Demystifying Weight Loss Diets

Authors: Rankins, Jenice; Williams, Michelle S.; Montgomery, Dykibra J.; Wilton, David B.

Source: Ecology of Food and Nutrition, Volume 45, Number 5, September-October 2006 , pp. 379-403(25)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

<p>For virtually every letter of the alphabet there is a diet book and the numbers are growing. It is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to make sound choices among the various weight loss books with conflicting weight loss approaches. Embattled by the burden of escalating rates of obesity and limited successes with achieving long term weight loss in a slimness-revered society many consumers opt for the diet that is receiving the most media coverage and word of mouth promos at the time. This article presents a rubric for evaluating weight loss diet books to reduce the likelihood that nutritional, health, and economic status will be compromised by such unreliable decision-making. The criteria of the rubricâ-”nutritional adequacy, balance, calorie control, disease prevention, and economic affordability (A, B, C, D, E) are simple and familiar enough for most consumers to grasp and apply with minimal guidance from nutrition professionals or paraprofessionals.</p>

Keywords: weight-loss diets; Atkins diet; DASH diet; South Beach diet; weight-loss maintenance; low carbohydrate diets; low fat diets; moderate calorie restricted diets

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03670240600985498

Affiliations: 1: Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

Publication date: 2006-09-01

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