Google's Most Popular Diets: 2014 Edition
Another year has come to an end, and with that, another year of dieting. It never ceases to amaze me what some people are willing to try to shed those pounds. Once again, Google put together a list of most trending diets for the year. As in previous years, I can definitely get on board with some -- and others simply make me want to scream. Here's my take on the top 10 diet trends of 2014:
1. Paleo Diet
I really wish this diet would just go away, but unfortunately, it has made the list for the second year in a row. Granted, the diet does have some good traits: It encourages lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, fish and healthy fats. However, it also advocates for eliminating dairy, whole grains, beans and legumes on the premise that cavemen were not farmers, but hunters and gatherers. Eliminating these very healthy foods from our diet is where I cannot agree with the paleo diet. Research supports numerous benefits to a diet rich in whole grains, beans and legumes, especially to help prevent heart disease. What I find most amusing about this diet is that cavemen didn't live so long, so why are we trying to mimic their diets? What's more, they didn't dine out, so why are so many restaurants starting to offer "paleo" menu items?
2. Atkins Diet
Talk about longevity: The first Atkins diet book was published in 1972, with other versions published in 2002 and 2010. My view on Atkins has always been the same -- and it hasn't been positive. Of course you will lose weight if you practically eliminate all carbs from your diet, especially if you were eating way too much of them. Problem is, no one can -- or should -- sustain that way of eating for long. Carbs are crucial for running our bodies properly, especially our brains. Truth be told, in the Atkins diet, there are four phases, and in the third and final phase, more and more carbs are introduced. But for some reason, most followers of Atkins never seem to get to this point. Instead, they prefer to keep loading up on protein and fat, and once their weight loss halts, they get frustrated and resume to overeating carbs once again.
When, oh when, will people realize that a gluten-free diet is a diet out of necessity, not a trend for weight loss? Individuals with celiac disease need to be on this diet or there will be severe medical complications. Trust me: They'd rather be eating a liberal diet if they could. Individuals who have gluten intolerance generally feel much better without gluten, but luckily for most, there are no long-term health consequences if they stray from the diet. It always amazes me when someone says they are eating gluten-free because someone they know does and told them they should too. Come on, people: Would you jump off a bridge too if a friend told you to? You get my meaning.
I love that the Mediterranean diet has continued to grow in popularity, making Google's list once again. It is a heart-healthy eating plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and healthy fats. In other words, this diet is plain old healthy eating -- really nothing new, just what most people should be doing anyway.
5. Dash Diet
I'm happy to see this diet on the list this year -- it makes me feel that some people do search for a diet that makes sense. The diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a flexible and balanced eating plan that is based on research funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The DASH eating plan emphasizes vegetables, fruits and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. It includes whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, nuts and vegetable oil, and limits sodium, sweets, sugary beverages and red meats. Just like the Mediterranean Diet, it is good old-fashioned healthy eating.
6. The Military Diet
The gist of this diet is three days on and four days off. During the "on" days, you consume less than 1,000 calories, and during the "off" days, you can take in around 1,500. In other words, the "on" days you starve yourself and the "off" days you diet. Anyone will lose weight with this. But what made me laugh is what I read on the diet's website: "The diet was designed by top-secret nutritionists at the U.S. military to get soldiers into tip-top shape." Top secret? Give me a break -- I don't know of one nutritionist who would want to be kept a secret if his or her diet was so successful. And getting soldiers into "tip-top shape" on less than 1,000 calories per day? They wouldn't be able to get out their bunks.
7. HCG Diet
I can't believe this made the list -- and I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women that supposedly works as an appetite suppressant. HCG is injected, typically into the thigh, or taken as a drop under the tongue. Along with a daily dose of this hormone, the diet involves consuming 800 calories per day. The hormone as a weight loss tool has not been substantiated by any conclusive scientific research. Almost anyone who eats fewer than 1,200 calories per day will lose weight, but at what cost -- physically, mentally and financially? Enough said.
Who knew that people were still interested in South Beach? I thought it was a diet long forgotten. It includes three phases, with the first phase being the strictest excluding fruit, fruit juices, starchy foods, dairy products and alcohol. During phase two, you slowly reintroduce healthy carbs such as fruit, whole-grain bread, whole-grain rice, whole-wheat pasta and sweet potatoes. Then, phase three is about maintaining your weight with no food list to follow. It's similar to Atkins and because many people lose a lot of weight in phase one, stay there longer than they should, only to eventually become frustrated. Personally, I am not a fan of diets with phases -- especially if they eliminate fruit and dairy.
9. Super Shred Diet
Honestly, this diet confuses me -- it seems to have way too many rules to follow. Founder and physician Ian Smith has dieters follow a specific four-week eating plan, including some days where the calorie count is about 1,600 and other days where it's only 900. Also, each week is different -- sometimes you'll have three snacks, sometimes only two. Some weeks you'll have four meals, others only two. He promises a 20-pound weight loss in four weeks. Ugh -- healthy weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, which equals 4 to 8 pounds for a month. I can't argue, though, that someone will lose weight on this with so few calories, but what I can't understand is how they will have enough energy to follow Smith's recommendation of 40 minutes or more of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise a day. Food is fuel, and on this diet, there surely isn't enough of it.
10. The Doctor's Diet
I think I could get on board with this one, even though it does offer a 14-day jump-start plan to help dieters start losing weight quickly. It's the "quickly" that always makes me cringe. In any event, founder and physician Travis Stork lists 10 food prescriptions, including " fill your plate with vegetables," "put protein to work for you," "break up with sugar" and "fall in love with legumes." I especially love Stork's perspective on carbs: "I firmly believe, based on my reading of the medical literature, that cutting out a whole tribe of foods, such as carbs, just because a few members of the family are troublemakers, makes no sense whatsoever. I honestly don't believe that avoiding carbs is the way to go for enjoying long-term health and energy, not to mention the enjoyment of eating." Thank you, Dr. Stork, for some common sense.
Keri Gans, MS, RDN, CDN, is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, media personality, spokesperson, and author of The Small Change Diet. Gans's expert nutrition advice has been featured in Glamour, Fitness, Health, Self and Shape, and on national television and radio, including The Dr. Oz Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, Primetime, and Sirius/XM Dr. Radio.
