1. Fad Diets May Compromise Teens' Health
Teens need a balanced diet, one with adequate calories and nutrition to support a time of growth. One of the side effects of fad diets is the possibility of inadequate meals, usually resulting in a lack of important fats and nutrients during this crucial time. Teens should be eating well and exercising regularly, but fad diets can cause more harm than good when teens stop eating the foods they need in a misguided attempt to be model-skinny.
2. Teens Have Unrealistic Expectations From Fad Diets
"Lose 20 pounds in 2 days!" proclaim ads for various fad diets, diet pills and nutritional supplements designed to entice teens to spend their money. Many teens are ready to pay whatever it costs in an effort to lose weight the "easy way." Thanks to the ads and celebrity figures, they are fooled into thinking losing weight will be effortless and quick. They don't learn effective weight management strategies, but instead are prone to a cycle of fad dieting they think will work.
3. Many Fad Diets Don't Work
Teens who place their weight loss goals in the hands of a fad diet will often face long-term disappointment. Even if they lose weight during the initial phase of the fad diet, weight loss will plateau as the body adjusts and lowers its metabolic rate (how fast calories are burnt) in response to a drastic decrease in caloric intake. The body may also burn muscle to make up for the nutrition loss, and this muscle will not be replaced when a normal diet resumes, unless the muscles are worked.
4. Fad Diets Can Magnify Body Image Issues
When on a fad diet, especially if peers are following the same one, teens are likely to obsess, comparing themselves with airbrushed ad models and celebrities. This tendency to contributes to lower self esteem and heightens any body image issues already in place. While teens should take care of their bodies, focusing too much on their image is detrimental.
5. Fad Diets Take the Place of Real Solutions
One effect fad diets has on teens is that they won't look past the fad diet to find real solutions, such as cardiovascular exercise and a healthy diet to help improve their weight and health. Teens may bounce from one fad diet to another instead of working to make healthy habits that could last a lifetime. Encourage teens to exercise and participate in physical activities they enjoy--be it dancing, hiking, or cross-country skiing--and to eat well instead of placing their hope in fad diets.
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