Do fad diets really work?

It's a matter of weeks until Christmas, parties and new year.

Many of us have either started or considered some form of quick-fix diet to shed a few extra pounds quickly as an event draws near.

There are many fad diets on the market and one diet that has been there in many forms, for many years is meal replacement shakes.

Swapping one or two of your meals with a low-calorie shake, which for a short period of time doesn’t seem much of a sacrifice, not to mention it requiring no effort of preparation or thought.

Do these diets work though, and if so, how?

Well, anyone with experience of weight loss or nutrition will already know that to lose weight we need to reduce our calorie intake to less than we use.

By doing this our body will find more energy from our fat stores, which will reduce our body and so we lose pounds.

These meal replacement shakes will generally contain fewer calories than our average breakfast or lunch time meal, therefore reducing our calorie intake. However, there are a few unknown truths with meal replacement shakes.

Many of them contain ingredients that we do not want or need. Ingredients such as Aspartame, an artificial sugar that is added to diet/low fat foods to make them taste sweeter without adding sugar (or calories). Aspartame can affect the function of the brain and has been linked to many neuro problems and illnesses.

Acesulfame Potassium can also be added to shakes to make them sweet. This will affect the part of your brain that tells you that you are full, making you want to eat more.

Another you may see is Maltodextrin which is a form of glucose syrup, which will deplete your body of vitamins and minerals, also causing weight gain, flatulence and bloating.

These ingredients, and many more, are not only in meal replacement shakes but many low calorie or diet foods.

My advice to you is firstly to know what you are eating; if not, eat healthily. Fad diets may work in the short-term, but they are not sustainable and in most cases, old habits and the extra pounds will quickly reappear.