Why Fad Diets Don’t Work

How successful was the last diet you tried? Based on our experience and research, the answer is probably, “not very!”

We’ve all tried the newest trendy diet and guess what? We rarely last more than a few days and the results never stick! 

Fad diets can also be dangerous for your health! Click the links below to learn more about specific fad diets and why you should consider a healthier and more effective approach to losing weight. 

• Paleo Diet: The paleo diet aims to bring us back the eating habits of our ancient ancestors, and assumes they were more hunters than gatherers. The diet focuses on high protein consumption while shunning farmed foods, specifically all grains. Paleolithic humans only lived to 35 years on average, should we be taking their diet advice? 
• Keto Diet: Short for “ketogenic,” the diet promises that you’ll lose weight – and especially body fat – based on the insulin-blunting effect of eating a very low-carbohydrate, high fat diet.  But, the Keto diet can also lead to high cholesterol, preserved body fat, and lost muscle mass: not exactly the trade-off you’d want for a few lost pounds.
• Whole30: The premise of this elimination diet is to eat three "clean" meals a day, made with Whole30-approved ingredients (think: meats, seafood, veggies, and eggs) for 30 days. But just because it ends after 30 days, doesn’t mean that everything about it is OK.
• Weight Watchers: Rebranded to WW and backed by Oprah, we’ve seen some positive changes! Learn how Step One fits into the new WW ‘Purple Plan’. 
• Atkins Diet: The Atkins diet promotes eating as much protein and fat as you want while avoiding foods high in carbs (pasta, bread, cakes, fruits). Does minimizing carb intake and maximizing protein really lead to weight loss and better health? 
• Seattle Sutton: Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating (SSHE) was founded by a nurse and is a meal replacement system that provides 21 servings of food per week. We really had to do our research on this one and we were not impressed. 

If fad diets don’t work, what does? 

Diets turn food from what it should be - a necessity and a pleasure - into an enemy and a punishment.  We are guilt-ridden if we enjoy eating something “bad” or punish ourselves through deprivation. 

Instead of dieting, we should simply be eating more foods that promote health and fewer foods that promote disease.  When you eat for health, the weight part takes care of itself.  

When you eat to lower cholesterol, you’re also eating nutritionally dense and satisfying foods, leading to fewer food cravings and overall lower calorie intake. Step One’s foods were not created specifically to promote weight loss, but many patients find this to be a side benefit of eating them. 

Enjoying Step One Foods twice daily may seem like a small step, but it provides the necessary foundation for positive health outcomes. Look at what happens when you replace a bagel and a candy bar with Step One Foods Pancakes and Step One Foods Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars over the course of a year:

At Step One we don’t pretend to be a complete eating program, but we are also not a fad. Our formulations are based on mountains of research and have been validated by a clinical trial in a real-world environment. And we're a great a place to get started, especially if your goal is to improve your cholesterol profile or reduce the dosage of medication needed to control your cholesterol readings. After all, our foods were designed specifically to help you do that. But we wholeheartedly encourage you to continue to move to a more whole-food plant-based eating plan overall. Because our overriding desire is for you to attain your best health, not just great cholesterol results.

About Step One Foods: Step One Foods is a line of food products that are scientifically formulated to help improve cholesterol. Founded by cardiologist Elizabeth Klodas, Step One is clinically proven to help improve cholesterol levels. We offer a variety of breakfast and snack foods that are delicious and nutritious.