New figures show that half a million people in America and Australia are replacing main meals and snacks with cookies, and this trend is set to hit the UK, raising serious concerns about their health and well-being.
The latest diet to hit across the pond is the Cookie Diet. After success in America and Australia, cookie-hungry Brits will be trying this new slimming regime as a tasty way to shed those extra pounds.
It may seem ludicrous that you can eat nine cookies a day and lose weight, as these calorific treats are typically high in sugar and fat. But Dr. Siegal's cookies are packed full of amino acids and protein so dieters can tuck in without the guilt.
But nutritionally restrictive diets have received lots of negative criticism from health professionals, who argue that their controlling nature means they are not a long-term answer to weight loss or Britain's obesity epidemic. But this did not stop celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Hudson and Denise Richards jumping at the opportunity to try this diet. After taking Hollywood by storm, the craze is making its journey overseas and into the cookie jars of hopeful dieters.
Dr. Sarah Brewer, a Cambridge University graduate and medical nutritionist said: "It's important that people don't hear the phrase Cookie Diet and tuck into mainstream varieties that are laden with sugar, saturated fat and salt. Dr. Siegal's cookies are different!"
"Devised by an obesity specialist to help his overweight patients slim down, they contain a healthy blend of hunger-satiating amino acids derived from milk, egg white, oatmeal, rice and other grains. These are baked into a range of tasty cookies which, when eaten little-and-often during the day, keep hunger at bay. Made using rapeseed oil, they also provide healthy monounsaturated and essential fatty acids. In addition to the nine high-protein cookies, you plan your own nutritious evening meal to include the fruit and veggies needed for optimum health. It's not often you hear a doctor recommending cookies, but Dr. Siegal's unique recipe offers a new option for people struggling to lose weight."
Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet was founded in 1975 by weight-loss expert Dr. Sanford Siegal, and has claimed to have treated 500,000 people. Each cookie contains around 60 calories and contains amino acids and protein to curb hunger.
Paula, a pharmaceutical marketing manager tried the diet and lost almost 2 stone in 2 months said: "I have tried so many diets and failed. This diet is different because it is convenient - I just grab my bag with 9 Cookies for the day and my huge bottle of water in the morning and off I go. You can eat your cookies in the car, on the train, at your desk and you have no daytime meals to prepare. You are not hungry ever, therefore you don't feel deprived or have the dreaded cravings which have thwarted so many of my other diets."
With obesity levels in the UK at an all time high, doctors are predicting the Cookie Diet will become the fastest growing diet this year. This means that the UK could be well on its way to following the US and Australia by being a nation of cookie monsters!
Have you tried the cookie diet? Let us know with a note below!
