Yo-yo diets can lead to eating disorders and rarely work

Nutrition: Irish teenagers can put themselves at risk of developing an eating disorder by going on fad diets, according to the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI).

"Having just bid the overindulgence of Christmas goodbye, many people will be heading straight for the 'diet and detox' season," said Margot Brennan, dietician with the INDI. "On average, people gain about five pounds during the Christmas season and the lure of a quick and easy solution for weight loss is hard to resist."

Studies have found that 80 per cent of those suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, had a previous history of dieting.

"There are many categories of fad diets on the market and all guarantee fast weight loss which is very appealing to teenagers. This can start a cycle of fasting and skipping meals with bingeing and weight gain (so-called yo-yo diets)," Ms Brennan warned

"Fad diets end up lowering your metabolism and therefore you gain weight more easily once you start to eat normally.

Most detox diets are basically just healthy eating with a heavy emphasis on fibre and you'll get all you need to detox and be healthy following the food pyramid guidelines," she explained.

As many teenagers are still growing and have high requirements for nutrients such as calcium and iron, dieticians recommend that they concentrate on developing a good healthy relationship with food and a regular exercise routine.

"A balanced diet and healthy lifestyle is the key to long-term beauty," Ms Brennan added.

"Teenagers should enjoy what they eat not watch what they eat."

As the levels of overweight and obese teenagers continues to rise in Ireland, it was more important than ever that good sound advice be available, the INDI said in a statement.

It suggests the successful key to healthy weight loss is to have an easy to live with eating plan which includes all food groups especially fruit and vegetables and regular exercise. They also recommend small, simple changes to the diet that will give slower results which last longer.

Keeping a food diary for a week will give teenagers key information about when and where unhealthy eating habits occur most.

"Then, cutting out the obvious high calorie foods such as sweets, crisps, biscuits, chips and reducing alcohol intake is the next step.

"Don't skip meals as this leads to increased hunger causing you to binge. Also, it's important to exercise. Ideally three 20-minute walks a week is a great start," Ms Brennan said.

Anorexia affects between 1 and 2 per cent of the Irish population and bulimia affects 3 to 5 per cent. Bodywhys, the eating disorder association of Ireland, operated a pilot scheme with tips for sufferers and their families on how to cope with the recent festive season.

Their helpline is 1890 200 444 and website www.bodywhys.ie

The INDI website - www.indi.ie - has food diaries, an exercise quiz and plenty of tips for getting into shape for the new year.