In a survey from NHANES, in 2012 about 36% of adults and 17% of children are considered obese. This reason, along with the growing need to become a replica of a stick-thin model, has allowed for many "fad diets" to become popular among desperate individuals. Many diets, including the Mediterranean Diet, South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers, insist that you cut down on sweets and limit your intake of carbohydrates, which, in my opinion, are two of the most irresistible types of food. So what if there was a type of diet that only allows you to eat all the pasta and chocolate you wanted? Well, you're in luck.
In the Pasta-Chocolate diet, a typical eating plan for a day is as follows: For breakfast - fresh fruit. Morning snack - popcorn. Lunch - salad (low-calorie dressing only) and spaghetti. Afternoon snack - popcorn. Dinner - fettuccine with garlic tomato sauce and steamed vegetables. And lastly, for an evening snack - popcorn and up to 1 oz of chocolate.
But what they fail to mention is all the food that needs to be avoided in order for this fad diet to be effective. Some of these off-limit foods include: salt, sugars, fried foods, dairy products, red meats, nuts, soda, caffeine, and chips. And after taking into account that this diet also entails an unhealthy daily caloric intake (under 1200 calories), it is clear that this Pasta-Chocolate diet is unfortunately too good to be true.
Extreme dieting in general can lead to many health risks, such as depression, fatigue, malnutrition, and dehydration. This is why it is necessary to consult your physician if you are need of a serious weight plan. Extreme dieting is detrimental and rarely works to keep the pounds off for an extended period of time. These fad diets like the Pasta-Chocolate diet is never an option that should be considered when wanting to lose weight. The negative aspects far outweigh the positive ones.
It is so sad that our society has to resort to eating low carb and low calorie food in order to obtain this unrealistic image. I do agree that as a society we should take eating healthier into account, but not by starving ourselves, just by eating high fat content foods in moderation. Removing the foods we love entirely from our diets can have adverse affects, such as withdraws, in the long run.