Fad Diets

Recently, I have been curious about the practice of fasting. Not for religious or cultural reasons, just curiosity. Some of my friends who have done this have described various sensations of euphoria or "inner calm" associated with fasting. What health benefits and risks can you associate with fasting? I imagine that dehydration is the biggest...

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,...

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...

There's a physician assistant at a hospital near me that is advocating a "protein sparing modified fast" type of diet that includes lots of lean meats and is not more than 800 calories/day. I have always read this to be a very unhealthy way to eat, but he insists it works and says he...

Given everything else identical, would weight loss be equal on 1200 calorie/day high protein, low carb vs. 1200 calorie/day high carb? Thanks for your reply. While a calorie is a calorie, it shouldn't make any difference. However in high protein, low carbohydrate weight loss diets, people lose weight faster due to loss of body water rather...

I am a 34-year-old female who started taking a nutritional drink mix two weeks ago called Balance 40-30-30. A week later, I noticed that the tips of my fingers are wrinkling as if I had been in the water for a long time. It varies from finger to finger and hasn't gone away. I...

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...

I have been looking all over the web for ideas on how to lose 20 pounds in 4 months. Ok, more would be good, but let's start off with that number. I have come across Atkins Diets, Cabbage Diets, 7-4-3-1 day diets and what the heck is this Zone thing? They all seem really...

Ironically enough, I found your website by looking up that silly Cabbage Soup Diet. After reading what many doctors and health workers had to say about it, I've found that there is no such thing as a "Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital" (the hospital that supposedly prescribes this hideous starvation-torture diet) and furthermore, there never...

I was looking for an article on carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism prevention. I could not find it anywhere. Do you know anything about these inhibitors? How healthy or safe are they? I am not aware of any pills currently available that really do block metabolism of carbohydrate, protein, or fat. I would not recommend...