The mono diet allows one to eat as much of his favorite fruit as he wants. However, to lose weight, one has to eat only one food for several weeks. Though experts say it could be successful in a short term, the diet that could be dangerous to one’s health.
How the monotropic diet became popular?
It was Leanne Ratcliffe, the YouTube star known as “Freelee the Banana Girl,” who made this kind of diet popular. According to New York Post, Ratcliffe first boasted her weight loss in 2014. After eating almost 30 bananas a day, she lost 40 pounds.
Aside from bananas, there are also other versions of the mono meal.
In April, there was the sweet potato diet that is said to help one to lose 12 pounds in just two weeks. A woman named Alicia Hunter ate only melon for 30 days. Though she lost seven pounds, she said that she does not want to eat melon ever again in her life.
In Instagram, there are more than 38,000 posts with hashtag mono meal. It highlights people’s meals which contain only a single food. In 2016, the popular diet was one of the most searched topics in Google.Celebrities who were reported to have taken this kind of diet include Matt Damon and Penn Jillette. The comedian and magician illustrated his journey to weight loss in a book published last year. He claims to eat nothing but potatoes for two weeks to jump start his diet.
Meanwhile, Damon has revealed that to get into shape for his role in the “Courage Under Fire,” he has to eat only chicken breasts.
Health experts’ warnings on the popular diet
The mono diet is used to kick-start a long-term weight loss program. People lose weight in the mono meal as a result of caloric restriction. According to Frances Largeman=Roth, a registered dietitian, and author of “Eating in Color,” there is no particular food “magically producing weight loss.” ”It’s an incredibly restrictive and unbalanced diet and I do not recommend that anyone follow it,” he added.
Another registered dietician and nutritionist, Amy Gorin of New Jersey, said that mono diet can have a negative effect on the metabolism. It could even cause muscle loss. Though advocates say that the diet is only to jump start a long-term weight management, Gorin believes that it is hard to maintain once the person is back to his normal diet.
Some people are so desperate to see results quickly that they choose a diet that does not make any biological sense. Madelyn Fernstrom of NBC News Health and Nutrition editor said that mono diet is not an advisable plan.
