Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Last night on NBC10 I saw one of the most irresponsible pieces of journalism I have ever seen, on their "HealthWatch" no less. They teased this story all throughout the show and used it in their promos for that night's newscast, how people were losing a lot of weight on something called the "cookie diet."

In the story, they finally explained what the "cookie diet" is. The "cookie diet" is part of a weight management program where participants eat six cookies during the daytime and then a dinner consisting of six ounces of protein and two cups of vegetables.

I wasn't sure I heard all the details correctly, so I checked their web site. Of course, it was the lead story last night. They had one opposing viewpoint, from a professor at the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania, who pointed out the program consists of eating merely 800 calories a day, which is not enough, and that those who lost weight on this diet will simply gain it back.

Well, let me tell you something. At 800 calories a day, it might as well be called the "anorexic diet." Of course these people are losing weight rapidly. They're starving themselves. If you eat less than 1,000 calories a day, your body enters starvation mode. The dieters are probably losing not just fat but also lean muscle tissue. To put this in perspective, consider this: your heart is also a muscle.

This is a dangerous diet, and it's irresponsible journalism to run a puff piece about this as if it's the next best thing for dieters. The story did not emphasize the possible dangers of the diet but simply the success of the people who followed it.

The cookies supposedly contain a blend of fibers, protein and amino acids that naturally suppress the appetite. This may fool the stomach into believing it's full, but it doesn't fool the body, which is suffering from nutritional deprivation. These "cookie dieters" are not getting any servings of dairy, which aids natural fat burning. They're only getting two servings a day of vegetables, when the minimum should be five. The only thing they're getting enough of is protein, but that simply doesn't make up for the body's nutritional needs.

What's more, anybody who follows this diet for more than, say, a month, will discover they don't lose weight as rapidly after that. Your body shuts down when it's in starvation mode. It stops burning fat even if there's fat to be burned, because it doesn't know when the next meal is coming. It puts itself in standby mode.

When I think about this story, the thing that disturbs me the most is the way that the reporter, Cherie Bank, had a huge smile on her face as she basically shilled for this diet. The story on their web site included a link to the diet plan, which I'm not going to share. You're on your own if you want to beat your body up with this "diet."

At the very least, NBC10 should run a follow-up piece where they interview nutritionists and doctors about how dangerous this diet is and what how it could impact the health of those who try it.

Somebody who calls her segments "HealthWatch" should be far more concerned about her viewers' health than about the latest fad diet that encourages people to put their health at risk.

More on this issue:

February 10, 2005 - HealthWatch Replies

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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