Fad diets are diets designed to be followed for only a short period of time.

Fad diets are also diets that quickly become wildly popular, last for a short time, then become a footnote in popular culture. The Hollywood diet, the Atkins diet, and Jenny Craig are just three examples.

Another name for these fad diets are food faddism.

A food fad is a phenomenon in which some food or category of food suddenly becomes very popular. Common aspects of these fads include:

- Some elements of the food are said to have miraculous properties.
- Other foods are removed from the diet because they have negative properties that should be avoided.

The Atkins diet displays the characteristics of one of these fad diets. In Atkins carbohydrates must be avoided because of their negative characteristics. Carbohydrates take on both of the common elements in that removing carbohydrates from the diet creates a near magical metabolic state in which fat is burned at an incredible rate. This diet even included short phases, followed by sustained phases. However, many people are able to continue the Atkins diet for years.

As with many have diets, Atkins popularity was extreme and short-lived. It lasted a few years during which it seemed everyone you talked to was on the diet . Every movie star, singer, and sports figure claimed to use the Atkins diet when they needed to lose weight.

When Dr. Atkins died to superstardom of his diet died with him.

Fad diets can be unhealthy. Even a seemingly healthy diet like the Subway diet could be dangerous. At its center was a young man named Jared who had lost hundreds of pounds in only a year by eating Subway sandwiches. Jared’s diet was severe -- going down to 900 calories a day from over 10,000.

Such an extreme level of caloric intake cuts and rapid weight loss is unhealthy. The diet did include many positive aspects such as exercise, like walking.

Beware of fad diets. A long-term eating strategy combined with moderate exercise is usually the better bet.