The bottomless barrel of advice

[Photo provided to China Daily]

The world is awash with diet plans, many with exotic names and all offering advice on how to keep trim, fit and healthy. Among them are detox, Dr Atkins, Dukan, grapefruit, Israeli Army and South Beach, and the list goes on and on. Here are half a dozen that are prevalent on Chinese-language websites:

The apple diet: Eat apples and nothing else, except water, for about three days. The method is based on claims that apples are good at "squeezing out" water and fat, and as well as providing enough nutrients to keep the body healthy.

The 21-day diet plan: There are three phases. During the first three days, dieters eat nothing. For the following eight days they live on limited quantities of fruit and vegetables, and in the last phase they can eat regular food, but only at 60 percent satiety, and are not allowed to eat for the five hours before going to bed.

The chili and milk mix: Advocates of this method say that eating chili before meals can suppress the appetite, while capsaicin, found in chili, helps raise the metabolic rate, while milk eaten with chili can help raise tolerance to spices, reduce hunger pangs and achieve satiety.

The meat-only diet: The dieter eschews rice, other staples and vegetables, in the belief that reducing the intake of carbohydrates that can turn to fat will be beneficial, while their appetite for meat is satisfied.

The raw eggplant diet: Some people believe eggplants are good at absorbing oil, and if they eat raw eggplant, the vegetable will absorb intestinal oils and help them lose weight.

The no-breakfast diet: The theory is that skipping breakfast will reduce the number of calories consumed and promote weight loss.