Mono diets, also known as monotrophic diets or single-food diets, have gained traction, particularly on social media, promising rapid weight loss with minimal effort. They involve consuming only one food item or food group for an extended period. While seemingly simple and appealing, the question remains: are mono diets a sustainable and healthy approach to weight loss, or are they a dangerous fad?
What is a Mono Diet?
A mono diet is an eating pattern that involves eating just one food item or food group for all meals throughout the day for several days or weeks at a time. There are several types of mono diets and many ways to follow the plan.
One of the most common variations involves eating a single food item for each meal, such as potatoes, apples, or eggs. Others stick to ingredients within a specific food group instead, such as meat, fruits, or vegetables. You can also choose to switch between “mono meals” by eating a different food item at each meal.
Examples of popular mono diets include:
- Fruit-based: Apple, banana, watermelon, or peach mono diets.
- Vegetable-based: Potato, cauliflower, or spinach mono diets.
- Grain-based: Rice mono diet.
- Protein-based: Tuna, milk, or egg mono diets, or even a carnivore diet (eating only meat).
The mono diet made headlines in 2016 when magician Penn Jillette mentioned following the mono diet to kick-start his weight loss in his book “Presto! How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales.” Since then, it has become a fast favorite among dieters seeking a simple way to boost weight loss without all of the rules and restrictions of other eating plans.
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How Mono Diets Work
Proponents of the diet claim that eating just one food for a period of time aids in digestion, as there are fewer nutrients for the body to metabolize, and therefore, fewer digestive enzymes needed for the process. The body doesn't have to work as hard, which allegedly decreases bloating and maximizes nutrient absorption, satisfying your body's needs with fewer calories and, maybe even putting the kibosh on junk food cravings. However, there is no scientific evidence to back up these claims.
The rationale behind a mono diet is to “put really rigid structure around eating.” Making all of those eating decisions is challenging for people. When you have a mono fruit diet, there just aren’t decisions to make. All you’re eating today is bananas, or simply fruit. It takes some of that stress away of having to make food decisions, having to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to certain things.
Potential Benefits of Mono Diets
Simplicity
One of the biggest benefits of the mono diet is its simplicity. Unlike other fad diets, there are no complicated guidelines to follow. It also doesn’t require dieters to track nutrients, count calories, or measure portion sizes, which could be appealing to some people.
Quick Weight Loss
Diets built on a drastic reduction of calorie intake can lead to swift weight loss. For most people, eating just one food per day will likely lead to decreased intake and weight loss. Depending on what foods you’re consuming and in what amounts, mono diets may lead to short-term weight loss.
Initially, the body uses hepatic glycogen, the main source of the glucose reserve that maintains blood glucose levels, especially between meals or when fasting. However, once this store is depleted, the body begins to convert muscle mass to obtain amino acids which, through other metabolic routes, can produce glucose. Much of any sudden weight loss is therefore the result of a loss of water and muscle mass rather than body fat, meaning these results tend to be temporary.
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A Reset for Eating Behaviors
The diet provided a much-needed reset for eating habits, which felt out of control. It eliminated the constant overthinking about food choices, like how to avoid junk food, and allowed focus solely on eating what was healthy.
Gratitude for Food Variety
Eating apples all day made one appreciate the variety of healthy food options available in a regular diet. It reminded how fortunate one is to have a wide range of healthy choices, and left one more grateful for that.
Discovery of New Favorites
It reminded of the many wonderful and nutritious health foods out there. One discovered a newfound appreciation for eggs during this diet. It encouraged to incorporate more of the foods one genuinely enjoys into daily meals.
Shifted Mental Attitude
One's mindset shifted from constantly worrying about avoiding certain foods, such as sugar, to actively seeking out nutritious options. Now, one can surround oneself with healthier choices and prioritize filling up on them. One can remind oneself that one can feel full satisfied and energized from eating a well-balanced and healthy diet.
Risks and Downsides of Mono Diets
Despite their appeal, mono diets come with significant risks and downsides that should not be ignored.
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Nutritional Deficiencies
The main risk is the deficiency of essential nutrients, as by eating only one type of food, we miss out on the proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals that the body needs to function properly. Even nutrient-rich foods may be lacking in specific vitamins or minerals, which can make it difficult to ensure that you’re getting all of the nutrients that your body needs.
It can also increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies, especially if you’re following the diet for prolonged periods of time. For example, if you’re only eating bananas, it may be challenging to get enough protein, healthy fats, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and B12 in your diet. Similarly, meat, fish, and poultry are lacking in important nutrients like vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants.
A deficiency in these nutrients can lead to issues like impaired immune function, anemia, digestive conditions, bone loss, and chronic disease.
Unsustainable and Restrictive
The mono diet is one of the most restrictive fad diets, eliminating almost all foods and food groups apart from those that are included in your diet. Because it’s nearly impossible to eat enough calories and meet your micronutrient needs through just one food or food group, the mono diet may leave you feeling tired, hungry, and weak.
Consuming too few calories can also slow your metabolism and lead to muscle loss, making it more difficult to lose weight in the long run. Furthermore, some studies have found that restricting calories too much could even lead to bone loss and negatively affect fertility in women.
Additionally, it can be very difficult to eat at restaurants or enjoy certain social situations while following the mono diet. Therefore, it may be challenging to follow the diet for more than a few days or weeks at a time.
Unhealthy Eating Habits
The mono diet promotes unhealthy and unsustainable eating habits by encouraging the consumption of a single food item or food group. It also requires dieters to cut out all other foods, including healthy ingredients that are rich in essential vitamins and minerals. Additionally, the diet doesn’t provide any recommendations for physical activity, which is essential for supporting both weight management and overall health.
What’s more, some research suggests that following fad diets and yo-yo dieting may be associated with a higher risk of eating disorders and conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, among others.
Temporary Results
Much of any sudden weight loss is therefore the result of a loss of water and muscle mass rather than body fat, meaning these results tend to be temporary. Beyond the initial weight loss, there is virtually no scientific evidence to suggest that mono diets have any real or lasting benefits.
When you’re drastically cutting calories because you’re sick of eating bananas, the problem is that your body doesn’t just let that happen without consequences. Then, once you start eating a little bit more - because you can only stay on a mono diet so long - your metabolism is depressed, and now you gain weight.
Other Potential Issues
- Muscle Loss: Eating mono meals could lead to loss of muscle mass, impaired brain function, and a compromised immune system, not to mention fatigue and irritability if you’re hungry all the time.
- Digestive Problems: For example, if you eat protein-based mono meals with a lot of meat, you’re not going to get enough fiber, which can cause gastrointestinal issues like constipation and bloating.
- Electrolyte Imbalance: Too much potassium from bananas, for example, can lead to cardiovascular complications (such as cardiac arrest), and the excess sugar can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes and eff with your insulin levels. That could cause a spike in both your appetite and junk food cravings.
- Unhealthy Relationship with Food: Another significant danger is the creation of an unhealthy relationship with food, one marked by restriction and guilt.
Are Mono Diets Ever Appropriate?
There’s no problem with occasionally following a monodiet for the odd meal or two, or for a whole day, in order to give your digestive system a rest.
Some people use it to kick-start weight loss before transitioning to other dietary patterns. Other foods can then be gradually reintroduced, such as soups, salads, and smoothies, before transitioning into a healthy and balanced diet.
However, some people may also choose to follow certain variations of the diet, such as the fruitarian diet or carnivore diet, for longer periods of time without reintroducing other foods into their diet.
Healthier Alternatives to Mono Diets
Combining a well-rounded diet with a healthy lifestyle and regular physical activity is a better strategy to support weight loss, your overall health, and a healthy relationship with food. A better strategy would be to wean yourself off foods you love that aren't helping you reach your weight loss goals and finding healthy substitutions. "Try a variety of fresh fruits or dates instead of added sugars, or try adding some garlic, onions, and herbs instead of salt," she says.
To lose weight, you need to eat a balanced diet which both provides all the macronutrients and micronutrients you need and at the same time, induces a slight calorie deficit. Taking exercise as well will obviously help too.
Yet again, the best way of thoroughly ‘cleansing’ your system and detoxing your body is to eat a healthy, balanced diet free from processed foods and low in refined sugars.