The Lemonade Diet is a modified juice fast that was designed for the purpose of detoxifying the body to restore wellbeing. Developed by alternative health advocate Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s, the Lemonade Diet was not intended for weight loss, but it is now commonly used for that purpose.

The Lemonade Diet is an entirely liquid diet.  While on the diet followers drink large amounts of a beverage made from fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water.  They drink six to twelve glasses of this lemonade each day and at least an equal amount of water.

In addition to drinking the lemonade, dieters use laxatives and/or salt water flushes to flush toxins out of their bodies.  Proponents of the Lemonade Diet, also called the Master Cleanse or Maple Syrup Diet, believe that toxins and wastes that accumulate in the body cause serious health problems. Poor diet, lack of physical activity, negative attitudes, and unhealthy environments cause the body to accumulate these toxins. Proponents believe you can remove the toxins and restore health through fasting and detoxifying. They claim that people who follow the Lemonade Diet experience less chronic pain, more energy, and weight loss of 20 pounds in 10 days. Opponents of this diet say that the body has organs for natural detoxification, and that laxatives and flushing are unnecessary and potentially dangerous.

There is no cost to follow the Lemonade Diet, other than the minimal costs for the ingredients. Lemonade Diet books and kits are available, but not necessary.

How the Lemonade Diet Works

There are three phases to the Lemonade Diet: The Ease-In phase, the Lemonade phase, and the Ease-Out phase.

Ease-In Phase: The Ease-In Phase is just what it sounds like: a time to slowly move toward the liquid diet. On the first day of this three-day phase you eat fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from meat, dairy, and processed foods. The next day you restrict yourself to fruit juices and vegetable juices, preferably fresh. The third day of the ease-in you drink only orange juice, with a little maple syrup for sweetening if you like. This is also a good time to rid your environment of foods that might tempt you during your fast.

Lemonade Phase: This phase typically lasts three to ten days, but can last as long as thirty days. Longer fasts are not recommended for people new to the Lemonade Diet. You drink six to twelve glasses of lemonade and as much water as you want. To flush the toxins from your body you take a laxative or a saltwater flush twice a day—in the morning and at night. You make the saltwater flush by mixing two teaspoons of salt in a quart of water.

Here is the recipe for the lemonade. For one glass of lemonade you combine two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, two tablespoons of grade B maple syrup, and one-tenth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder with eight to ten ounces of water. You may need to start out light on the cayenne and ease into the full amount. You can prepare each glass at a time or make enough for an entire day each morning, but never prepare more than a day’s worth in advance because it will not stay fresh.

Ease-Out Phase: The Ease-Out Phase is the Ease-In Phase in reverse. It is the transition back to solid food. On the first day you drink orange juice lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Next day it’s fruit and vegetable juices. On the third day of the ease-out you eat solid fruits and vegetables. On the fourth day you resume your regular diet.

Benefits of the Lemonade Diet

The Lemonade Diet is inexpensive; you can buy everything you need at a local food store. You will lose weight quickly.

Proponents of the Lemonade Diet say followers experience health benefits from the liquid diet and detoxification.

Concerns about the Lemonade Diet

The lemonade does not provide the recommended daily amounts (RDAs) of vitamins, minerals, fiber, fat, and carbohydrates. Fasting can destroy natural bacteria that aid digestion and support the immune system. Because it is so low in calories the diet can slow down the metabolism.

The Lemonade Diet is not safe for children or for women who are pregnant or nursing. It is also not safe for people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses. The diet can alter the effectiveness of prescription medications. Dieters may feel dizzy, tired, or sluggish, and may get headaches, nausea, or constipation.

Exercise is not part of the Lemonade Diet. In fact, some people may feel too weak to exercise while they are on the diet.

The Lemonade Diet does not include a long-term plan for maintaining weight loss and health gains. Followers do not learn healthy eating habits and return to their regular diets whether they were healthy or not.

The Lemonade Diet is extremely restrictive, making it very hard to stick to.

 Talk to Your Doctor

The Lemonade Diet is an extreme weight loss plan that is not successful or safe for everyone. It is very important that you consult with your healthcare provider before you start the Lemonade Diet, especially if you have a chronic medical condition or take medication.  Your personal provider knows your health and weight issues and can advise you as to whether this is a good diet for you. He or she may suggest alternate or additional ways to achieve your goals, and may refer you to other medical specialists, a registered dietitian, or a trainer for further assistance.

If you do decide to follow the Lemonade Diet, be sure to speak to your doctor if you experience any problems or have any concerns while you are on the diet.

In 1975, Dr. Sanford Siegal developed the Cookie Diet to help his patients lose weight. The Cookie Diet is a simple low-calorie diet that controls hunger with meal replacement cookies. One regular meal a day supplements the cookies.

Under Dr. Siegal’s Classic Cookie Diet you eat six cookies a day whenever you feel hungry. Dr. Siegal made the cookies not too tasty in order to discourage dieters from eating too many. Each Classic Cookie has 90 calories.

Dr. Siegal unveiled Plan 10X in April 2011. The 60-calorie Plan 10X cookies are natural, Kosher, vegetarian, and tastier. Because they take less time to bake and package, they are less expensive than the Classic Cookies. Dr. Siegal says he could make these cookies better tasting because you eat them at set times a day, not whenever you want, so there is no temptation factor. Because you eat every two hours during your waking hours you never get hungry.

The Plan 10X cookies come in three flavors: chocolate brownie, cinnamon oatmeal, and maple granola. Plan 10X conforms to the 2010 USDA/HHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The schedule for eating the Plan 10X cookies is fixed. You can adjust the schedule if you get up earlier or later, you can eat your meal at another time of the day (although dinner is preferred), and you can substitute a Cookie Diet bran shake for two cookies. Other than that, your meal plan is quite rigid.

What’s in the cookies? Well, Dr. Siegal won’t say exactly. The most he will reveal is that he uses a proprietary amino acid mixture that fights hunger. He calls it a “proprietary combination of grains and other natural ingredients” and “a hunger-controlling amino acid protein.” Whatever is in them, the Classic Cookies cost $60 a week and the Plan 10x cookies cost $50.00 a week. Discounts are available.

You can expect to lose 10-15 pounds per month under either the Classic Plan or the Plan 10X.

Other Cookie Diets

While Dr. Siegal is credited with creating the original cookie diet, his is not the only cookie diet. Dr. Sasson Moulavi, who worked for Dr. Siegal for a while, has a program called The Smart for Life Cookie Diet. His cookies have 100 calories each, are 60 percent organic, have no preservatives, and cost $1.00 each. A two-week program costs $129. Smart for Life also has muffins, shakes, and soups. Expected weight loss is 10-15 pounds per month.

The Hollywood Cookie Diet features four high-protein, high-fiber cookies to be eaten between breakfast and lunch. A box of twelve cookies (a three-day supply) sells for $20.00 and is available in retail groceries and pharmacies.

How the Cookie Diet Works

Because your choices are so limited, Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet is easy to follow. It has three steps.

Step 1. See your doctor. Dr. Siegal wants his dieters to see their personal physicians before starting the diet to make sure there is no reason they should not follow the Cookie Diet.

Step 2. Order cookies. The cookies are not available in stores. A four-week starter kit contains enough cookies for a month plus the Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet books: The Cookie Doctor Cookbook: Countless Combinations of Delicious Meals for Any Calorie-Controlled Lifestyle and Dr. Siegal’s Diet Book.

Step 3. Eat your cookies according to the following schedule:

• 8:00 AM: 2 cookies
• 10:00 AM: 1 cookie
• 12:00 N: 1 cookie
• 2:00 PM: 2 cookies
• 4:00 PM: 1 cookie
• 6:00 PM: 500-700 calorie meal
• 8:00 PM: 1 cookie
• 10:00 PM: 1 cookie

For your one daily meal you can have six ounces of chicken, fish, turkey, or seafood and one cup of vegetables. You should drink at least eight glasses of water, black coffee, or tea a day, but no alcohol or sweet drinks. Fruit, dairy, and any foods not listed above out prohibited.

Benefits of the Cookie Diet

The Cookie Diet is a low-calorie diet that should result in weight loss.

Consultation with your doctor before you start the program (and during it if needed) is part of Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet. This is a good idea with any diet, but is particularly important with a low-calorie meal replacement program such as the Cookie Diet.

Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet meets the needs of vegetarians and people who follow a Kosher diet.

Not having to make food decisions is an advantage for many dieters. Also, the rigid program allows no opportunities for slip-ups. Both of these features of the Cookie Diet could make the diet appealing to people who have been unsuccessful with other weight-loss diets.

Concerns about the Cookie Diet

The Cookie Diet does not have an exercise component, nor is there a maintenance or transition phase. Dietitians generally recommend that individuals on meal replacement diets transition to limiting their meal replacements and eating two meals a day before they go back to regular diets.

The Cookie Diet does not educate dieters about healthy eating or teach them how to plan and prepare healthy meals.

The Cookie Diet is expensive.

The Cookie Diet may not provide enough fiber, calcium, carbohydrates, and vitamin D. Two flavors of Dr. Siegal’s new cookies are high in saturated fat.

Talk to Your Doctor

A limited-time meal replacement diet like the Cookie Diet can be a good way to lose weight quickly. As Dr. Siegal points out, it is important to consult with your own physician before starting the Cookie Diet. He or she will be able to assess if the Cookie Diet is a safe and effective weight loss program for you. You can also talk to your doctor while you are on the Cookie Diet if you have any questions or concerns about your weight or your health.

The Hormone Diet aims to balance hormones, improve overall health, teach eating habits, and promote in weight loss. Naturopathic doctor and author Natasha Turner bases the Hormone Diet on the premise that hormones affect every aspect of weight gain and loss. Turner, author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet, believes that hormones control food cravings as well as fat storage and burning. She says that hormonal imbalances can cause fatigue, memory loss, and ill health in addition to weight gain, and that up to 90 percent of all adults have hormone imbalances.

Dieters lose up to twelve pounds the first two weeks of the Hormone Diet. They then lose about two pounds a week during the six-week program.

You can participate in the Hormone Diet in a number of ways. You can use The Hormone Diet or the companion book The Super-Charged Hormone Diet to guide your diet or you can become a patient at Dr. Turner’s wellness boutique in Toronto.  (As the name suggests, The Super-Charged Hormone Diet is a speeded-up version of the Hormone Diet that takes only four weeks.) Another option is the Hormone Diet Bootcamp, which can bring the Hormone Diet to your workplace (or you can participate in the bootcamp at the Toronto clinic.)

The cost of the diet depends on how you choose to become involved. Some insurance may reimburse for certain of the naturopathic classes. You can buy detox and maintenance kits that cost about $200 each and include the supplements you need for steps 1 and 2 of the Hormone Diet.

How to Follow the Hormone Diet

The six-week Hormone Diet takes a three-step approach.

1. Renew and Revitalize. The first step starts with a two-week detoxification. During the detoxification you learn how different foods affect you and which you may be allergic to. You do not eat the foods that commonly cause allergies, inflammations, or migraines—foods like corn, refined sugars and grains, citrus fruits, and foods with additives.

2. Replenish Your Body and Balance Your Hormones. Step two focuses on which foods to eat and when to eat them. Foods to avoid include so-called ‘hormone-hindering’ foods such as farmed salmon, fish high in mercury, raisins, dates, and non-organic coffee and meat. Throughout the diet you avoid refined sugars and grains, foods with trans fats, corn, citrus fruit, processed meats, foods with nitrites and other additives, alcohol, and most artificial sweeteners.

Your diet consists of gluten-free grains, most vegetables (not corn), fruits (except citrus and canned and dried fruits), nuts, seeds, fish, organic meat, goat cheese, olives, flaxseed and canola oil, eggs, nondairy milk substitutes, soy products, and avocados. You take supplements, omega-3 fish oil, and cleansing formulas. Your supplements may change as you progress in the Hormone Diet.

Your might have a fruit smoothie for lunch and chicken, fish, or turkey and vegetables for lunch and dinner. Good snacks are goat milk cheese and almond protein bars. Lentil soup, three-bean salad, and chicken stir-fry fit with the Hormone Diet. The Hormone Diet includes simple recipes for such tasty dishes as Texas Chili, Vegetarian Chili, and Jamaican Chicken Curry.

You supplement your diet in the second step with multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium-magnesium, whey protein, and antioxidants. You need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

3. Restore Strength, Vigor and Balance. In step three you add exercise– yoga, hiking, biking, and aerobic and strength training—six days a week. The special Hormone Diet workout is a 30-minute workout that uses free weights.

A self-assessment helps you figure out which of your hormones are out of balance and how you can correct them. Correcting hormone imbalances may involve changes to your diet, behavior changes, exercise, better sleep, or stress reduction.

Benefits of the Hormone Diet

Unlike many fast weight loss diets, the Hormone Diet looks at lifestyle issues such as sleep, exercise, eating habits, and stress.  It makes the connection between hormonal health, weight loss, and overall health. It addresses inflammation as a cause of weight gain and health problems.

The nutrition and exercise programs are lifelong programs.

The Mediterranean-style low-carbohydrate, low-glycemic diet is basically a healthy one.

Dr. Turner is a medical doctor and the Hormone Diet has the endorsement of other medical doctors.

The Hormone Diet is for men and women and is consistent with a vegetarian lifestyle.

Concerns about the Hormone Diet

Registered dietitians are concerned about the amount of supplements the Hormone Diet requires. They say that supplements can interact with prescription medication and can be dangerous in the quantities used in this diet.

Traditional medical doctors believe that detoxification is not necessary because the liver and kidneys do that job, and can be dangerous. They say that detox diets can have serious side effects, including dehydration, anemia, low blood sugar, nausea, and fatigue. Detoxification may be particularly dangerous for people who have heart disease or diabetes.

The diet may be too low in carbohydrates for people who exercise regularly. In addition, it may cause the loss of muscle mass and negatively affect your metabolism—both of which make it harder for your body to burn calories.

Many authorities dispute the role of hormones in weight loss as presented in the Hormone Diet. They say that weight loss is more complicated than that and involves other factors in addition to hormones.

Check with Your Doctor

Because the Hormone Diet involves a period of detoxification and requires you to use so many supplements, it’s important to check with your doctor before you start it. Your healthcare provider can evaluate whether the diet is a good one for you, particularly in light of how the supplements may affect any health conditions you have or medications you take.

Keep in mind that you can consult with your physician if you have any questions or concerns while you are on the diet.

The Rice Diet started in 1939 as a residential program for weight loss as well as the prevention, treatment, and reversal of heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease. The program is connected with Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The Rice Diet program at Duke includes daily medical supervision, nutrition education, support, and instruction in topics such as emotional eating, dining in restaurants, stress reduction, accepting your body, and exercise. Most people stay for four to eight weeks.

The Rice Diet strictly limits salt, sugar, fat, and processed foods. It is a very low calorie diet that emphasizes complex carbohydrates and includes some protein. You don’t just eat rice, but your food choices are very limited and strictly controlled. You can eat whole-grain carbohydrates, low sodium beans, very lean protein, nonfat dairy, and fruits and vegetables.

Weight loss is rapid; how much you will lose depends on your age, gender, initial weight, and how much you exercise. The average weight loss is 204 pounds for women and 260 pounds for men. During the first week weight loss for women averages 9 pounds, 13 pounds for men. In four weeks women average a weight loss of 19 pounds and men 29 pounds. After the first month most people lose about 2 1/2 to 3 2/3 pounds per week.

Cost of the Rice Diet

The diet is presented in recently published books such as The Rice Diet Solution, The Rice Diet Cookbook, and The Rice Diet Renewal, which sell for under $20.00. The books instruct readers on how to follow the Rice Diet on their own.

A Rice Diet starter kit costs $375.00.  The kit includes food for one month, a pedometer, four books and a variety of other educational materials, and a journal. You can find out the cost of the program in North Carolina by contacting a representative through the website.

The Rice Diet store sells over 200 low sodium foods. These are whole foods from various companies that are mostly available in stores, not prepackaged Rice Brand foods. You do not have to purchase these foods to participate in the Rice Diet. However, the diet does recommend certain products that you may not be able to buy locally and may have to order.

How the Rice Diet Works

The Rice Diet has three phases and includes three different types of Rice Diets: the Basic Rice Diet, the Lacto Vegetarian Rice Diet, and the Vegetarian Plus Rice Diet.

Phase 1 lasts one week. On the first day you eat the Basic Rice Diet of 800 calories and 50 mg sodium: 2 starches and 2 fruits at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

For the next six days of Phase 1 you eat according to the Lacto-Vegetarian Rice Diet, which allows 1,000 calories per day and 300 mg sodium. For breakfast you have one starch, one dairy, and one fruit. For lunch you have three starches, three veggies, and one fruit. Dinner is the same as lunch.

Phase 2 also lasts one week. The first day of Phase 2 you eat the Basic Rice Diet. For the next four days you eat the Lacto Vegetarian Rice Diet. For the last two days you eat a Vegetarian Plus Rice Diet. The Vegetarian Plus Diet has 1,200 calories and 500 mg sodium a day. You eat two starches and one fruit for breakfast. For lunch you have three starches, three vegetables, and one fruit. Dinner is three starches, three protein or two dairy, three vegetables and one fruit.

Phase 3 is the maintenance phase. You start out with 1,200 calories per day and 500 mg sodium. Then you increase your intake by approximately 200 additional calories a week until your weight loss stops. On the first day you eat the Basic Rice Diet. The second, third, and fourth days you eat the Lacto Vegetarian Rice Diet. The next two days you eat the Vegetarian Plus Rice Diet. Then you repeat this series. 

Serving sizes are as follows:

• 1 starch: 1 slice of bread, 1/3 cup cooked rice or beans, or 1/2 cup cooked pasta.
• 1 Fruit: 1 medium piece of fruit other than banana, 1/2 banana, or 1 cup cut up fruit.
• 1 Vegetable: 1 cup uncooked or 1/2 cup cooked.
• 1 Dairy: 1 cup milk, 1 cup yogurt, or 1/2 cup cottage cheese.

Benefits of the Rice Diet

Exercise, lifestyle changes, whole foods, stress reduction, and nutrition education are aspects of the program that support weight loss and good health.

The Rice Diet emphasizes healthy living, not just weight loss. For many, following the Rice Diet results in lower blood sugar and lower cholesterol. Some are able to reduce or go off medication.

Medical supervision, such as provided at the Rice Diet clinic, is essential for a very low calorie diet.

The Rice Diet is suitable for vegetarians.

Concerns about the Rice Diet

The Rice Diet is not a good choice for anyone who has had a colon resection or who has a kidney condition.

This is a rigid and highly controlled diet. It may be difficult to follow the Rice Diet on your own without the intense, daily support of the clinic.

The diet does not provide enough calcium and vitamin D. The protein allowance is less than half the recommended daily allowance, which could lead to a decrease in muscle mass.

With very low calorie diets like the Rice Diet the metabolism can slow down, which is counter to long-term weight loss. Very low calorie diets have other risks and so require medical supervision. People who follow the Rice Diet on their own may not get the necessary medical monitoring.

Is the Rice Diet for You?

The Rice Diet may not be a good choice if you want to lose less than 50 pounds. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you may be a good candidate for this diet.

Very low calorie diets such as the Rice Diet can have serious medical complications. If you follow the diet on your own rather than at the North Carolina clinic it is very important that you have ongoing medical supervision.

A macrobiotic diet is a modified vegetarian diet. A person who is macrobiotic does more than follow a macrobiotic diet. Macrobiotics a total lifestyle, lived in harmony with nature and according to the principles of simplicity and conscious living. Macrobiotics seeks to balance the yin and the yang, the sweet and the sour, the hot and the cold.

A macrobiotic diet is a strict low fat, high fiber diet.

• 40 to 60 percent of the calories come from whole grains, especially brown rice and soba noodles (buckwheat pasta), but also barley, millet, oats, quinoa, and spelt;
• 25 to 30 percent comes from vegetables;
• 5 to 10 percent comes from beans and other legumes, especially tofu and other soybean products;
• 5 percent comes from sea vegetables (seaweed); and
• 5 percent comes from miso soup (soup made from fermented soybean paste).

You can eat fish and other seafood, nuts, seeds, nut butters, mild seasoning, and fruit two or three times a week. Poultry, eggs, and meats are considered dense, causing stagnation. They are not part of a day-to-day macrobiotic diet, but individuals can eat naturally raised meat products if they need them to create balance. Non-stimulating drinks are allowed. Bancha tea, or bancha twig tea, is a popular macrobiotic beverage.

Certain foods are predominantly yin and others yang. Yin foods are cold, expansive, light, and diffuse. Yang foods are dense, heavy, hot and compact. Whole grains are closest to a yin-yang balance.

Many foods are considered over-stimulating or extreme, qualities that can exhaust body and mind. They do not support the goal of achieving yin-yang balance and are excluded from the macrobiotic diet. Such foods include:

• Processed foods;
• Foods with additives, preservatives, or other chemicals;
• Sugar;
• Honey;
• Caffeinated beverages;
• Refined flour;
• Very hot spices;
• Chocolate;
• Drugs, including supplements;
• Alcohol;
• Hot spices;
• Commercial dairy products;
• Potatoes; and
• Zucchini.

The macrobiotic diet is not one-size-fits all. Combinations of foods are carefully considered in a macrobiotic diet. And what you can eat changes according to the climate and seasons. Your health, age, health, gender, and level of physical activity factor into what you can eat on a macrobiotic diet.  Where you live and the general circumstances of your life also factor into your personal macrobiotic diet.

How to Follow a Macrobiotic Diet

A macrobiotic diet is highly restricted, but there is flexibility within the firm guidelines. The foods emphasized in a macrobiotic diet are chosen because they support balance. The modern macrobiotic diet allows you to alter your diet to support your personal wellbeing. 

The foods you eat on a macrobiotic diet change with the seasons.

In spring you eat lighter foods lightly cooked. Wild greens, lightly fermented foods, and grains feature prominently in the spring diet.

In summer you also eat light foods lightly cooked. Maximizing seasonal vegetables, meals center on greens with large leaves, sweet corn, and fruit. You eat more raw foods in summer and lighter grains like barley and bulgur wheat.

The autumn diet includes more concentrated foods, which are more yang. This includes root vegetables (parsnips, carrots, turnips), legumes, and winter squash. Your grains are heavier: sweet rice and millet.

Winter brings foods that are even stronger and more concentrated, even more yang. Fermented vegetables, root vegetables, soy, and oils (high quality, unrefined vegetable oils such as sesame oil and corn oil) predominate. Grains are heavy, such as millet and buckwheat.

Macrobiotics emphasizes conscious living and conscious eating. All foods must be chewed thoroughly, and overeating is strongly discouraged. You will become more sensitive to the effects various foods have on your health and wellness, increasing your ability to choose the best foods for you. The foods that best support your wellbeing are likely to change according to the seasons and other factors mentioned above.

Advocates of macrobiotics recommend that people transition into the diet very slowly, changing their diet and eating habits a little at a time.

Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet

With the right food choices the modern macrobiotic diet can provide adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals and is in line with USDA guidelines for adults. All the soy foods make the diet rich in disease-preventing phytoestrogens.

Macrobiotics is a lifestyle, not just a diet. It emphasizes many healthy behaviors, like eating slowly and paying attention.

A diet high in whole grains and vegetables and low in meat protein has been shown to prevent many types of cancer.  A macrobiotic diet may have other disease-prevention benefits, but these have not been scientifically proven. 

Most people lose weight on a macrobiotic diet.

A macrobiotic diet is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Concerns about Macrobiotic Diets

The transition to a macrobiotic diet can be very difficult, especially for individuals who make the change too quickly. The food can be costly.

Depending on your food choices you may not get enough of certain vitamins and minerals. If you do not eat fish, for example, you may not get enough vitamin B-12.  Also depending on what you eat you may be deficient in iron, magnesium calcium, and protein.

It is not easy to follow a macrobiotic diet. It requires special foods that may not be readily available in local grocery stores and in restaurants. The diet is very different from what most people in the United States and other western countries eat. Because of all the food restrictions it may be difficult to socialize with people who are not on macrobiotic diets.

Is a Macrobiotic Diet for You?

For most people a macrobiotic diet is an extreme departure from their accustomed way of eating. Many people thrive on macrobiotic diets, but it is not for everyone.

Before you embark on the transition to a macrobiotic diet, talk to your healthcare provider. Based on your health and personal goals, he or she can assess whether a macrobiotic diet is a good choice for you. If you do decide on a macrobiotic diet, consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about your health.

The Baby Food Diet is so new there are no books or comprehensive guidelines to provide details on how it works or how to follow it. It’s considered a celebrity diet, designed by trainers to the stars for their star clients. It allows dieters to curb their food cravings, eat on the run, and lose weight quickly.

You can choose from a number of versions of the Baby Food Diet. You can replace snacks and one or two meals a day with jarred baby food. Or you can just replace snacks with baby food. In theory you could replace all your meals with baby food, but most proponents of this diet recommend eating one regular, adult meal each day—plus 14 four-ounce jars of baby food.

The idea behind the Baby Food Diet is that you stay satisfied with less food. Because the food is so bland and unappealing, you do not overeat. And because you do not overeat, you lose weight. Some consider it a type of cleanse or detox.

About the Baby Food

Following the baby food diet should result in taking in fewer calories and therefore losing weight. However, not all baby food has the same calorie content, so you have to choose carefully or you will wind up with too many calories. Take a look at the calorie content of some of the most popular baby foods (calories are approximate for one 3.5-4 ounce serving):

• Gerber or Beechnut applesauce: 60
• Gerber or Beechnut bananas: 112
• Gerber beef with vegetables: 67
• Earth’s Best organic winter squash:  40
• Earth’s Best organic or Gerber pears: 80
• Beechnut, Gerber, or Heinz green beans: 28
• Heinz organic lamb with vegetables: 75
• Heinz apricots: 80
• Heinz banana/grape/plum: 120

You can see from this short list that 14 jars of baby food can range from a low of 392 calories a day to high of 1,680 calories a day. You have to read labels carefully so you can be aware of your calorie intake. Unfortunately, the Baby Food Diet does not advise followers on how many calories they should get from the baby food and how much from the one real meal.

You also have to be careful about additives. Many people mistakenly believe that baby food does not contain any preservatives or other additives. The fact is that some baby food does have additives and preservatives. If you want to take advantage of the no additives and no preservatives claims of Baby Food Diet advocates, you need to read the labels carefully.

The good news is that baby food is full nutrients and tends to be low in fats, sugar, and salt. You also have a huge variety of foods to choose from, which can help you from getting bored with this diet.

Benefits of the Baby Food Diet

Baby food is readily available and convenient. It does not need refrigeration. You don’t even need a lunch bag. You can easily carry it with you and eat it wherever you are.

Because the food is so bland most people are not tempted to overeat. There is a tremendous amount of variety in the types of baby food available. 

You can choose gluten free and organic baby foods, and you can certainly stick to a vegetarian diet.

Portion control is easy.

Concerns about the Baby Food Diet

Baby food has the nutrients that babies need; it doesn’t meet the nutritional needs of adults. Baby food lacks adequate fiber, calcium, and vitamin D and is too low in the healthy fats adults need.

Depending on your choices, you could find yourself with a dangerously low calorie intake. Too few calories can slow down your metabolism, which slows down weight loss. Not getting enough calories can also trigger eating disorders. In addition, it can affect your blood sugar, causing spikes that lead to hunger and binge eating.

Chewing contributes to the feeling of fullness. Pureed food may leave you feel unsatisfied and hungry.

The Baby Food Diet does not teach dieters about healthy eating, portion control, preparing food, or meal planning. There is no exercise component to the diet, nor is there a plan for long-term weight maintenance.

The Baby Food Diet lacks guidance about what types of baby food to eat, what to expect on the diet, how to eat a balanced diet on baby food, how to transition in and out of the diet, and other important diet issues.  For example, from the available information it is unclear if followers are to eat 14 jars of baby food in place of some or all meals or snacks. If you eat one real meal, do you need to eat 14 jars of baby food a day? Where did the magic number of 14 come from?

Plus, no scientific studies support the claims of the diet. The long-term risks and benefits of the diet are not known.

This is an extremely restricted diet, which makes it unsustainable for more than a very limited amount of time.

Conclusion

In considering the Baby Food Diet, nutrition experts point out that any diet that limits calories is likely to result in weight loss. Most nutritionists recommend that people who want to lose weight choose a more balanced and less restrictive diet. They recommend a healthy diet–high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean protein—plus regular exercise and healthy eating habits. On the other hand, most experts agree that a few days on the Baby Food Diet can do no harm for most people.

As with all diets, it’s a good idea to consult with your healthcare provider before embarking on the Baby Food Diet, especially is you take medications or have serious health problems.

The Atkins Diet is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for weight loss and maintenance as well as good health. The diet strictly limits some foods, while allowing other foods that many other weight loss diets ban. For example, you cannot eat any refined sugar, milk, white rice, or white flour, but you can eat plenty of meat, eggs, butter, and cheese.

You eat mostly protein and fat, with a limited amount of high quality carbs. The diet is highly structured, especially in the initial phases. Claims for the diet include weight loss without hunger, improved heart health, and better memory.

The Atkins Diet is based on the theory that people who are overweight eat too many carbohydrates. Too many carbs causes the body to store the extra sugar as fat. When you cut down on carbs your body burns its stores of fat for energy—instead of burning carbs. Plus, an excess of carbs can cause spikes in blood sugar, which makes you hungry and gives you the urge to splurge on foods that are not good for us.

What the Atkins Diet Costs

You can follow the Atkins Diet from the information on the website or from the revised edition of Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, which retails for under $25.00. The Atkins Diet has a product line that includes low-carb snack bars and shakes, breakfast bars, low-sugar candy bars, baking mix, and pasta. However, you do not have to buy the prepackaged Atkins foods to participate in this diet. You can buy all your food at local grocery stores; the cost may be more than you are used to paying because high quality proteins and oils are expensive. 

How the Atkins Diet Works

The Atkins Diet has three phases.

Phase 1 is called Induction. You give your diet a kick-start in this phase, switching your body from burning carbs to burning fat. You can expect to lose up to fifteen pounds during Induction, which lasts at least two weeks and as long as several months. You need to lose at least two pounds before moving on to Phase 2. During Phase 1 you:

• Eat three regular meals or four or five smaller meals every day, not going more than six hours without a meal.
• Eat at least four ounces of protein at every meal.
• Eat no more than 20 grams of carbs a day, which equates to about six cups of loosely packed salad greens and two cups of cooked vegetables. Not all vegetables are allowed—only the non-starchy ones.
• Eat mostly proteins and fat: fish, poultry, meat, and eggs, cheese.
• Follow a very specific list of what you can eat and how much of it you can eat.
• Follow a list of guidelines exactly.

Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss, is the time to add more carbohydrates and different foods back into your diet. This is the time to find out how many carbs you can eat and still lose weight.

Phase 3 is Pre-Maintenance. When you are ten pounds away you’re your weight goal, you keep adding carbs and losing more weight. You can eat whole grains and more fruits and vegetables. This is a time of slow weight loss; it may take several months to lose that last ten pounds. 

Phase 4, Lifetime Maintenance, happens when you have reached your weight goal. By this point you know what foods–and how much of them—you can eat to maintain your desired weight. You limit carbs to less than 90 grams per day, which is about one-third of what most people consume. This is your diet for life.

You can use a number of free interactive online tools to support your diet, including:

• Meal plans
• Online community
• Carb counter
• Recipe database
• Online courses
• Weight and carb tracking programs
• Nutritionist’s blog
• Weight loss forum

Benefits of the Atkins Diet

The quick loss of weight in the induction phases may encourage dieters to stick to the diet.

The diet eliminates most processed foods and alcohol. For most people the diet results in a decrease in daily caloric intake.

Because of the emphasis on red meat and fats, the Atkins Diet tends to be more attractive to men than many other weight loss diets.

The Atkins Diet website is very informative and provides a number of useful tools.

Concerns about the Atkins Diet

The long-term health effects of the Atkins Diet, as well as the diet’s effectiveness for weight loss, have not been scientifically proven.

Depending on the food choices dieters make, a low carb diet like the Atkins Diet can be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

Possible side effects include ketosis, a state that occurs when the body burns fats. Ketosis can cause fatigue, dizziness, nausea, irritability, dehydration, insomnia, and bad breath.

The high intake of protein could result in kidney problems or osteoporosis. The lack of adequate fruits and vegetables can create a deficiency of antioxidants, which could in turn contribute to heart disease, premature aging, cancer, and cataracts. Limiting fruits and vegetables limits fiber, which can create problems in the gastrointestinal system, particularly constipation

The Atkins Diet is not suitable for vegetables.

Exercise is not a significant part of the Atkins Diet.

Talk to Your Doctor

The Atkins Diet is controversial. Research has yet to prove that low carb diets burn fat better than other diets. The long-term health effects of low carb diets—both benefits and risks—are not known.

Your healthcare provider can evaluate the Atkins Diet in light of your individual health and weight issues. He or she can determine if the Atkins Diet is a safe and effective diet for you.

If you decide to participate in the Atkins Diet, be sure to consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns while you are on the diet.

The Blood Type Diet is based on the idea that your blood type—O, A, B, or AB—determines the types of foods you should eat and the exercise you should get. According to naturopathic physician Peter J. D’Adamo, who wrote Eat Right for Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight, eating the wrong food for your blood type leads to ill health and excess weight.

While the Blood Type Diet is more of a nutritional diet than a weight loss diet, D’Adamo claims people lose weight as a side effect of the diet. They lose weight by avoiding the foods that are contrary to good health for their blood types. According to proponents of the diet, when you eat outside your blood type you become more susceptible to inflammation, bloating, a slowdown of the metabolism, and even cancer.

You need nothing but the book, which retails for $24.95, to follow the Blood Type Diet. Your food should cost no more than in the past, except perhaps if you choose to eat more organically grown foods.

The book goes into extensive details about the foods and exercise for each blood type. Following is basic information about the foods to eat and the foods to avoid, recommended exercise, and sample menus for each type.

Blood Type O

• Eat lean meats, poultry, and fish.
• Limit grains and legumes.
• Avoid avocados, oranges, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and Brazil nuts.
• Exercise vigorously.
• Breakfast: 2 slices of sprouted wheat bread with butter; 6 ounces of vegetable juice, a banana, and herb tea.
• Lunch: 6 ounces of organic roast beef, spinach salad, apple, and water.
• Snack: 1 slice of cake and herb tea.
• Dinner: Meat and vegetable stew, fresh fruit, and herb tea, beer, or wine.

Blood Type A

• Eat a mostly vegetarian diet with soy proteins, grains, and organic vegetables.
• Limit dairy.
• Avoid red meat, kidney beans, and lima beans.
• Do gentle, relaxing exercise such as yoga or tai chi. Do not exercise to the point of fatigue.
• Breakfast: Water with lemon, oatmeal with soymilk and maple syrup, grapefruit juice, and coffee or herb tea.
• Lunch: Salad, apple, 1 slice of sprouted wheat bread, and herb tea.
• Snack: 2 rice cakes with peanut butter, 2 plums, and green tea or water.
• Dinner: Pasta with pesto, broccoli, frozen yogurt, and coffee, herb tea, or red wine.

Blood Type B

• Eat low-fat dairy, lean meat, fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid chicken, dairy, wheat, corn, peanuts, buckwheat, sesame seeds, and lentils.
• Get moderate exercise. Do not exercise to the point of fatigue.
• Breakfast: Rice bran cereal with bananas and skim milk and grape juice.
• Lunch: One sandwich of a slice of cheese, a slice of turkey breast, two pieces of bread, and mustard or mayonnaise; green salad; and herb tea.
• Snack: Yogurt sweetened with fruit juice and herb tea.
• Dinner: Broiled fish with steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and herb tea or coffee.

Blood Type AB

• Eat seafood, tofu, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.
• Avoid red meat, seeds, kidney beans, and lima beans.
• Combine calming exercises such as yoga or tai chi with moderate physical activities such as bicycling or hiking.
• Breakfast: Water with lemon, 8 ounces of grapefruit juice mixed with water, 2 slices of sprouted wheat bread, yogurt, and coffee.
• Lunch: 4 ounces of sliced turkey breast, 2 slices of rye bread, salad, 2 plums, and herb tea.
• Snack: Tofu cheesecake and herb tea
• Dinner: Tofu omelet, vegetables, fruit salad, and herb tea, decaf coffee, or red wine.

How the Blood Type Diet Works

Using the book as your guide, eat the foods recommended for your blood type and do not eat the ones your type should avoid.  You do not need to measure portion size or count calories or carbohydrates.

You also follow the exercise prescribed for your blood type. The book goes into great detail about not only the type of exercise you should get, but also about how you should exercise. 

Benefits of the Blood Type Diet

The Blood Type Diet encourages dieters to cut down on processed foods.

The diet includes exercise—an important component of any long-term weight loss plan.

It is not expensive to eat according to the Blood Type Diet.

You do not have to track calories, carbohydrates, or grams of fat, which is a plus because counting tends to discourage many dieters.

The book includes low-calorie diets, which should help people lose weight.

The Blood Type Diet in not a one-size-fits-all approach to dieting.

Concerns about the Blood Type Diet

This is a complicated diet that requires continual reference to very detailed lists of what and how much to eat. It would be very difficult for more than one person in a household to follow the Blood Type Diet if they have different blood types.

No scientific research supports claims that the diet improves health and promotes weight loss. There are only anecdotal reports from individuals to support these claims.

There is no concrete meal plan. Followers of the Blood Type Diet choose foods based on lists, which could result in balanced-nutritious diets, but may not.

Talk to Your Doctor

The Blood Type Diet is controversial. Many people find that a change in the foods they eat has a profound effect on their health and weight. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence that blood type determines the right foods for each person.

Before you embark on the Blood Type Diet, talk to your healthcare provider. Show him or her the diet for your blood type. Your doctor will be able to tell you if this is a good diet for your personal health status and weight loss goals.

The Acai Berry Diet uses the acai berry—one of the “Super Foods”—for weight loss. It is often used to supplement other diets, particularly colon cleansing diets.

Acai (pronounced ah-SAH’-ee) is the fruit of a palm tree that grows in the rainforests of Brazil and Colombia.  Related to the blueberry and huckleberry, the small round fruit is considered the most nutritious of all the fruits of the Amazon rainforest. The acai berry is rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, potassium, copper, manganese, fiber, protein, and omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Acai is very rich in two powerful antioxidants: anthocyanins and flavonoids. Acai fruit is extremely high on the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity), which measures the total antioxidant power of food and food supplements. According to research reported on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, freeze-dried acai has the highest antioxidant activity of any food reported to date.

While there is no scientific evidence to support acai as a weight-loss supplement, the fruit is known to have many health benefits that go hand-in-hand with weight loss. Reported health benefits of the acai berry, in addition to weight loss, include, among others:

• Increased energy
• Higher metabolic rate
• Improved digestion
• Better vision
• Slower age-related decline
• Blood sugar control
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Cancer prevention and treatment
• Healthier skin
• Cholesterol management
• Strengthened immune system

Advocates of the Acai Berry Diet connect these health benefits with weight loss in the following ways:

• Because the fruit is full of nutrients, you do not have food cravings and do not eat as much.
• The fiber keeps you feeling full so you do not eat between meals.
• Acai increases stamina and builds muscle so you can exercise more.
• The antioxidants improve overall health, and it is easier and safer to lose weight when you are healthy.
• The fiber in the berry helps cleanse the body of toxins, resulting in a flatter stomach and less fat in the digestive system.
• The amino acids, essential fatty acids, and phytosterols of acai berries improve metabolism and digestion and reduce appetite.
• The fiber in the acai berry helps stabilize blood sugar, so you do not get the food cravings that come with spikes in blood sugar levels.

Scientists have shown that a diet rich in antioxidants supports good health. And research shows fruits can play an important role in weight loss diets. It remains to be proven, however, whether acai berry is more beneficial to weight loss than any other food that is rich in antioxidants. 

What Kind of Acai to Buy

Organically grown and freeze dried acai is sold without the addition of preservatives or other chemicals, and is the best form of the fruit for the Acai Berry Diet. You can buy supplements as capsules, juice, or powders. Watch out for acai juice that is mixed with other juices, sugar, or preservatives.

There are many scams involving acai, with websites selling inferior products. Read the labels. Look for products that are 100% pure, fair trade organic acai berries from the Amazon rainforest. Depending on how much you use, you can expect to spend $40 to $90 a month for acai diet supplements.

The Internet has quite a few offers for free acai products that turn out to be not so free. Many companies that offer free trials of acai diet products actually charge customers for products and shipping as well as monthly charges as high as $90. The Better Business Bureau has published warnings about online ads for acai diet supplements. Read the terms of agreement closely before you purchase any acai products online.

How to Follow the Acai Berry Diet

You can follow the Acai Berry Diet without making any other changes in your diet or your lifestyle. Advocates claim that just taking the acai supplements will result in rapid and significant weight loss, but based on nutrition science that claim is unlikely.

Here is a little more guidance from Acai Berry Diet advocates:

• Eat moderate amounts of healthy, unprocessed foods.
• Increase your physical activity.
• Drink lots of water.
• Take pure acai berry products.
• For faster weight loss, drink lots of green tea.

Benefits of the Acai Berry Diet

Acai berries are high-antioxidant fruits and can be good additions to a healthy weight loss diet.  They are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

There are no known negative side effects from eating acai berries.

Concerns about the Acai Berry Diet

Weight loss claims for acai are not substantiated by scientific research. Other fruits high in antioxidants, such as blueberries, may provide the same health benefits at a much lower cost.

There are many imposters selling inferior acai berry products, as well as costly acai scams.

The Acai Berry Diet does not require any changes in lifestyle or eating habits, changes that are consistent with long-term maintenance of weight loss.

Educational information and support are not part of the Acai Berry Diet.

Because acai is unproven as a weight loss aid no reliable dosage information is available.

Is the Acai Berry Diet Right for You?

While the effectiveness of the Acai Berry Diet is unproven, there is ample evidence that the fruit itself has properties that support good health. However, long-term weight loss diet cannot rely on acai berries alone; it must combine a nutritious balanced diet with regular exercise and healthy eating habits.

Since there is no standard dosage for acai, you might want to ask your doctor how much you should take for the Acai Berry Diet.  He or she may be able to recommend the right dosage based on your health status and weight loss goals.

Certified nutritionist and exercise specialist Isabel De Los Rios developed the Diet Solution Program to help people learn long-term eating strategies so they can change their eating habits for life.

The Diet Solution is based on metabolic type. Each type of the three types—carbohydrate type, protein type, and mixed type—has its own set of dietary guidelines. In addition to the dietary guidelines by type, there are a number of foods that are emphasized and others than are prohibited for all types. You eat the right foods for your metabolic type to get your metabolism functioning at its optimal level.

This program focuses on health, not just weight loss. It presents scientific information about weight loss and health in language this is easy to understand.

Dieters typically lose between 10 and 15 pounds in six weeks with the Diet Solution Program, with an ultimate goal of losing ten percent of your weight. This is not a program for quick weight loss; it focuses on losing weight and keeping it off.

What Does the Diet Solution Cost?

You can download The Diet Solution Program for $39.97 or $59.97 for a deluxe version. The deluxe version includes a person consultation with Isabel De Los Rios. Both versions come with a money-back guarantees. You may find better deals and promotions online, such as a free 7-day starter program.

The Diet Solution Program includes:

• Program Manual
• Metabolic Type Test
• Journal
• Shopping Guide
• Quick Start Guide
• Exercise Books
• Recipes
• Meal Plans

You also have to pay for your food. Because organic foods are preferred over non-organic foods, your food costs may be higher than they were before.

How to Follow the Diet Solution

The Solution Diet encourages dieters to think about (and write down) their health, weight, and life goals and to visualize themselves achieving these goals.

To be successful in the Diet Solution you must:

1.     Eat according to your metabolic type;

2.     Stay within your ideal calorie range; and

3.     Eat a variety of high-quality food.

Before you start the diet you fill out a questionnaire in order to determine your metabolic type. The foods you can eat depend on your metabolic type. You will get a list of those foods after you learn your metabolic type.

Regardless of your type, you must eliminate any foods that have hydrogenated fats (margarine and most cookies, crackers, and chips) or soy. You must not eat whole grain foods. You can eat butter, steak, eggs, and coconut oil. You can drink alcohol if you must, but only one glass a week—preferably red wine. You can have up to two cups of coffee a day, sweetened only with stevia, which is a plant-based sweetener with zero calories. You should drink a lot of water on this diet.

You can find recipes for dishes such as butternut squash with pecans, roasted turkey, green smoothie, beef taco dinner, zucchini hummus, and whole grain French toast on the Diet Solution Program.

Even with the recommended foods for your metabolic type you will have to figure out which foods are right for you. You are encouraged to keep a food journal, writing down the foods you eat and noting which ones feel good and satisfy you and which ones do not. This is a good way to learn about your own body and what foods support your personal health and weight loss.

Your exercise plan should include strength training, interval training, and cardio exercises. The Diet Solution Program includes sample exercise programs.  

Benefits of the Diet Solution

The Diet Solution meals are nutritious, with high quality protein, omega 3 fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Meal plans can be individualized. The Diet Solution Program provides many recipes and meal plans.

 It is not an extreme diet and it is an easy diet to follow. You lose weight while eating real foods, healthy foods. You do not have to count calories or carbohydrates. You will not be hungry on this diet.

The diet focuses on health, not just weight loss, and provides scientific information about how the body works, how protein helps burn fat, how it burns fat, how it breaks down sugar, etc.

By participating in the Diet Solution you learn how to choose healthy foods, how to control portions, and how different food affects your body and your health. You learn how to plan, shop, and cook for healthy eating. The Diet Solution is not just for short-term temporary weight loss; it is more of a diet for life.

Dieters should not experience a difficult transition into the diet.

Concerns about the Diet Solution

It is difficult to find independent information about the Diet Solution Program on the Internet. Available reviews appear to be associated with the program itself. 

Common criticisms about the Diet Solution focus on the following:

• The Diet Solution includes some, but not much, information or assistance with exercise.
• This is not a good diet for vegetarians, especially vegetarians who fit in the protein metabolic category.
• The Diet Solution website for dieters does not include opportunities to communicate with others who are practicing the Diet Solution.

Conclusion

Before you start the Diet Solution program (or any weight loss program) it is wise to consult with your healthcare provider, especially if you have chronic health problems, take medication, or have obesity-related conditions. He or she will be able to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Diet Solution for you based on your personal health and weight issues. Your doctor may recommend alternative or additional strategies to help you lose weight.