There are some pretty bizarre diets in the world. The worse I’ve ever heard of is unquestionably the ultra low carb, high fat, moderate protein approach known as the Atkins Diet. In its original form as published by its founder, Dr. Robert Atkins, in 1972, the diet called for eating unlimited portions of meat with all its fat included, dairy in the form of full fat, firm cheeses, full fat salad dressings, mayonnaise, and sauces — and tons of greasy bacon, burgers, and eggs. Since the death of Dr. Atkins several years ago, a company called the Atkins Foundation now runs the diet and its website and have made significant improvements to the diet in an attempt to remarket it as a healthy lifestyle choice — but the basic elements are still in place: severe restriction of carbohydrate intake is practiced; bread, pasta, cereals, fruit and most vegetables are forbidden. Meat is still the primary source of nutrients for an Atkins dieter — and plenty of good science shows us that people who eat more meat get more clogged arteries, have higher cholesterol over time, and suffer more heart disease than people who consume less meat and fat. Atkins, whether the old or new version, would be best avoided altogether for maximum health in 2012.
In 2011 I noticed the second most bizarre diet I’d ever seen when a friend told me discreetly that he and his wife had begun following the wacky HCG Diet. That one involved human chorionic gonadotropin, which is a hormone produced by women during pregnancy to enhance growth of the baby. There are no clinical studies to support the suggestion that this in any way aids in weight loss. The diet aspect of the HCG fad involves reducing daily calorie intake to an extremely low (try anorexic) 600 calories per day. One of my friends wanted to try HCG but decided against it due to the expense of the hormone. Instead she just followed the 600 calorie a day plan and lost a lot of weight, just like the friends I mentioned above to used what they believed was actual HCG. The trouble is that most HCG supplements are fraudulently sold because hardly any tested contained the ingredient at all. A recent eye-opening documentary on a channel supplied by Non-Stop Video exposed this fact. The FDA has labeled this diet as both illegal and dangerous, so let’s avoid this one in 2012, too.
According to US News and World Report, the best diet overall is the Dash Diet, the one designed to help people conquer high blood pressure and maintain appropriate cholesterol levels. And if you want to lose weight? Weight Watchers came in at the top of the list as the safest, most nutritious weight loss diet that encourages heart healthy choices and succeeds in helping people to keep the weight off.
