Seeking the AHA 3-day, 7-day or cabbage soup diet?

A weight-loss diet claimed to be from the American Heart Association has been cited several times across the United States and other countries. Many people believe that the three-day or seven-day, hot dog and cabbage soup diets are from the American Heart Association. However, this is not true.

The true AHA diet gives recommended servings per day of various food categories, not specific foods. Most of the diets that are incorrectly labeled as the AHA diet give specific menus or suggest that the diet should be followed for a specific length of time.

One phony diet describes a three-day or seven-day menu, supposedly prescribed by the AHA or by the "Heart Association." It includes vanilla ice cream, hot dogs, eggs and cheddar cheese. The diet promises a 10-pound weight loss in three days. These bogus diets have been cited as the Spokane Heart Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet and the Miami Heart Institute Diet. The poorly typed and photocopied phony diet has also been offered by mail for $2 per copy.

The AHA diet is a nutritionally adequate eating plan for lifetime use. While it can help healthy people lose excess weight or maintain ideal body weight, quick weight loss is not its purpose. For years, the AHA has been recommending Americans to cut fat and cholesterol by limiting eggs, whole milk dairy products (such as ice cream and cheddar cheese) and luncheon meats. From time to time other fad diets emphasizing other foods will also incorrectly attribute the AHA.