The Cotton Ball Diet...SAY WHAT!??

In my research I've always come across some pretty strange diet ideas, and many have given me a chuckle or two.  In fact for the majority of fad diets out there, a chuckle is really all they're good for.  Most can't be sustained, and in the end, good ol' clean eating is your best solution.

But this diet stopped my chuckle, and nearly kicked me out of my chair.

It's called the cotton ball diet.  Guess what it involves?  That's right, EATING COTTON BALLS.  Why on earth would someone do such a thing?  Well the theory is that they're extremely high in fiber and basically have no calories.  If you've read my previous articles, you know what those two things amount to....SATIETY.  You'll be full to bursting, with almost no energy in your belly.

The cotton ball diet claimed to enable people to eat almost zero calories at meal time and still feel completely full.

But seriously?  Did they really think that would work?  I have news, it DIDN'T.  Sure those little puffy snacks filled them up, but it caused extreme malnutrition in many subjects, as well as digestive problems.  No, cotton won't kill you, but I seriously doubt you'll feel too good after popping twenty of those suckers.

Strangely enough, this diet was supposedly used big-time in the modeling industry, where models will do pretty much anything to maintain an unrealistically slim figure.  i found this quote on http://girlsguidetothegalaxy.com/2010/10/11/the-cottonball-diet/ about a model discussing her take on the cotton ball diet.

"Cotton wool totally helped me feel fuller, I didn’t even need to binge, I just binged on cotton wool and drank lots of water and it filled me up! I also read somewhere that cotton wool contains a lot of fibre. I know it might sound gross and a bit unhealthy but its better eating that and being skinny than eating something tasty but being fat. You can make it a sweet snack by dipping it in strawberry or chocolate food flavoring (0 cal) or make it even a savoury dish by adding herbs/spices and pepper to it."

Absolutely ridiculous.  The girl goes on to say that she soaked the cottonballs in gelatin or orange juice to help them go down easier.  DO...NOT...TRY...THIS.

Fad diets are usually bad news.  If you'd like to know about any fad diet in particular, just comment on this post, and I'll be sure to post an article about it.

Eat real food, don't fall for fads, and as always, good luck!