No sugar, no meat, no dairy, no wheat. This diet has been touted and promoted by celebrities for the past few years as a “healthier lifestyle,” and a means to lose weight. However, not only is this a highly restrictive diet, it may ultimately be more harmful to the body than it is helpful.

These four taboos restrict almost everything on the basic food pyramid. There are even certain fruits, such as oranges, watermelon and bananas, which are deemed unhealthy because of high sugar content. In the end, foods which you are allowed to eat have been constricted to little more than vegetables, beans, eggs and nuts.

Independently, these diets are very effective, both in boosting health and helping with weight loss. Jonah Hill, a famous actor and comedian, lost 40 pounds solely by cutting all sugars out of his diet. Vegetarians who plan well have been shown to be less susceptible to diseases such as diabetes and have low cholesterol. A no-dairy diet may lead to reduced risks of heart disease and cancer and going wheat-free is a common weight loss plan.

However, when these four dietary restrictions are combined to form a massive “evil” list and a miniscule “good” list, the impetus to even try this diet dwindles.

Most of the restricted foods in this diet are high in all vitamins and nutrients and a consequence to cutting these foods out of your daily diet weakens the immune system. Without key nutrients, such as vitamins A, B-12, D, E, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium, immune systems become less likely to protect your body from illness. Although daily supplements can remedy this problem, this diet forces the people who are on it to track everything they consume, figure how many vitamins they have already ingested and then calculate how much more they need to fulfill daily requirements.

In addition, limiting oneself to surviving solely on vegetables, eggs and nuts is an extremely unhealthy way to live. It is very likely that this small number of options will severely unbalance diets and cause people to become very unhealthy, contrary to the popular belief that “since vegetables are good, eating them will only help you.”

In my opinion, the diet is bad news and people should not be on it. There is an abundance of healthier and more sensible diets and not eating sugar, meat, dairy or wheat will hardly do your body any good. If someone really is dead-set on trying this diet, he or she should just do it for no more than one week. It is much better suited as a cleanse than as a lifestyle choice.