We are now well and truly into February and somewhat past New Years Resolutions, but it would seem that the onslaught of television ads promoting ‘quick fix’ and dangerous diets continues. They are all as bad as each other, but I must admit to particularly loathing this one for the Lemon Detox Diet. I’m not sure if it is because it is on particularly high rotation or if it is the associated messages that go with it. It’s probably both. Watch here and see what I mean.
Apart from the obvious in that Tania Zaetta is very grating, looks uncomfortable and the screaming ‘rent a crowd’ in the background is enough to make anyone want to throw something at the tv – it’s the blatant Hollywood image obsession message that goes with this ad that I really loathe. Apart from one man saying the diet helped him to be more ‘on top’ on the soccer field (whatever that means), and another woman saying it had made her more ‘alert’ – no other health benefits to this diet are touted. It’s all about trying to be and look like a Hollywood superstar –
“Superstar results!”
“I’ve lost a dress size in a week!”
“I have a waistline again!”
“I’ve got my whole family on to this thing. It is great!”
The message this sends is that you must go on this diet (or indeed any other diet) for purely aesthetic reasons. You need to be thinner. You can feel sexy, attractive, like a movie star, if you go on this detox. This in turn perpetuates the thin culture we live in and the message that it is absolutely vital for your happiness and success as a person to be slender and sexy. Is it any wonder with these sort of messages as the yard stick, that so many people, even children, believe that exercise is not for the benefit of our health, but instead is for weight loss and that eating nutritious food is the same?
To make matters even worse the entire diet is a scam of monumental proportions. It’s not even a diet AS IT DOES NOT PERMIT THE CONSUMPTION OF FOOD. For 10-14 days you are expected to have nothing more than a syrupy lemon drink with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. No food. I repeat. No food. If you need convincing of it’s dangers you might want to check out this expose by Nutritionist Matt O’Neill.
One really wonders how the promoters of this dangerous scam can truly get away with allowing someone to say that they have got their whole family on it. I hope to dear heaven that the intent behind that comment did not mean children. It pains me to think of the thousands of people who have spent $112 plus dollars on this horrible product only to have wasted their money, been miserable for the length of time they were able to manage to be on it and messed with their metabolism. Further to that, I don’t even want to think about the psychological and emotional torment many will have experienced. I wonder if the time may be coming soon where this sort of advertising that is so obviously bad for people’s health will not be permitted on our viewing screens. I, for one, would be glad to never see this ad, or indeed any other like it, ever again.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I wonder if the "starving Ethiopian orphan diet" would market the same way? Oh this makes me so mad!
Yes! Make it illegal! That would be wonderful! So, so, so unhealthy!
Thank you for writing about this. I seethe with anger whenever I see that ad – it's repellent. I still can't understand how such an unhealthy item is allowed to be marketed – what on earth must it do to your body in the long-run? Obviously it'd slow your metabolism to near-to-a-grinding halt – but imagine the long-term effects on your skin, hair, organs… you'd have to be missing out on so many nutrients.
It seems they keep marketing products that get further and further away from natural, healthy, enjoyable eating!
that first video isn't loading for me, but it sounds like the Master Cleanse. I've heard mixed things about it, it's been around forever. But I've always heard it refered to as a cleanse… not meant to be a DIET.
Terrible, absolutely horrid, but censorship is not a good solution. Education and diversified media images might be a better option. A much better option. We're not the Taliban here.
This is the Master Cleanse Diet…. It dates back to the 70's if memory serves me correctly, you know, when people didn't know any better!
$112? Couldn't you starve yourself with lemon tea just the same? This "diet" method has been around for awhile and you certainly didn't have to pay for it…with money I mean.
Thanks all for your comments thus far. The Lemon Detox Diet here in Australia is very similar to something called the "Master Cleanse," which is available in the US. Both are marketed in a way that promotes them to be detoxing/cleansing but it seems only the lemon one is marketed as a diet. Either way, both are highly dangerous and should be avoided.