One of the largest fad diets in the world is the South Beach Diet. I remember hearing about the South Beach Diet on the radio and on tv ads and I continue to see posts on Instagram from celebrities such as Savannah Christley promoting it’s “wonderful” results. From the outside the South Beach diet looks amazing, their website claims you receive a balanced nutrition plan that helps you lose weight fast, “South Beach Diet plans include the right mix of the right nutrients, so you can lose weight without hunger.” (South Beach Diet,2019). There are three diet plans a customer can choose from with the prices ranging from $289 per month to $360. All of these plans are advertised as being high in protein and low in sugar and carbohydrates which in turn will help the customer burn fat. The website also claims boldly and proudly that you will “lose up to 7 pounds in 7 days” while eating six small delicious meals a day. 

This diet was introduced 30 years ago by Doctor Agaston who had very good intentions with his creation. “ He wanted to create a diet that allowed overweight, diabetic and prediabetic individuals to easily lose weight” (Spritzler, 2017). He based his diet off of the Atkins diet which he viewed as containing too much saturated fats. So in turn he made his diet “rich in low-glycemic index carbs, lean proteins and unsaturated fats” (Spritzler, 2017). Doctor Agaston found the diet to be successful when he and his patients tested it which made him believe it would be great for everyone. But as we all know, just because something works for one person doesn't mean it will work for everyone. As I did more research more of the ugly truths about this diet surfaced.  

One of the biggest downfalls of this diet is the high risk of ketosis. During the first phase of the diet you’re expected to lose up to 13 pounds (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017) which is a rapid amount of weight loss in a two week period. The doctor recommended amount is about two pounds per week which is what happens during phase two, but losing that much weight in the first two weeks can be detrimental to your health. When you lose weight that quickly instead of burning down the fat you are reducing your water weight and lean tissue which is needed for your body to function properly. Also by not eating enough carbs you can put your body into a state of ketosis, ”Ketosis occurs when you don’t have enough sugar (glucose) for energy, so your body breaks down stored fat, causing ketones to build up in your body. Side effects from ketosis can include nausea, headaches, mental fatigue and bad breath, and sometimes dehydration and dizziness.” (Mayo Clinic,2017) Other side effects of this diet include constipation, halitosis and possible hair loss.

Another danger from partaking in the South Beach diet is the risk of heart disease in customers. “...three small European studies showed some association, leading to an extensive cohort study of more than 43,000 Swedish women monitored for 15 years.15 This found that for every 10% decrease in carbohydrate intake or increase in protein intake, the risk of cardiovascular disease increased by 5%, which was statistically significant.” (O’Mathuana and Feeney, 2012). Even though Dr. Agatson was trying to help heart health he created a diet that could in the long run make the heart weak. In low carb diets a lot of nutrients that come from consuming many different fruits and vegetables are removed from one's diet and no longer help maintain the heart functions. You even miss out on heart healthy nutrients when you eat less whole grains, carbohydrates and fats. Many of the consumers of this diet are not aware of these negative side effects. 

A new addition to the South Beach diet are the “keto-friendly” options. The keto diet has been taking over social media more recently, with celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian promoting it and companies being created surrounding this diet. I love watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians because it keeps me entertained but I know that many of the things they do are not conventional, such as the Keto diet. I even was apart of the company called ItWorks for a day until I realised it was one big pyramid scheme but in that one day I was given “free” samples of their Total Keto Line products. I tried their ItWorks Ketones beverage powder which claims to “ help keep you body energized, fat-burning mode so you reach peak performance” but what it actually does is induce vomiting (itWorks, 2019). The keto diet is another low carb diet but is even lower in the carb intake than the south beach diet with a limit of 35 grams of carbs a day (Ruscigno,2018). The rest of the calories come from a high intake of fats. The purpose of this diet is to eliminate your need for carbohydrates to energize you and instead replace it with fats. During this process your body will start using the fats you eat as the main source of energy along with the fat already stored in your body which will result in weight loss. The keto diet restrains people from eating pasta, bread, most fruits and starchy vegetables, beans and sugar but requires them to load up on meat, avocados, full fat dairy products, nuts, leafy green vegetables and oils (Ruscigno,2018).

Once again the keto diet was created with good intentions but has grown into something hazardous also. The purpose of this diet was to help children with epilepsy by restricting the brains access to glucose which would help in the prevention of seizures. But as a person voluntarily choosing to consume more fat than carbs you are permitting your body to be more prone to chronic diseases. The increase in fat intake affects your vascular system by clogging more blood vessels, “a 50 percent increase in artery-clogging low-density lipids and triglycerides, effects that can last for a year after stopping the diet.” (Chodosh & Malderelli, 2018) The word flu should not be associated with any things in concerns to food. And yet during the keto diet people go through the “keto flu”. This is the period of time when people do not eat anything to assimilate the body to create energy off of its own fat. They experience “ dry mouth, increased hunger and excessive urination” (Ruscigno,2018). I personally view all these negative side effects as a risk as not worth my time and energy on a weight loss journey.

As you can see these “fad diets” may help you lose weight quickly but there are many ways they can be detrimental to your overall health and well being. This is why I say the best “diet” anyone can have is no diet at all. Rather everyone should create their own food plan that keeps them happy and is tailored to their specific health restrictions and needs, “ Diet recommendations should be individualized and take account of total calorie consumption, exercise, and availability of personal support.” (O’Mathuna & Feeney, 2012) . There are healthy ways to lose weight naturally and at a healthy pace that won’t ruin your body and mental health in the meantime. In the words of the infamous actor Jameela Jamil a prominent body image activist, “Mute the words''diet” detox ``` slim ``` slimming ``` skinny ``and” fat ``` lbs ``` kilos ``` weight loss `` and''melt `` for a few days if you want to avoid the onslaught of women being bombarded with the unregulated diet/detox products and eating disorder rhetoric” (Jamil,2019).

The word diet has been an integral part of my vocabulary since I was young. Although my parents grew up in different communities and cultures they always seemed to agree that I was either too fat or not eating enough. This in turn has made my relationship with food and the word diet a never ending struggle. Although they kept the house fully stocked with food and drinks and my brother and I could never say we went a day hungry, they did have a weird obsession with monitoring my food intake starting at the age of six. I can remember me having to ask for food/snacks whenever I wanted it where as my brother could open up our snack closet and eat whenever he desired, “because he was a boy”. I always needed to be in some physical activity so as to prevent me from getting to “big” it even got to the point in High School where I was competing on two track teams and on the dance team. My mom would switch us from vegetarian diets to no red meat diets to only vegetables and proteins. None of these lasted very long because my father swore on the importance of meat and loved pasta so of course those things were always brought back into our kitchen. Even though I have not lived with my family in close to three years diet is a constant topic whenever we interact. Whenever we facetime my father loves to tell me “you don't look good you getting too fat”. And then he delves in to me needing to work out and make healthier choices. I continue to have the mental battle going back and forth from restricting my food intake because I am too fat or eating all that I want because I deserve to be happy.

Currently I am still trying to navigate my battle with food consumption. In the past few years I was diagnosed with quite a few health problems such as PCOS and endometriosis and anemia. All of these health concerns can make everyday life a struggle, especially when you are non stop bleeding for two weeks straight and the hospitals can't figure out how to help you or how to stop the bleeding and the pain. With this continuous loss of blood I loose alot of iron along with it, so I must ensure my diet contains a high dosage of iron. This mineral is found in two forms, heme iron in meat and fish and nonheme iron found in vegetables. “Heme iron is better absorbed by the body than nonheme iron,''which means consumption of meats and fish is vital to my health (Cleveland, 2017). Through research I have learned that due to having PCOS I am more at risk of getting diabetes, “more than 50 percent of people with PCOS develop diabetes or prediabetes before the age of 40” (Dresden,2018). I am also at a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks due to this syndrome. This means I have to be aware of my insulin levels and make sure I am eating a lot of heart healthy foods. Some of these foods are:

• natural, unprocessed foods
• high-fiber foods
• fatty fish, including salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel
• kale, spinach, and other dark, leafy greens
• dark red fruits, such as red grapes, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries
• broccoli and cauliflower
• dried beans, lentils, and other legumes
• healthful fats, such as olive oil, as well as avocados and coconuts
• nuts, including pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios
• dark chocolate in moderation
• spices, such as turmeric and cinnamon

(Dresden,2018)

Luckily for me, I eat all of these foods but am allergic to kale and coconuts! I know this list seems super healthy and strict but it is what I need to keep me healthy. I definitely do not stick to this list because I love my Chick-Fil-A and pizza but I try to stay on the healthier side so I don’t risk dying. I also like this list of food because it really only restricts me from eating a lot of chemicals that will harm my health anyway but is filled with food from all five major eating groups and I even get to add a little spice into it too!

 Many other people in my life had to make lifestyle changes to due to their medical needs. My cousin is lactose intolerant which means he can not consume dairy. Even though he can not have cheese he still eats his pizza with dominoes without the cheese on top but with plenty of meat. A close friend of mine has severe celiac disease, this means she her body can not digest the compound called gluten which is found in many wheat and barley products. She has to sustain a very clean diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and make sure all of her food is not made in factories containing other gluten products. This has limited her in many ways but has also helped her find new ways to enjoy food! Everyone needs a little more or a little less when it comes to certain foods and that is the only time people should prevent themselves from eating all the nutrients needed to function.

The word diet is negative and makes people's lives miserable. When a person believes they will only be happy when they lose weight and that they need to follow one of these fad diets, such as South Beach or Keto, to look prettier it breaks away at them mentally and physically. Even though society says you are only acceptable if you are on a diet and stick thin, we need to break that stigma. These diets have proven to be detrimental to people’s health and in the end make them miserable. We need more public figures like Jameel Jamil who are going to stand up for people, especially females, and say its ok to eat what you want and not be a certain size. When it comes to food everyone should be content with what they are eating and it should support them and make them the healthiest possible person they can be!

References

• Chodosh, S., & Maldarelli, C. (2018). Food Fatale. Popular Science, 290(5), 72–77. Retrieved fromhttps://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=132463015&site=ehost-live&scope=site

• Dresden, D. (2018, September 6). "What to eat if you have PCOS." Medical News Today. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323002.php.

• How Does the South Beach Diet Work? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.southbeachdiet.com/how-it-works/index.jsp.

• Cleveland Clinic (2017).Iron-rich Foods and Anemia Management and Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14621-iron-rich-foods-and-anemia/management-and-treatment.

• Jamil,J.[@jameelajamil].(2013).(n.d.). Retrieved from https://sales.itworks.com/shopping/item/44702.

• O’Mathúna, D. P., & Feeney, C. (2012). Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Weight Loss. (Cover story). Integrative Medicine Alert, 15(11), 121–125. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.simmons.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=82950428&site=ehost-live&scope=site

• Ruscigno, M. (2018). The Keto Diet: More Fad than Long Term. Environmental Nutrition, 41(3), 3. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.simmons.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=127811310&site=ehost-live score=site 

• Mayo Clinic Staff (2017,April 20).South Beach Diet. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/south-beach-diet/art-20048491 

• Spritzler,F(2017).SOuth Beach Diet Review and Beginner’s Guide. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/south-beach-diet#section1