There are more diets than there are days in the year including the South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet, carbohydrate addict's diet, fat flush diet, cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, Sonoma Diet, low carb diet, raw diet, Mayo Clinic Diet, macrobiotic diet, and liquid diet. There is even a vinegar diet! There are also any number of the diet plans like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Slim Fast, and LA Weight Loss. Some of these diets are promote developing a healthy lifestyle when it comes to nutrition and exercise. Others are simply lose-weight-quick-schemes that can be unhealthy and even dangerous.

Metabolism diets can fall into either of these two categories. What is metabolism? People who are concerned with weight gain are probably familiar with the fact that as we get older our metabolism slows down, thus putting us at higher risk of gaining weight. Many people know this to be true from experience. However, how many people have an understanding of what the metabolism really does?

Metabolism is the physical and chemical processes that take place inside of the body's cells. The metabolism is made up of anabolism or the constructive stage and catabolism or the destructive stage. The metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats – transforming them into energy – as well as other physiological processes make up the metabolic process. These processes maintain life.

As with other types of diets, metabolism diets vary. However, the key component to metabolism diets is to increase the body's metabolism so that it burns more energy; thus losing weight. One such diet, the 7-day Metabolism Diet, claims that eating certain foods in prescribed quantities at certain times of the day will increase the dieter's metabolism and they will lose weight. The basic diet involves drinking about four glasses of water per day. A typical day of meals include:

Breakfast: black tea or coffee with artificial sweetener
Lunch: two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of cooked spinach
Dinner: lettuce and celery salad with a 6-ounce steak

Dieters can also add herbs, salt, pepper, lemon, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard or ketchup to their meals.

Metabolism diets such as this are practically starvation diets because the dieter does not take in enough calories to make it through the day. Therefore, dieters should not exercise or participate in any high-energy activities while on this diet. Because the diet does not contain the proper amount of vitamins and nutrients, prolong use can lead to health problems.

Some metabolism diets take a holistic approach to dieting. They involve including organic, raw, and vegetarian foods into the diet. These foods are great sources of natural energy boosters and food enzymes. These foods increase the body's ability to digest food. The more thoroughly the body can digest food, the higher the metabolism. This higher metabolic rate reduces fat storage.

The goal of any diet should be to make lifelong changes that promote healthy eating and ideas about food so we can maintain a healthy weight. Our body needs fuel in he form of food and all its nutrients to function; therefore starvation does not equal healthy nutrition. When considering a diet, ask yourself if it is sustainable throughout life. Metabolism diets that are based on starvation do not promote health and vitality.