Flat Belly Diet Vs. Fast Track Diet

If you need to shed a few pounds, you might want to look at the Flat Belly Diet; while if you are looking for a detox diet, Ann Louise Gittleman claims her Fast Track Detox will rid your body of toxins, charge your metabolism and help you shed up to 8 lbs. of body weight. These diets are both based to some extent on fat loss, but the Flat Belly Diet emphasizes a lifestyle change and includes a large variety of foods, typical of the Mediterranean diet. The Fast Track Detox diet is, on the other hand, intended as an 11-day crash diet to "purify" the body and is not intended as a long-term diet.

Flat Belly Diet

The Flat Belly Diet was developed by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass, two editors of "Prevention" magazine. The diet is closely modeled on the traditional Mediterranean diet and promotes seasonal fruits, vegetables and grains, while including red meat only sparingly. Foods such as fish, salads, tomatoes and red wine are included as part of this Mediterranean-themed diet. The diet aims for an intake of 1,600 calories per day.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids

The Flat Belly Diet includes many typically Mediterranean foods including oils and fats. The diet has a special emphasis on a particular type of fat, namely, monounsaturated fatty acids. These fats include nuts, seeds, pesto, canola oil, olive oil and dark chocolate. The inclusion of these foods is based the premise that these types of fats aid in fat loss. According to an article in a 2003 issue of "British Journal of Nutrition," consuming monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fats can result in significant weight loss without a significant decrease in calories.

Fast Track Detox Diet Basics

The Fast Track Detox Diet claims to "cleanse" the colon, liver, digestive system and kidneys over an 11-day period. The diet begins with a seven day preparation phase for the body to adjust to avoid what the author calls a "toxin overload." During this phase, followers of the diet eat a diet consisting of mainly organic fruits and vegetables. The diet promotes eating foods specifically aimed at aiding liver and colon function such as cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, asparagus, carrots, apples, berries, lean chicken breast and olive or flaxseed oil.

Fast Track Diet Fast

The seven-day preparation phase is followed by one day of fasting. During which dieters consume a cup of a detox drink consisting of cranberry juice, fresh orange and lemon juices, ginger, nutmeg and stevia. This is consumed every hour, along with 1 cup of water. After the fasting day, dieters continue the original preparation phase diet for three more days. According to the author, Ann Louise Gittleman, dieters can drop up to 8 lbs. of weight on this detox diet.

Dangers

Detox diets are not medically recognized. There is no scientific evidence to suggest the kidneys and other vital organs are in need of detoxifying diets and these diets can be potentially harmful. Katherine Zeratsky R.D., of MayoClinic.com, asserts there's little evidence that detox diets remove toxins from the body and that most ingested toxins are efficiently and effectively removed by the kidneys and liver and excreted in urine and stool. Detox diets can also cause side effects, such as dizziness, dehydration, nausea and fatigue.