss. Any successful diet program takes time, patience, and determination, along with a willingness to change your eating patterns.

As a Teacher of Sport and Physical Education, Tony Robinson has a keen interest in Health and Weight Loss issues. For handy hints and tips for weight loss visit http://www.weight-loss-arena.com

Diet Information: The Cabbage Soup Diet

The Cabbage Soup Diet is a quick fix diet for those people who only have a few pounds to lose. Unlike most other dietary programmes, it does not encourage a change in the way you eat, long term - it is more a way of shifting surplus pounds in the short term.

Many people go on the Cabbage Soup Diet in the week leading up to a big event where they want to that little bit 'svelter'.

The diet program lasts for seven days (and must not be exceeded) and, for many people, a week on a strict diet is something achievable if they don't have mammoth amounts of weight to lose.

A lot of the weight loss you see will be water, but many people find they do drop a dress size after having been on the seven day programme.

Basically, you eat as much cabbage soup as you want for a week, plus a very limited amount of other foods. To stay on the programme for longer than a week will be counter-productive and will affect your health and energy levels.

http://www.uk-diets-online.co.uk provides information about all the major diet systems available. Download as FREE copy of the Tasty Weight Loss and Muscle Building Recipes Book, a 33 page book which you can download for free to get some ideas for weight loss recipes.

Fad Diets

High-Fat, Low-Carbohydrate Diets - Millions of Americans have joined the low-carb craze and started high-fat, low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet, and the Zone Diet. They are made up of about 60% fat, 10% carbohydrate, and 30% protein. These diets say you can eat high amounts of fat and protein while getting very low amounts of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables. The main premise of the low-carb diet is that a diet low in carbohydrates leads to a reduction in bodyÕs production of insulin. The end result is that fat and protein stores will be used for energy. So you stuff yourself full of unlimited amounts of meat, cheese, and butter, and only eat a small portion of carbohydrates.

People who start the diet usually lose a great amount of weight, but itÕs not permanent weight loss. Instead of burning fat, the lose water and precious muscle tissue. Furthermore, these diets are low in several nutrients and contain excess amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, substances that increase the risk of heart disease. Plus, regardless of what they claim, the enormous amounts of protein put a strain on your kidneys.

Moderate Fat Diets - Next, there are the moderate fat diets. Moderate fat diets include diets like Weight Watchers, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, and Jenny Craig. These diets are made up of about 25% fat, 60% carbohydrate, and 15% protein. They encourage the intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and essential fatty acids found in foods like olive oil and salmon. These diets are usually nutritionally balanced if the dieter eats a variety of foods from all categories. For example, Weight Watchers operates on a point system where foods get a number of points based on calorie, fiber, and fat content. Dieters get a specific amount of points they can use for the day. While itÕs not encouraged, they may choose to spend most of their points on carbohydrates instead of balancing it out. This could lead to deficiencies in nutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc. However, if followed properly, these diets are probably the most successful for losing weight and keeping it off.

Low and Very Low-Fat Diets - Finally, you have your low-fat and very low-fat diets. Diets in this category include the Dr. Dean OrnishÕs Diet and the Pritkin Plan, among others. They are made up of about 13% fat, 70% carbohydrates, and 16% protein. These diets are mostly vegetarian diets and donÕt recommend eating a lot of meat. Like the low-carb diets, you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods. Because you canÕt eat a lot of meat, these diets are deficient in zinc, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids. Also, it is so restrictive that people find a hard time staying on it for life and end up gaining their weight back.

Kirsten Hawkins is a nutrition and health expert from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.popular-diets.com/ for more great nutrition, well-being, and vitamin tips as well as reviews and comments on popular diets.