Fad Diets

Why They Don't Work

There are many, many weight loss diets out there. The fact that these many programs exist may imply that none of these types of diets have been universally successful enough to prove they support sustainable health.

Fad diets are a lot like that first boyfriend/girlfriend you had in middle school who often overpromised and underdelivered. We’ll explore why fad diets don’t work and offer up alternatives to consider instead. Kroma Wellness can help you establish a better relationship with food and guide you on a healthier journey to sustainable nutrition.

Fad Diets Restrict Food and Can Lead to Weight Gain

Kroma's Daily Essentials superfoods that support sustainable health

Diets that promise you’ll drop pounds for an Instagrammable summer-ready bod in just a few days or weeks almost always eliminate too many specific foods. These approaches claim to cleanse or detox your body of impurities by eliminating entire food groups that sometimes carry nutrients you may need.

Research shows that cutting calories can be counterproductive. Limiting foods to consume fewer calories can lead to hormonal changes that increase appetite and enhance cravings for higher-calorie foods. Fad diets have also been linked with health challenges like cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunction, and osteoporosis.

So why are fad diets so popular?

Every two out of three adults are looking online for health information. Hence, the overload of memes poking fun at every person who tried googling their symptoms and wondering if they had two months to live or if they just self-diagnosed themselves with cancer. With all the information and misinformation there is online, it’s become easier to fall for a well-marketed quick fix like a fad diet.

Negative Psychological Impacts of Fad Diets

A Supergreens Elixir drink from Kroma that supports sustainable weight loss.

Studies suggest that constant dieting (also known as weight cycling or yo-yo dieting) is associated with a range of symptoms such as food obsession, constant calorie counting, distractibility, increased emotional responsiveness, and fatigue. Chronic dieters also tend to overeat, have low self-esteem, and suffer from eating disorders and depression. This is a result of an overall negative relationship with food.

The Journal of Food Research explains that fad diets hyperfocus on a certain food (i.e. the cabbage soup diet or lemon juice cleanses) and lead to unbalanced nutrition. When you aren’t getting all of the good and right nutrients, your mood and energy levels are also negatively impacted. Choosing the right foods that fuel your body and mind promotes sustainable health.

Sustainable Ways to Lose Weight With Kroma Wellness

Let’s look at the top three alternatives to fad diets:

1. Balanced Nutrition

Ingredients matter and so does taste. Try an array of colors with your meals and think of it as eating the rainbow. The Kroma Reset includes colorful bone and veggie broths, elixirs, superfood snacks, adaptogen superlattes, plant-based smoothie meal blends, tea, and supplements. Eating a variety of food should be enjoyable. Plus, if your food isn’t tasty, you’re at higher risk for yo-yo dieting.

A group of various Kroma Daily Essentials in glasses, mugs, jars and bowls.

2. Holistic Health

Sustainable health is about more than avoiding processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol. It’s about stress management, quality of sleep, exercise, and a commitment to long-term healthy habits that contribute to your overall wellness. Practicing mindfulness and keeping a gratitude journal are other ways to focus on getting your mind and spirit aligned, alongside your body.

A woman doing yoga next to a jar and glass of Kroma Cranberry Hydration Elixir.

3. Moderation and Alternatives

According to the American Journal of Public Health, the average size of many of our foods has grown by as much as 138 percent since the 1970s. Portion control through mindful eating is a practice of eating more slowly, savoring flavors, and being more intentional with your body’s hunger and fullness cues. This can often help to avoid overeating. Consider portion control through moderation and healthier alternatives too. Don’t ignore that sweet tooth. Instead, replace it with snacks that satisfy cravings without the guilt or shame of indulging.

A stack of Kroma Super Porridge Protein Balls in a bowl.

The Bottom Line

Our goal at Kroma Wellness is to create long-term healthy habits through delicious, nutrient-rich superfoods. Reset your relationship with food as your first step toward sustainable nutrition with our 5-Day Reset. It offers a flavorful and convenient way to renew your eating habits, improve your body's well-being, and develop healthy habits.

Packed with natural sweeteners, plant protein, medicinal mushrooms, and other nutrient-dense ingredients, this Reset offers satisfying and delicious superfood meals and beverages. Unlike fad diets, the 5-Day Reset promotes sustainable health and sustainable nutrition, which makes it a simple and easy way to Reset your diet without sacrificing flavor or essential vitamins and nutrients.

Learn more about how Kroma Wellness can support your sustainable weight loss goals.

Sources

Reducing Calorie Intake May Not Help You Lose Body Weight | SAGE Journals

Fad Diets: Facts and Fiction | National Library of Medicine

Online Health Information Seeking Among U.S. Adults: Measuring Progress Toward a Healthy People 2020 Objective | SAGE Journals

Physiological and Epigenetic Features of YoYo Dieting and Weight Control | National Library of Medicine

Fad Diets: Lifestyle Promises and Health Challenges | Journal of Food Research

Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food | Harvard Health Publishing

Don’t Fall for Fad Diets | Mayo Clinic Health System

Eating Highly Process Foods Linked to Weight Gain | National Institutes of Health

Benefits of Physical Activity | CDC

Getting Started with Mindfulness | Mindful