Millennials try fad diets to improve their health

Diego Vidrio, 22-year-old Georgia State student, weighs about 250 pounds and wants to lose at least 50 pounds.

The film and video major said he doesn’t think there is anything wrong with being big, but shares his family’s concern of improving his health.

“A lot of people forget there are legitimate issues with body weight,” he said. “I can’t tell you the number of times my parents thought I might develop diabetes, or my brother thought I might have a heart attack.”

His girlfriend’s near 30 pound weight loss on the Baby Food Diet inspired him to try pureed packets of organic fruit and vegetables during last fall semester.

“I’ve been going up and down [weight loss and gain] since high school, and I’m determined to stay down,” he said.

The Baby Food Diet began in November 2009 as the Tracy Anderson Baby Food Cleanse. The dieter substitutes traditional meals with 14 servings of baby food, equaling up to 1,000 calories per day, according to The Daily Beast.

Statistics show 24 percent of Millennials attribute healthy living with having good eating habits, according to Aetna.

Jessica Todd, registered dietician and director of the Coordinated Graduate Program of Nutrition at Georgia State, said millennials may appear health conscious, yet that is not the case.

“Studies do not show that millennials are healthier,” Todd said. “Millennials still drink too much and engage in high risk behaviors, and are still just as overweight as the rest of the population.”

Vidrio said he believes the diet is viable for an adult and babies. He suggests for someone trying this diet to attempt it gradually.

“I replace one meal with baby food and a nutrition bar and then eat normal meals,” he said.

Todd said the Baby Food Diet is “crazy.” She also said there is no reason to ever eat pureed food unless the person is an infant or on a special diet.

“Will you lose weight, yes, because you are eating smaller portions and very little calories, but you could be at risk for vitamin D and calcium deficiencies over time,” she said.

Vidrio walks daily for an hour in addition to the diet. He also said he tried Nutrisystem in high school, and broke out into hives early into the diet.

“I was on Nutrisystem for a year,” he said. “I lost like 30 pounds, but I quit because the food was unsatisfying, my body got used to the diet, and I felt like I was in a rut.”

Vidrio said his first few packets cost about $10, and he eats nutrition bars to compensate for the nutrients the baby food lacks while drinking a glass a water before meals.

“I’m not going to be on this baby food diet forever, but I know I have to improve on my eating habits,” he said.

The Sprouts single baby food packets cost about $1.99 and have 70 calories per serving. Gerber 2nd Organic baby food pouches have only 60 calories, according to Drugstore.com.