What is snake diet? Know about the bizarre weight-loss fad

The growing number of diet plans makes it evident that people are getting more and more conscious about their health, which is a good trend. However, in the craze to attain a fit and healthy body people often adopt bizarre methods. Snake diet is one such fad which is better to avoid.

According to the snake diet website, it is a "flexible fasting lifestyle that promotes a proactive eating routine." The founder of the diet, Cole Robinson claims it to be better than the popular Ketogenic diet. Robinson says that the main objective of his diet is to fast as long as possible.

Trainer Robinson and his clients tried it out at first. After getting positive results, he named it as snake diet because the diet pattern was very similar to that of the snakes.

"It started off with me. I was eating one meal a day," Robinson told Global News in 2017. "I'm a fitness trainer and I was having a tough time getting the results I really wanted out of people. Diet is 99 percent of weight loss."

According to Robinson, the diet helps in losing weight while still maintaining strength. People following the diet eat once in a day, and then no food for next 24 to 36 hours. For example, if someone starts with snake diet today, he/ she shouldn't have anything until tomorrow morning. 

The next morning, he/she can eat anything, followed by 24-hours fasting, again. Robinson believes that the fasting process resets the body, and to use up extra fat stored in the body.

The website says that one should start the diet with 48 hours fast. It is a crucial step which helps in detoxing. The trainer also encourages the followers to have Snake Juice mix consisting of 1litre mineral, two teaspoons of NoSalt (Potassium Chloride) and pink salt (Sodium Chloride).

In an exclusive chat with IBT India, dietician Pavithra N Raj at Columbia Asia Referral Hospital in Bengaluru said: "This may help to lose few kilos of weight initially since the intake is restricted to one meal per day and hence the calorie intake is also cut down. The snake juice may help in maintaining the electrolyte balance during the fasting period."

However, according to Pavithra, this type of diet is questionable. "One cannot follow this diet because if a person has co-morbid and requires to take medications. For example, a diabetic cannot follow this diet as he may go into hypoglycemia." 

She warns that snake diet might lead to binge eating and make a person may feel hungrier. So, in turn, it may result in overeating.

"Obesity requires a long-term approach, hence one has to focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle," Pavithra added. "Fat gets burned after 40 minutes of physical activity. So to lose weight, exercise or workout is important."