Question:
Has anyone ever tried this diet? I read it in First for Women magazine and
skimmed through the book. I was wondering if this was for real? has anyone
had an success with this?
Answer:
I've never tried it, but here's a review from the www.cyberdiet.com Diet
Detective:
http://www.cyberdiet.com/diet_detective/false_fat_diet.html
Books: The False Fat Diet. Also by Elson M. Haas, M.D.: Staying Healthy With
the Seasons, The Detox Diet, A Diet For All Seasons, and Staying Healthy
With Nutrition
Authors: Elson M. Haas, M.D., and Cameron Stauth (a doctor and a medical
writer)
The Basic Premise
Claims that most people are not really fat. Instead, they have
immune-mediated 'allergy-like food reactions' which cause bloating,
puffiness, and water retention, making them look and feel 'falsely fat.'
Recommends one of four elimination diets in three consecutive phases to
identify 'reactive' foods. Includes between 1 and 7 days of menus for the
different elimination diets.
During the first or 'cleansing' phase, the elimination diets are to be
followed for 7 to 10 days before reintroducing 'reactive' foods one by one
to observe the 'allergy-like' symptom of fluid retention. If fluid retention
occurs, it is recommended the 'reactive' food be avoided. The second phase,
called 'false fat week' is a continuation of the elimination diets and lasts
another 7 days. During the third phase, called the 'balance program,' a
person is instructed to continue to avoid 'reactive' foods. Sample menus for
7 days are provided for the 'balance program.'
The book heavily promotes megadoses of vitamin and mineral supplements,
amino acid supplements, scientifically unproven dietary supplements,
herbals, and homeopathic supplements throughout the entire 21 day diet. No
established guidelines on fat, protein, or carbohydrate are provided.
'Non-reactive' snacks are allowed. Recipes are included.
How A Person Can Lose Weight On This Diet
Calories eaten must be below calories needed to maintain weight (low
calorie). The elimination diets range from the most restrictive juice fast,
which provides less than 1,000 calories per day, to the least restrictive
diet which eliminates wheat, dairy products, sugar, and 'any food eaten
virtually every day.' The 'balance program' phase provides between 2,300 and
2,400 calories per day.
Claims
The front cover of the book advertises: 'Drop up to 10 pounds within a
week.'
People are not nearly as overweight as they may think, they are just bloated
and swollen from allergy-like immune reactions to food.
False fat is not your fault, you just have the very common metabolic problem
of food reactions.
You can get slimmer simply by avoiding reactive foods.
Diet emphasizes avoiding the 'sensitive seven' foods: dairy products, wheat,
corn, sugar, soy, eggs, and peanuts.
'Metabolic typing' is introduced, with a questionnaire to evaluate a
person's metabolic type. The authors say that 'different people need
different general diets, some thrive on essentially vegetarian,
high-carbohydrate diets, others require animal protein, based on genetic
inheritance...the rate of digestion and oxidation of food, the relative
acidity or alkalinity of the body, and the body's general metabolic rate.'
The authors further say that 'not even the purest, most nutrient-dense diet
will be able to provide you with 100% of the nutrients you'll need to
rebuild your body and overcome your food reactions. To achieve this goal,
you will need to flood your body with extra nutrients. Over time, these
nutrients will help heal your organs, glands, and tissues, and will help you
create the kind of body you'd always hoped you could have.'
Water should be drunk mostly between meals, because extra fluid at mealtime
can dilute your digestive juices and weaken digestion.
Alcohol
No specific recommendations are made.
Pros
Exercise and stress management are encouraged.
Natural, whole foods are encouraged and processed and 'junk' foods are
avoided.
Cons
During the elimination phases, this diet may not provide adequate protein.
This depends on which elmination diet is chosen; i.e., there is negligible
protein in the strictest juice-fast diet but there may be sufficient protein
in the other more liberal elimination diets (called the 'Total Elimination,'
the 'Sensitive Seven,' and the 'Limited Elimination' diets). However,
recommended portion sizes of foods are inconsistent, and no portion sizes
are given for meats during the elimination phase. A nutritional analysis of
the three more liberal elimination diets (with estimated typical portion
sizes) revealed a range of 1,667 to 2,357 calories per day. Protein adequacy
is dependent on how much a person decides to eat on this diet.
An overly restrictive diet inadequate in protein can lead to ketosis, an
adaptation of the body to prolonged (several days) restriction. In ketosis,
body fat is turned into ketone bodies to be used for energy. Ketosis can
disrupt the bodies acid-base balance leading to medical complications.
Other adaptations that take place during prolonged over restriction include
use of lean muscle tissue for energy and lowering of the body's metabolic
rate. This usually results in weight gain once a dieter quits the diet.
Book emphasizes controversial, scientifically unproven food allergy-type
immune reactions as the foundation of the diet.
Fish, shellfish, and tree nuts like walnuts and almonds are recommended in
the book's sample menus and recipes. These foods have been shown to cause
the most severe of allergic reactions in susceptible people in scientific
research studies.
Scientifically unproven herbal supplements are recommended without stating
specific and safe dosages, including Ma Huang (ephedra) which can cause
heart failure in doses higher than 100 grams/day.
Authors strongly recommend megadoses of vitamins and minerals, unproven
dietary supplements, herbal formulas, and homeopathic formulas throughout
all phases of the diet. A sample daily schedule featured in the book during
the cleansing phase includes recommendations for more than 20 different
supplements to be taken each day.
Recommends drinking only small amounts of water with meals "because extra
fluid at mealtime can dilute your digestive juices and weaken digestion."
This can easily lead to dehydration, a medically dangerous state. Adequate
fluid intake is essential to the body and at least 8 eight ounce glasses of
water must be consumed throughout the day.
Validity of the diet is based on the authors' controversial theories,
anecdotal claims, and personal testimonials, not proven science.
Special Concerns
People with diabetes, if taking insulin, are at risk of becoming
hypoglycemic if they do not eat appropriate carbohydrates throughout the
day.
The book has a chapter discussing premenstrual syndrome (PMS), food
cravings, and hormone balance, but does not directly address pregnancy.
Pregnant women should never try to lose weight.
People who exercise regularly are at risk for poor energy levels due to
inadequate intake of calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat.
Herbs and supplements can act as drugs, and need to be treated as such. The
long-term effects of using herbs remain largely undocumented and
scientifically unproven, and the potential for harmful effects exists.
Individuals who have higher risks when taking herbals include women planning
pregnancy, pregnant women and their fetuses, lactating mothers and their
babies, infants, young children, and people with liver disease, HIV,
hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and allergies
Truth
The authors have misrepresented the process of digestion of food in the
body. To date, there is a distinct lack of scientific evidence to back the
False Fat Diet's theory.
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology at
their annual meeting on March 4, 2000, food allergies occur in approximately
2.5% of the adult population and in 4% of children in the United States. A
full 85% of all food allergies are related to milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree
nuts (like walnuts, pecans, and almonds). Milk and egg allergies are usually
outgrown by adulthood but allergies to peanuts usually persist. The 8 most
common foods that cause allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish,
eggs, soy, milk, and wheat.
Food allergies occur when the immune system reacts to a specific component
in food. The most common food allergies occur when the body makes antibodies
which react with the food, stimulating release of histamine and other
chemicals called mediators which cause the symptoms listed below.
Symptoms of food allergies range from tingling in the mouth, swelling of the
lips, tongue, and throat, difficulty breathing, hives, nausea, vomiting,
abdominal cramps, diarrhea, increased heart rate, and decreased blood
pressure, to death.
Food allergies are quite different from food intolerances. Food intolerances
are not 'allergy-like' reactions; they are reactions to food which do not
involve the immune system. For example, lactose intolerance is a common food
intolerance. A person lacks the enzyme needed to digest lactose (milk sugar)
and painful symptoms of gas, bloating, and diarrhea often result.
The authors recommend fish, shellfish, and tree nuts during the diet, but
these foods are scientifically documented to be common causes of severe food
allergies in susceptible people. 'Allergy-like reactions' from food are
controversial and scientifically unproven. Much more research needs to be
done in this area before claims can be considered scientifically sound.
'Metabolic typing' is not a scientifically proven concept.
The strict juice fast elimination diet is overly-restrictive, providing less
than 1,000 calories per day and is inadequate in protein, fat, and some
vitamins and minerals.
Megadoses of vitamins and minerals can result in toxic build up and harmful
effects in the body, cause gastrointestinal distress and nutrient
imbalances, and are expensive over time. A healthy, balanced diet can
provide all the essential nutrients a person requires each day.
Adequate water intake is essential to good health, both during and between
meals every day. Active people require even more than the recommended 8
glasses per day.
