Fad Diets

I was browsing your interesting and useful (and generally, in my opinion, well balanced and informative) website on nutritional Q&A, but I was troubled by one item that you may have missed the target on: In the Q&A item where the questioner asked about the possible benefits of fasting, you said, basically, that there are no...

I read some of your nutrition advice on fad diets. I would like to point out that it has been known for decades that the brain burns ketones (Nelson et al, JBC (140):p.361, 1941; Owen et al. J Clinical Invest.46:1589-95, 1967; Hawkins and Krebs (there's a famous name) Biochemistry J. 122:13-18, 1971. In fact,...

I found your webpage useful, I got there from a website about Prime Quest, which is a diet using adaptogens. It seems expensive to me and I was wondering if you have read any information on it. There are so many claims as to increased energy and losing body fat only, yet it is...

What do you think about the Herbalife Slim and Trim weight control program? It claims to do a lot of things and I don't believe most of what they say. But how is someone who isn't a nutritionist? to know? I've sent you a copy to see what you think. Your gut instinct to not...

First, thank you for the most helpful website I have found on the Internet. In a nutshell, I needed to lose weight because, to put it bluntly, I was eating very badly. Daily trips to MickyD's. I hurt my feet in Tae Kwon Do and was letting them heal (I should have warmed up). I...

On the Jewish day of atonement and my friends and I endured the annual 24 hours fast with ease. One of the topics of our conversation was fasting for health and cleansing purposes. I would like to find more information about week-long liquid diets and/or fruit diets that would be safe to practice while...

I looked through your Q&As and did not find any mention of the Calorad product by Essentially Yours Industries. I have a brochure which states that it has "purified water, collagen hydrolysate, aloe vera, glycerin, potassium sorbate, methylparaben as a preservative, natural flavor." It states "1 tablespoonful of Calorad at bedtime following a 3-hour...

What do you think about Instant Breakfast? Will it help my weight loss? PS I don't like breakfast. No, just drinking Instant Breakfast will not assure you of losing weight. Your weight loss depends on a day's total calories in the food you eat and total calories you expend through physical activities.  Think of your...

I was wondering how healthy it is to fast. I recently read an article in a magazine and have become interested in trying it. Would it be safe for a female teenager to try it? For how long? What kind of fast would be most beneficial? Any information would be greatly appreciated. An adolescent female is still...

Can you explain ketosis to me? When people eat fewer than 900 calories, any food eaten including protein and fat is broken down into glucose to provide fuel for the body. Protein and fat are very expensive fuels. You can only convert 70% of the protein and 30% of the fat to glucose. The nitrogen...