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hot January diet crazes Turn to Genesis 1:29 for the secret to good health Jan 7, 2008
Dieting, being at least as trendy as Parisian fashion, each year brings new wrinkles, so to speak, and this January has brought us two. Raw is big, and way out front is the Hallelujah diet, promoted by the Rev. George Malkmus, as a biblically inspired weight-loss system that emphasizes the curative powers of raw foods. Malkmus, a graduate of the Elohin Bible Institute in New York, claims he himself licked colon cancer by following what he says was the original diet God handed down to man (Genesis 1:29). The Hallelujah diet was the most-searched term in the last week of 2007, presumably much of that from evangelicals, whom Malkmus targets with his pitch for the diet and various health supplements he sells. Also big are diets that promise to flush toxins from the body, such as one followed by Victoria Beckham, which includes eating soy edamame beans, strawberries and lettuce and drinking algae and seaweed shakes. The ultimate end of detoxing is cleansing the body of that most horrific toxin of all, fat. Detox diets typically call for restrictive regimes, supplements and special drinks and can run from three days to a month. There also might be a bit of colonic irrigation. The promise is that energy levels will be boosted, cellulite will be busted, liver function will be enhanced, and the immune system will be ramped up. And of course the weight will shed off. “There’s a lot of nonsense talked about ‘detoxing,’ and most people seem to forget that we are born with a built-in detox mechanism. It’s called the liver,” writes Andrew Wadge, the chief scientist for the British government’s Food Standards Agency, in his blog. As one might expect, some in the weight-loss industrial complex were irked by such criticism, but then other scientists kicked in their support. “There is no evidence these regimes, often five days, work," professor Alan Boobis, a toxicologist in the division of medicine at the respected Imperial College in London, tells Media Life. “There is a whole thing on supplements, vitamins and minerals. Most people would regard them as at best unproven and more likely proven not to work.” Boobis has been quoted on the topic for Sense about Science, a British non-profit that challenges scientific mistruths that find their way into public discourse. Just recently the group went after Gwyneth Paltrow for stating that by one can avoid getting cancer by eating only biological foods, presumably organic foods. The actress had vowed to challenge evil genes by natural means. Boobis says detox diets are popular for several reasons, and leading the list is that they're seen as a quick fix. “People want to come off of a period of indulgence and rapidly get back to equilibrium. The best way they can think of doing that is by some treatment.” What’s more, people may feel like these treatments are effective because at the end of the three days or the several weeks called for they do in fact feel better. There are ways to feel better without the rigors of detox diets and all the hocus pocus that comes with them. Boobis offers this advice: Take things easy, get fresh air and switch back to vegetables and fresh fruit. Make sure not to overdo it on rich foods, carbohydrates or alcohol, which tend to make people feel less vigorous. Wadge offers this: “First, drink a glass or two of water (tap is fine, cheaper and more sustainable than bottle); second, get a little exercise – maybe a walk in the park – and third, enjoy some nice home-cooked food." Meanwhile, elsewhere in popcult, the sequel “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” topped the box office for the second straight weekend, pulling in another $20.2 million. The Will Smith movie “I Am Legend” moved back up to No. 2 with $16.3 million in ticket sales.
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