As the obesity problem (both in America and around the world) becomes worse, people are turning to a variety of strange and sometimes unhealthy diets to help shed unwanted pounds – and to do it as quickly as possible. One strange diet that has cropped up recently is known as the ice cream diet, which will be discussed below.
What is the Ice Cream Diet?
Unsurprisingly, the idea for this diet originated from a vegan ice cream store. The store provides the dieter with 5 different kinds of ice cream based on raw coconut for a 5 day diet: each serving of the ice cream provides 1000-1200 calories with 25g of sugar and 70grams of fat. The dieter consumes 1 serving each per day for the five days. In addition, dieters can consumer as much water as they want. Advocates of this diet claim that it helps to boost metabolism, nourish the digestive system, improve brain function and to detoxify.
Nutritionists Weigh In
Most nutritionists and dieticians are not in favor of this diet, as it is so lacking in nutritional value. What is absent from this diet include nutrients that are essential to the body’s health: essential proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, just to name a few. Although the diet allows for snacking on avocadoes and other fruits, it is still a risk to follow this diet because it is not balanced. The one positive thing about this diet is that it is certainly calcium-rich, and calcium is known for its ability to help with weight loss.
Alternatives
Rather than participating in a fad diet which is nutrient poor and will have you lose weight rapidly only to put it back on again when the diet is finished, the only long-term answer to weight loss remains a healthy lifestyle. Diets like these, where normal eating patterns are drastically altered, are not sustainable and will not help effect long-term weight loss like eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly will. Although it may take longer to lose weight when you do it the old-fashioned way, you are doing your body a favor: you are much more likely to keep off your lost weight if you do it in a gradual manner. You also avoid yo-yo dieting, where lost weight is rapidly regained which can put a strain on your heart and lead to a variety of serious health problems.
In short, the ice cream diet – while it may allow for rapid, temporary weight loss – is not good as good for long-term weight solutions as simply following a diet that is balanced and has a good ratio of carbohydrates, fats and proteins as well as nutrients like vitamins and minerals, as well as dietary fiber. Weight loss that is healthy and gradual is a long-term relationship and cannot be accomplished rapidly without being detrimental to the health.
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