Hands up who's tried a fad diet. Maybe it was the grapefruit diet, perhaps the Israeli army diet, or the diet consisting mainly of cabbage soup?
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Illawarra dietitian Jane O'Shea has seen a host of fad diets come and go, and come back again.
While people may lose weight initially on such diets, she says, the kilos eventually creep back on - sometimes accompanied by a few more - once people get sick of the restrictive meal plans.
"Everybody is looking for a quick and easy solution, usually to a weight issue," Ms O'Shea said.
"Whether it's being promoted by a celebrity or some self-proclaimed doctor or expert, these fad diets rarely have any scientific basis.
"Many of these restrictive diets can actually be dangerous as they involve cutting out a particular food group, which may exacerbate some health conditions."
Ms O'Shea said even the popular paleo diet espoused by celebrity chef Pete Evans and based on the food our ancestors ate - meat, seafood, nuts and seeds, vegies - had its shortcomings.
Hundreds of Illawarra paleo devotees flocked to a seminar run by Evans last month, many proclaiming the diet had helped them lose weight, gain energy and improved their health and wellbeing.
While Ms O'Shea agreed with Evans that highly processed foods offered little in the way of nutrition, she disagreed that all whole grains, legumes and carbohydrates should be cut out of our diets.
Ms O'Shea said that the key to good nutrition and sensible weight loss was to eat a variety of foods from the five food groups - grain, vegetables and legumes, lean meat and seafood, and dairy - based on the recommendations of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
Here the dietitian, who runs Diet Effects at Warrawong, busts some diet myths:
Myth: Wheat is a no-no
Ms O'Shea said grain-based foods such as wheat, rye, barley and oats, provide essential vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and dietary fibre. "Unless you have coeliac disease or a serious intolerance, I wouldn't recommend cutting out wheat and grains," she said.
Myth: Cooking with animal fat is healthier
Animal fat is rich in saturated fat, and too much saturated fat increases risk of heart disease. Ms O'Shea advised cooking with healthy fats such as olive oil, canola oil or sunflower oil and to choose cooking methods that don't need lots of fats and oils.
Myth: Coconut cream is a healthy alternative to cow's milk
Coconut cream doesn't provide the same essential nutrients as milk, such as calcium, magnesium and riboflavin, and it contains a large amount of unhealthy saturated fats, which have been linked to heart disease and diabetes risk.
Myth: Legumes are a poor dietary choice
Legumes are an excellent source of (soluble) fibre.
"If we eat more legumes, we're less likely to have weight gain, less likely to have an unhealthy gut, and less likely to have issues with cholesterol," Ms O'Shea said.
Myth: Coconut oil is "natural", making it a better choice
Coconut oil is no more natural than other plant-based oils. The biggest difference between coconut oil and other plant or vegetable-based oils is that coconut oil contains about 92 per cent saturated fat. "Science tells us too much saturated fat has an impact on our cholesterol levels," Ms O'Shea says.
Myth: Choose "all organic" foods
Ms O'Shea said both organic and conventionally grown foods can provide all the nutrients required when included as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Neither is better or worse from a nutrition standpoint.