Baby food diet side effects

What Is It, and Can You Lose Weight?

Baby Food Diet: What Is It, and Can You Lose Weight?

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD, Nutrition — By Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH — Updated on October 31, 2020

The baby food diet involves replacing breakfast, lunch, and snacks with 14 containers of baby food. You then eat a regular dinner in the evening. The diet is meant to last for 3 days.

The baby food diet gained popularity around 2010. It’s rumored that actress Jennifer Aniston, with the help of her celebrity trainer, used the diet to lose 7 pounds in a week during the filming of the movie “Just Go with It.”

The idea of losing a pound per day may sound tempting, but the baby food diet fits into the category of a fad diet.

Many fad diets might help you lose weight in the short term, but they’re usually difficult to follow for an extended period of time.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what exactly the baby food diet is, as well as the pros and cons of this eating plan.

The premise behind the diet is that the small portion sizes of baby food will reduce your daily calorie intake. The bland taste of pureed baby food is also supposed to discourage you from overeating.

There are several less restrictive versions of the diet, like replacing only one meal a day with baby food.

Compared to many fad diets, the baby food diet has loose guidelines. For instance:

The diet plan doesn’t specify which type of baby food you can eat. The calorie content in baby food can vary from about 20 calories to more than 120 calories per jar.
It doesn’t put a limitation on what you can eat for dinner.

Here’s an example of what an average day might look like on the baby food diet.

Breakfast: 5 jars of baby food
Lunch: 5 jars of baby food
Afternoon snack: 2 jars of baby food
Dinner: your regular dinner
Evening snack: 2 jars of baby food

Most reports of weight loss on the baby food diet are anecdotal. According to people who’ve tried it, it can help you lose weight in the short term.

However, there’s currently no scientific evidence to back up these claims or to prove it’s an effective diet for long-term weight loss.

Replacing your usual meals with baby food will likely lower the number of calories you eat per day, which is probably one of the main reasons why you may lose weight while you’re on this diet.

But research suggests that restricting calories alone is rarely an effective method for reducing body weight. When you lower your calorie intake, your body’s metabolism tends to slow down, too. You may also feel hungrier than usual if you aren’t getting enough calories.

Because this diet typically lowers your intake of fiber and sodium, the weight you lose may be from water retention and not necessarily from fat.

Research also shows that the weight that’s lost on calorie-restrictive diets is usually regained when you return to your usual eating habits.

In theory, it’s possible to get most of your essential nutrients while following the baby food diet. Many baby foods are made from pureed fruits and vegetables. Some baby foods are also made from high-protein foods or whole grains.

Following the baby food diet for the recommended 3 days likely won’t hurt you. But following this diet for a longer period of time could lead to nutrient deficiencies if you’re eating far below your daily calorie need.

With restrictive diets like the baby food diet, it’s also important to keep in mind the risk of developing disordered eating, which could lead to an eating disorder if the diet is followed for a longer period of time.

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the baby food diet.

Pros

High in fruits and vegetables. Most baby foods are made from pureed fruits and vegetables.
Low in sodium. Most baby foods are low in sodium. Babies have a lower sodium requirement than adults.
Low in fat. Most baby foods are low in saturated fat.
No preparation. Besides your evening meal, there’s no meal prep necessary. Just open a jar and eat.

Cons

Restrictive. The baby food diet lacks the calories and nutrients you need to properly fuel your body.
Not filling. Most baby foods are low in protein and fiber. You may find that you feel hungry even when consuming adequate calories.
Low in fiber. You’ll get a lot more fiber from eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, rather than from food that’s been pureed.
Expensive. Most baby foods are fairly expensive per serving.
Large variation in calories between brands. The number of calories in a container of baby food varies from about 20 to 120 calories. Eating 14 containers per day could provide you with anywhere from 280 to 1,680 calories.

Following the baby food diet may help you quickly shed a few pounds, but it’s unlikely to cause sustainable weight loss.

Instead, a healthier strategy for long-term weight loss is to:

Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, lean protein, and healthy fats.
Limit your intake of foods and drinks that are high in added sugars.
Focus on portion control. Resist eating more than you need to satisfy your hunger.
Exercise regularly, at least 150 minutes a week.
Don’t skip meals.

If you’re looking to quickly lose a few pounds, the baby food diet may help you achieve results. But if you’re looking for sustainable, long-term weight loss, it’s far from ideal.

The baby food diet falls into the category of fad diets. These types of diets often promise rapid weight loss and include a strict list of foods you can and can’t eat.

Containers of baby food are relatively low calorie, but research has shown that restricting too many calories can slow down your metabolism. This means that as soon as you go back to eating normal meals, you’ll likely put the weight back on.

A safer and healthier option for long-term weight loss is to follow a balanced eating plan that includes all food groups, while also keeping an eye on your portion sizes, and including regular exercise in your weight loss program.

Last medically reviewed on October 31, 2020

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Benton D, et al. (2017). Reducing calorie intake may not help you lose body weight. DOI:
10.1177/1745691617690878
Fad diets. (2017).
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9476-fad-diets
Fernández-Elías VE, et al. (2015). Relationship between muscle water and glycogen recovery after prolonged exercise in the heat in humans. DOI:
10.1007/s00421-015-3175-z
Obert J, et al. (2017). Popular weight loss strategies: A review of four weight loss techniques. DOI:
10.1007/s11894-017-0603-8
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). Chapter 1: Key elements of healthy eating patterns: A closer look inside healthy eating patterns. Dietary guidelines for Americans 2015-2020.
health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/#food-groups

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Oct 31, 2020

Written By

Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH

Edited By

Tracey Crate

Medically Reviewed By

Jillian Kubala, MS, RD

Copy Edited By

Copy Editors

Nov 11, 2019

Written By

Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH

Edited By

Claire Brocato

Medically Reviewed By

Carissa Stephens, RN, CCRN, CPN

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD, Nutrition — By Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH — Updated on October 31, 2020

What Is It, and Can You Lose Weight?

Baby Food Diet: What Is It, and Can You Lose Weight?

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD, Nutrition — By Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH — Updated on October 31, 2020

The baby food diet involves replacing breakfast, lunch, and snacks with 14 containers of baby food. You then eat a regular dinner in the evening. The diet is meant to last for 3 days.

The idea of losing a pound per day may sound tempting, but the baby food diet fits into the category of a fad diet.

Many fad diets might help you lose weight in the short term, but they’re usually difficult to follow for an extended period of time.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what exactly the baby food diet is, as well as the pros and cons of this eating plan.

The premise behind the diet is that the small portion sizes of baby food will reduce your daily calorie intake. The bland taste of pureed baby food is also supposed to discourage you from overeating.

There are several less restrictive versions of the diet, like replacing only one meal a day with baby food.

Compared to many fad diets, the baby food diet has loose guidelines. For instance:

The diet plan doesn’t specify which type of baby food you can eat. The calorie content in baby food can vary from about 20 calories to more than 120 calories per jar.
It doesn’t put a limitation on what you can eat for dinner.

Here’s an example of what an average day might look like on the baby food diet.

Breakfast: 5 jars of baby food
Lunch: 5 jars of baby food
Afternoon snack: 2 jars of baby food
Dinner: your regular dinner
Evening snack: 2 jars of baby food

Most reports of weight loss on the baby food diet are anecdotal. According to people who’ve tried it, it can help you lose weight in the short term.

However, there’s currently no scientific evidence to back up these claims or to prove it’s an effective diet for long-term weight loss.

Replacing your usual meals with baby food will likely lower the number of calories you eat per day, which is probably one of the main reasons why you may lose weight while you’re on this diet.

Because this diet typically lowers your intake of fiber and sodium, the weight you lose may be from water retention and not necessarily from fat.

Research also shows that the weight that’s lost on calorie-restrictive diets is usually regained when you return to your usual eating habits.

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the baby food diet.

Pros

High in fruits and vegetables. Most baby foods are made from pureed fruits and vegetables.
Low in sodium. Most baby foods are low in sodium. Babies have a lower sodium requirement than adults.
Low in fat. Most baby foods are low in saturated fat.
No preparation. Besides your evening meal, there’s no meal prep necessary. Just open a jar and eat.

Cons

Restrictive. The baby food diet lacks the calories and nutrients you need to properly fuel your body.
Not filling. Most baby foods are low in protein and fiber. You may find that you feel hungry even when consuming adequate calories.
Low in fiber. You’ll get a lot more fiber from eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, rather than from food that’s been pureed.
Expensive. Most baby foods are fairly expensive per serving.
Large variation in calories between brands. The number of calories in a container of baby food varies from about 20 to 120 calories. Eating 14 containers per day could provide you with anywhere from 280 to 1,680 calories.

Following the baby food diet may help you quickly shed a few pounds, but it’s unlikely to cause sustainable weight loss.

Instead, a healthier strategy for long-term weight loss is to:

Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, lean protein, and healthy fats.
Limit your intake of foods and drinks that are high in added sugars.
Focus on portion control. Resist eating more than you need to satisfy your hunger.
Exercise regularly, at least 150 minutes a week.
Don’t skip meals.

If you’re looking to quickly lose a few pounds, the baby food diet may help you achieve results. But if you’re looking for sustainable, long-term weight loss, it’s far from ideal.

The baby food diet falls into the category of fad diets. These types of diets often promise rapid weight loss and include a strict list of foods you can and can’t eat.

Last medically reviewed on October 31, 2020

How we reviewed this article:

Benton D, et al. (2017). Reducing calorie intake may not help you lose body weight. DOI:
10.1177/1745691617690878
Fad diets. (2017).
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9476-fad-diets
Fernández-Elías VE, et al. (2015). Relationship between muscle water and glycogen recovery after prolonged exercise in the heat in humans. DOI:
10.1007/s00421-015-3175-z
Obert J, et al. (2017). Popular weight loss strategies: A review of four weight loss techniques. DOI:
10.1007/s11894-017-0603-8
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). Chapter 1: Key elements of healthy eating patterns: A closer look inside healthy eating patterns. Dietary guidelines for Americans 2015-2020.
health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/#food-groups

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Oct 31, 2020

Written By

Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH

Edited By

Tracey Crate

Medically Reviewed By

Jillian Kubala, MS, RD

Copy Edited By

Copy Editors

Nov 11, 2019

Written By

Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH

Edited By

Claire Brocato

Medically Reviewed By

Carissa Stephens, RN, CCRN, CPN

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD, Nutrition — By Aimee Eyvazzadeh, MD, MPH — Updated on October 31, 2020

Nutrition and side effects in children with cancer

Children with cancer may have difficulty eating and getting enough calories and nutrients. Consequences of nutrition problems:

Weight loss
Stunting
Feeling tired and irritable
Frequent illnesses
Weakness and lack of strength for physical activity

Cancer-related malnutrition can be caused by a variety of factors. Children with tumors in their mouth, stomach, or intestines are at high risk of malnutrition because they have difficulty eating and digesting food. Changes in daily routine or dietary restrictions while in the hospital or undergoing medical procedures can interfere with your normal eating habits. Children may also have decreased appetite due to pain, stress, anxiety, and lack of physical activity. The side effects of treatment prevent many children from eating normally.

A stay in the hospital or undergoing medical procedures may lead to changes in the daily routine and disruption of the usual diet. Side effects of treatment exacerbate nutritional problems. The following are tips that can help children with cancer and their families manage some of the side effects and nutritional problems.

Dealing with nutritional problems associated with side effects

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or other treatments may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and decreased appetite. Painful sores can occur in the mouth and throat due to the treatment. In addition, the taste and smell of food may change, and even favorite foods may seem unappealing to the child. There are ways that families can help manage specific side effects and nutritional problems.

How parents can ensure that their child is well fed

Help children plan meals for when they feel best.

A child's eating habits may change unexpectedly during illness. Meals can be stressful for the whole family. There are a few tips to help families establish healthy eating habits.

Encourage children to eat when they feel good. Many patients find that appetite changes at different stages of the course of treatment. Parents can help children plan meals for times when they feel better.
Try to give them what they love. This is especially important if the child is too weak to eat or drink a lot.
Do not put pressure on the child. When it's time to eat, gently remind your child of this. If you force the child to eat, he may begin to resist. "Food Battles" can be a source of stress for the whole family.
Be flexible. Offer options to choose from, satisfy whims and do not try at all costs to maintain a “normal” mode.
Watch for regularity. Regularity is just as important as flexibility. For most families, eating is a unifying activity. Continue to get together at the table, even if the child at this time eats something else or does not eat at all.

To ensure proper nutrition when a child is ill, try to be flexible about meal times. Offer options to choose from, satisfy whims and do not try at all costs to maintain a “normal” mode.

Nutritional supplements

Nutritional supplements or meal replacements may be used if the child's nutritional needs cannot be met with regular food. These are usually liquid meal replacements with a variety of flavors. Talk to your child's doctors if eating problems persist for more than two or three days. Be sure to check with them before using any supplements or meal replacements. Doctors may advise you to see a dietitian. In some cases, medical nutrition may be required.

Weight gain

Although weight loss and malnutrition are common problems for many families, sometimes weight gain can occur during cancer treatment. The cause may be a decrease in activity and the inability to exercise. It can also occur due to the increased consumption of high-calorie fatty foods.

Some medicines, such as steroids, can cause weight gain. Steroids increase appetite, stimulate the formation of adipose tissue instead of muscle, and cause fluid retention in the body.

Discuss with your child's doctors the best plan for maintaining a healthy weight.

Here are some tips to keep your weight in check:

Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Reduce your intake of fatty and high-calorie foods. Choose:
- Low fat or fat free dairy products
- "Light" or low fat products
- Lean meat
- Boiled, baked, grilled, boiled, microwaved or pan-cooked food with a minimum amount of fat
Limit sugary drinks such as colas, juices, punch, sweet tea, lemonade and other soft drinks. Replace them with dietary or sugar-free ones if recommended by doctors.
Limit portion sizes.
Increase your level of physical activity.
Choose healthy food for the whole family.
Eat slowly. Enjoy your food.
Eat only when you are hungry.

Proper nutrition helps children with cancer grow normally and maintain a healthy body weight, carry on with their daily activities, and improve overall well-being.

Learn more about nutrition and healthy body weight for the whole family in We Can! Nutrition materials.

National Cancer Institute Diet Guidelines

-
Updated June 2018

Diet on baby food. Advantages, disadvantages and diet menu for baby food. Women's site www.InMoment.ru

Every year, nutritionists find more and more ways to help the fair sex get rid of extra pounds. One of them is the baby food diet. At first, the diet of such a diet may seem strange. We are not accustomed to eating the same as little children. However, the experience of many people shows that this is a really effective way to lose weight. It turns out that such famous people as Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon have already tried this diet. And it was developed by Tracy Anderson, the personal trainer of Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. Over time, many Hollywood stars began to try this diet, and were pleased with the result.

Both young mothers and women without children have an idea of what baby food is. It can be vegetable or meat puree, fruit mousse or banana porridge in a jar. These soft mixtures are eaten by babies who do not yet have a tooth.

Benefits of the baby food diet

An important benefit of this diet is the speed of weight loss . It helps to get rid of extra pounds due to the fact that baby food contains few calories, and eating it in large quantities will not work. Thus, sitting on this diet, willy-nilly, you will have to limit the consumption of products.

Another benefit of a baby food diet is convenience . No need to cook anything, just open the jar and the dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner is ready. Such food can be carried with you in your bag and even have a snack on the go.

Of course, this diet not only helps to lose weight, but also benefits the body . It is known that manufacturers of baby food pay great attention to the quality of their product. After all, the baby's body is very fragile. Therefore, the risk of containing some harmful substances (preservatives, GMOs, dyes, etc.) in baby food is much lower than in the case of conventional products. Therefore, baby food for adults is not only dietary, but also useful.

Those who want to lose weight will also appreciate the fact that the diet will not be boring and monotonous at all. After all, you can choose food for every taste - meat, vegetable, fruit.

Disadvantages of the

baby food diet

Of course, the baby food diet has its drawbacks. One of them is an insufficient amount of coarse fiber. Everyone knows that solid food is good for both the teeth and the digestive organs. Therefore, if the diet lasts more than 10 days, then it is worth adding green vegetables (lettuce, celery, etc. ) to the diet.

Another disadvantage is that despite the variety of tastes, such a diet can quickly get bored. After all, in fact it is still mashed potatoes and cereals. However, those who want to lose weight are usually not ready for such sacrifices.

Another disadvantage of such a diet is its high cost. An adult needs many times more baby food than a baby, and it is often not cheap. Nutritionists do not advise buying the cheapest baby food. It is also worth paying attention to the composition of the mixture. Manufacturers are not always so conscientious. Even in baby food there may be some preservatives or other substances that will not benefit the body.

Baby food diet menu

When choosing baby food, you should pay attention not only to the composition of the mixture, but also to the calorie content. For example, fruit puree without sugar contains only 50 kcal per 100 grams of the product, but when sugar or cream is added to it, the number of kilocalories can increase to 100. Then this food will not be so dietary.

You can eat up to 14 jars of different baby food during the day. Moreover, if this way of eating is too heavy or causes discomfort, then only some part of the daily diet can be replaced with baby food. For example, it can be eaten instead of dinner. Of course, the effect of such a diet will be much weaker, but still, over time, those extra pounds will go away. During the diet, it is recommended to drink plenty of pure water. From drinks you can only green tea without sugar.

Russian nutritionists have developed a sample menu for every day

For example, for breakfast you can eat children's cottage cheese and a jar of fruit puree. Or breakfast can be a bag of instant baby cereal.
For lunch you can eat a couple of jars of meat and vegetable puree, children's instant soup. You can also eat a few lettuce leaves with a little olive oil or lemon juice.

During the afternoon snack you can have fruit puree. The menu for dinner will be the same as for breakfast.

Of course, this is an example menu. During breaks, you can have a snack, without going beyond 14 jars per day.

Nutritionists disagree on the diet of baby food. Many claim that it is really effective for a week. But since it is quite difficult to withstand it, after about 7-10 days breakdowns and overeating may begin. However, in order to lose 2-3 kilograms in a week, this diet is great. Also, do not forget that prolonged use of such nutrition can adversely affect health, because in children's nutrition there are not enough substances necessary for the normal functioning of an adult (especially fiber and vitamin D).

Article protected by copyright and related rights. Copying of materials is possible only with an active link to the Women's site inmoment.ru.

The information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation. Please do not self-medicate, be sure to consult a specialist.