Random Thought:
My husband thinks it's funny when I get get angry at all the crazy tactics people use to try to get skinny. He finds humor in emailing me with the latest fad diets he reads about on yahoo. His latest message included a video about the "Aztec Diet". So in honor of him, I will devote my latest post to this latest craze.
Let's first start with answering the question "Who are the Aztecs?". I'm not trying to say that I'm not cultured, but I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert in history or geography, so I had to do some research. Because I am so bad with history, I found a super cute website made to teach little kids about the Aztecs. Whatever...the information seems legit, and I can actually understand it.
So anyways, according to http://aztecs.mrdonn.org/, the Aztecs were pretty innovative in their farming and marketplaces, and they were supposedly great warriors. Ooh, and they were the ones that built those cool pyramid temple things in Mexico, but they are notorious for human sacrifices - ^creepy^. They were for the most part a hard-core tribe in Mexico that dominated the Valley of Mexico...that is until the Spanish came in and
killed them off with disease.
What's so cool about their diets? I honestly don't think they were anything to get excited about, but this guy Dr. Bob Arnot thinks they're pretty special. He's the one that developed the Aztec diet. A big thing this diet focuses on is the chia seed..That's right; I said chia seed. The very same seed you may have tried to grow in little orange animal-shaped pots. I don't want to brag, but I had a Scooby Doo one, and it was pretty cool.
Dr. Bob claims that chia seeds were eaten by the Aztec people and that they are super healthy, and technically, he is not wrong. Chia seeds are whole grains that do have protein, vitamins, minerals, and a good amount of fiber. I think they even have heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, as well. Now that's not the only thing people are supposed to eat. If you read this website dedicated to the diet, http://www.aztecdiet.org/, you'll see that it is full of healthy choices like fruits and vegetables and lean meats and beans, as well.
So...does it work? I was worried I wouldn't be able to find information since the book just came out in February. Thankfully, another dietitian writing for WebMD has already done some research. According to her article, since chia is high in fiber, it should in theory work. Fiber itself is pretty good at helping people achieve healthy weights because it takes longer to eat, it binds to water in your stomach making you feel full, and it delays gastric emptying which can make you feel full for longer. Right now there is no conclusive data stating that chia seeds are amazing at helping with weight loss, though.
Let's be realistic here. If you're now choosing fruits and vegetables and foods high in fiber instead of your usual crappy diet, it makes sense that you could lose weight, with or without your chia pet. So in essence my opinion on weight loss hasn't changed. Let's not waste
our money on crazy diets, and let's start eating healthy. Healthy
foods tend to be low in Calories. When you eat less Calories than your
body needs, eventually you will lose weight - plain and simple.
On a side note, this Dr. Bob is the host of "Dr. Danger", a travel show where he has adventures in Africa and the Middle East.
How does traveling to Africa make you an expert in an ancient Mexican tribe? It doesn't. He supposedly has a medical degree in addition to being a television star and has participated in research with other healthy diets.
How does being a physician on TV make you an expert in healthy diets? It doesn't. Even though he may have once participated in research, I think once you sell out with a crazy diet plan then you lose all credibility in my book.
