5 Crazy Diets That Can Be Deadly

The search for a slim body and within beauty standards can take some people to the extreme. As much as many insist on selling an illusion, there are no shortcuts to healthy and balanced eating. We have listed 5 diets that, in addition to crazy, can end up detonating your health.

1. The "All Raw" Diet

The idea is not to eat anything cooked; sounds easy, right? While many foods taste very unpalatable when they are not cooked, consuming them in this way makes it difficult to get calories - for bad. The FDA of the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends a daily intake of 2, 000 calories. Obtaining them from raw foods would be the equivalent of consuming 90 medium-sized tomatoes (have you thought ?!).

Still, studies show that, more than aiding digestion, the process of cooking foods also increases the amount of antioxidants absorbed in meals. The risk of getting diseases like listeria, salmonella and deadly diarrhea (yes, you read that) is much higher when food is not cooked.

2. The ketogenic diet

Developed in the 1920s, this diet functioned as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of epileptic children. Depriving the brain of glucose, scientists sought to change its chemistry by reducing seizures. In the slimming fashion, the idea would be that without glucose, the body would use its own fat stores to generate something similar to that element (the so-called ketone bodies).

The problem is that this low glucose has a devastating effect: studies show that there is a 50% increase in artery-clogging fats, even more than 1 year after dietary discontinuation, and the development of gastrointestinal problems such as reflux and constipation, in those who follow this diet. The acidity of the ketone bodies produced also greatly increases the risk of kidney stones.

3. Whole 30, or all 30 days of the month

The plan basically consists of cutting out a number of elements (such as sugar, alcohol, grains, vegetables, dairy etc.) for 30 days. A kind of detox with zero scientific proof. Because if you simply stop eating vegetables and grains, you may have a heavy cold (a more polite way to say that you will be constipated for a long time).

The bacteria in our gut, which help us absorb nutrients and digest our food, need fiber to work with. Cutting out dairy completely, a source of calcium, is also not the most appropriate way to balance your diet, let's face it.

4. The Paleolithic Diet

If you thought of cave men, your reference is not wrong. This diet consists of the exclusive consumption of meat, claiming to be an ancestral eating habit. It turns out that not only is meat largely responsible for the saturated fat in our body that clogs the arteries, it can also increase the risk of cancer.

Red meat contributes to the development of colon cancer, as the molecule that guarantees color also promotes the growth of a carcinogen in the body. Apart from the aforementioned problem of running out of fiber ...

5. The Vegan Diet

What do Coke, white bread and french fries have in common? Exactly, they are all animal-free foods, and - of course - are not exactly the healthiest on Earth ... If done anyway, without much care, a diet based solely on the consumption of plant foods can end up in a severe picture of iron, vitamin B12 and calcium deficiency. If properly followed, this diet does not require the presence of overprocessed foods such as breakfast cereals and nut milk.

Whether it is for ethical reasons or the pursuit of the perfect body, the fact is that choosing a diet should involve good follow-up (preferably professional) and a balanced menu capable of providing all the nutrients our body needs in adequate amounts. Remember: Balance is the keyword.