Following the New Year, just about everyone on the internet—qualified and not—starts offering up dieting advice like clockwork. And for every well-balanced and sustainable plan you see, you can expect to be bombarded with even more fad diets. However, as they gain traction and popularity, even the diets that aren’t worth trying are worth discussing. After all, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between nutritionally sound plans and scientifically unproven schemes without an expert eye to guide you.
The new “Human Being Diet” (HBD) is among the latest crop of arbitrarily specific diet plans making the rounds. While this three-month program has some bright ideas about the types of foods you should be eating for better overall health and weight loss, it has also raised more than a few eyebrows when it comes to safety.
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What is the Human Being Diet?
Nutritionist and influencerPetronella Ravenshea first developed the Human Being Diet after noticing that many of her clients struggled with weight loss despite dieting and exercising. While speaking withWomen’s Health, Ravenshea explained that by eating fresh, nutrient-dense, minimally processed, and anti-inflammatory foods rather than ultra-processed foods, you can lose weight while boosting your energy, improving your skin, enhancing your sleep, and more.
This is all true, say the dietitians and nutritionists we spoke to. However, it’s when you dive deeper into the three discrete phases of the Human Being Diet that the plan’s flaws begin to reveal themselves.
Phase One, which takes place over the first 48 hours of the Human Being Diet, is exceedingly restrictive. Ravenshea suggests eating nothing but vegetables and drinking nothing but water during that time. In Phase Two, Ravenshea recommends a 16-day detox period to be repeated no more than twice per year. During this phase, which she calls “The Reset,” she advises consuming between 700 to 900 calories per day—less than half the recommended amount for most adult women. Finally, Phase Three of the Human Being Diet centers on high-quality protein, healthy fats, and some fruits, but eliminates all legumes, wheat, and grains.
What are the risks of the Human Being Diet?
Carolina Schneider, RD, a registered dietitian who works with individual clients and serves as Daily Harvest’s nutrition advisor, says that those considering the Human Being Diet should be skeptical of purported benefits: “The diet claims to deliver benefits like ‘boundless energy,’ ‘perfect weight,’ and ‘flawless skin,’ but none of these promises are backed by clinical evidence.”
She notes that, unlike evidence-based diets like the Mediterranean or DASH diets, which promote balance and flexibility with what you eat, the Human Being Diet imposes restrictive rules and fails to address individual nutritional needs.
“As a dietitian, I view this as another fad diet that fails to support a healthy relationship with food,” Schneider says. “Extreme calorie restriction and the exclusion of nutrient-dense foods like legumes can do more harm than good. A healthy diet should be sustainable, realistic, and adaptable to your unique needs, not dictated by rigid, one-size-fits-all rules.”
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How can you lose weight instead?
Michael Reavis Jr., a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics, suggests that a more gradual and sustainable plan could better help you meet your long-term goals. He and many experts also advise against cutting out entire food groups, opting instead to consume all in moderation.
“Whole foods are fantastic—as a dietitian, I’d be remiss to tell clients not to eat more of them,” he tells Best Life. “However, eating only whole foods can be an abrupt change, especially for people who have a family, a full-time job, little cooking experience, or have never eaten this way before.”
“I would recommend reframing phase two to be a longer process, where each week you add one to two new whole foods, gradually replacing more processed foods. In eight weeks, you could add four to eight new whole foods, moving toward a more whole food-focused diet,” he advises.
If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s best to forego fad diets and focus on evidence-based eating plans designed to last long term. Speak with your doctor or nutritionist to learn more about how to make lasting changes to your diet.