Tanya Zuckerbrot’s Overhyped 10,000 Dollar Diet

Based on the idea that a high fiber diet promotes nutrition and weight loss without hunger, F-Factor seems like a reasonable diet approach. The creator of the program, Tanya Zuckerbrot, is a registered dietitian who offers her clients 10 one-on-one counseling sessions as part of F-Factor, and it’s generating a lot of buzz.

With high profile clients like former CNBC host Donny Deutsch and current Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, the F-Factor diet plan has gained notoriety in recent months as being a viable weight loss option. The catch? This program will cost you $10,000 if you want the customized version.

For that hefty price tag, clients receive those ten personal sessions as well as an in-depth consultation and education process about weight loss and nutrition. Zuckerbrot also goes over the diet plan with her clients during this initial session, reminding them about the high intake of fiber the diet requires. If clients are interested, they can pay an additional $1,500 each for a supermarket tour and refrigerator and pantry makeover. The high cost of the program begs the question of whether or not F-Factor is worth it, though.

Our resident nutrition expert and registered dietitian Mary Hartley isn’t convinced.

“Tanya Zuckerbrot is no better than other dietitians. In fact, I hear that her minions see the patients and Tanya breezes in to say a few words.”

If that is the case, clients certainly aren’t getting what they pay for. However, according to Hartley, that may not matter. “This is New York City, after all, where you can buy a t-shirt for $1 or $1,000 and you can get a haircut for $8 or $800. The quality doesn’t reflect the price,” Hartley said.

The public reaction to Zuckerbrot’s program has been mixed after articles from Yahoo! Shine and the New York Times spotlighted her this week.

Nutritionist charges $10K to tell you to eat more fiber? Suddenly I feel very under-priced! ow.ly/j9tYv

— Monica Reinagel (@NutritionDiva) March 18, 2013

Yeah she makes your diet easy for $10,000 I don’t think so shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living…

— Claudia Coleman (@CColeman83) March 19, 2013

Bravo, Tanya! Charging what RDs deserve to be making! $10,000 Diet: F-Factor’s Tanya Zuckerbrot shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living… @f_factordiet #NYC

— Brenda M. Murdock (@TheAngryDieter) March 19, 2013

Though the price may be extreme, the ideas behind the program aren’t that different from what any registered dietitian would promote.

“All RDs promote high fiber in the absence of diseases where it is contraindicated. Personally, I prefer an intuitive eating approach over a ‘program’ but programs are okay for basic education and to get people started in the right direction,” Hartley said.

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Image via foxnews.com

March 19th, 2013

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Posted in: dietitians, f factor diet, high fiber diet, mary hartley, new york city, Tanya Zuckerbrot

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by Elizabeth — Editorial Intern

Twitter: @easims_4

Liz Simmons is a fun-loving, stubbornly positive person who will try just about anything once. Her competitive spirit rarely says no to sand volleyball, but gets chilled out by practicing yoga. She's an avid reader whose love of writing led her to a bachelor's degree in communication from Wichita State University.