The BDA said food and drink firms should promote the avoidance of fad diets, popular among celebrities, through clear food labelling, portion control and reliable diet information.
Sian Porter, consultant dietician and spokeswoman for the BDA, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “Manufacturers can help people make healthier choices. This can occur through clear labelling and fact sheets for reliable diet information. They can also act as a channel to point people in the direction of reliable websites where they can access information about what they eat.”
Eating too much
Nowadays, more and more people are eating ready meals, leaving them at the mercy of what the manufacturers use in their products, according to Porter.
“At the moment there are no standard portion sizes but clear labelling in this area can prevent people from eating too much," she said.
“It is essential to educate people on how to read labels. If you’re rubbish at maths, you can still tell if one number is bigger than the other."
The BDA is warning people away from “whacky” diets endorsed by celebrities such as Demi Moore, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lopez.
Those looking to shift a few Christmas pounds next year are being urged to eat healthily through a nutritionally balanced and varied diet.
Topping the list of the BDA’s five worst celebrity diets is the Dukan Diet, used by the Duchess of Cambridge. This is a complicated four-phase diet that starts off with a protein-only approach that promotes weight loss of around 7lb a week, according to the BDA.
No magic wand
In second place was the Alcorexia/Drunkorexia Diet where people eat very few calories during the week, thinking they can save the calories to binge on alcohol by night and at the weekend.
These were followed by the Blood Group Diet where people eat certain food depending on their blood group, the Raw Food Diet and the Baby Food Diet.
Porter said: “Sadly there is no magic wand you can wave. There is no wonder diet you can follow without some nutritional or health risk and most are offering a short-term fix to a long term problem.
“It may be obvious, but if you want to lose weight you need to eat a nutritionally balanced and varied diet with appropriately sized portions and burn off more calories than you consume. In short, eat fewer calories, make better choices and move a bit more.”
The BDA’s five worst celebrity diets are:
1. Dukan Diet
Celebrity Fans: The Duchess of Cambridge (and her mother Carole Middleton), Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen are reportedly fans of this diet.
2. Alcorexia/Drunkorexia Diet
Celebrity Fans: It is widely thought that many top models and other celebrities are fans of this diet.
3. Blood Group Diet
Celebrity Fans: Cheryl Cole, Sir Cliff Richard and Courtney Cox-Arquette reportedly use this technique.
4. Raw Food Diet
Celebrity Fans: Demi Moore, Natalie Portman and Woody Harrelson are thought to use this method to stay slim.
5. The Baby Food Diet
Celebrity Fans: Lady Ga Ga, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston are reportedly regular users.