Diets aren’t just some weight loss fad. They are about improving your physical health, creating healthy habits, and improving your overall wellbeing. There are so many out there, that it can be quite difficult to figure out which one is right for you. Different people respond better to different diets, making them more effective for some and less effective for others. Let’s take a look at the few top diets that have proven effective in helping people along their weight loss journey.
1. Low-carb Diets
Low carb diets are some of the most popular diets for weight loss. In fact, keto and intermittent fasting are the two most popular diets right now. Keto, short for Ketogenic, is a diet that restricts your macronutrients to under 10% of the total calories you take in. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. By restricting your intake of certain macronutrients, keto works by raising your metabolism and using your fatty acids rather than carbs to generate energy. It does this by converting them into ketones, hence the name, through the process of ketosis. This diet is great for reducing high cholesterol and other heart diseases. It is even used to improve blood sugar and insulin levels in people who have type two diabetes. This diet is great for weight loss but has a plethora of other health benefits.
2. Intermittent Fasting
As we said earlier, intermittent fasting is one of the most popular diets at the moment, and for good reason. It gets results. Intermittent fasting cycles between fasting and eating. There are a few different variations. In the 16/8 method, the idea is that you limit your calorie intake to only occur within 8 hours of the day. Another is the 5:2 method. This requires fasting twice a week and only consuming between 500-600 calories on those days. This diet is good for not only physical health but also brain health. An important thing to remember is to not binge between times when you are allowed to eat. When done correctly you burn fat, while preserving muscle which can boost your metabolism. This diet has been linked to reduced inflammation, increased heart health, improved brain health, and increased insulin sensitivity, and studies have shown it to be significantly more effective at contributing to weight loss.
3. The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet has been around for quite a while. It is one of the easier diets to maintain because it doesn’t have significant limitations and restrictions. As the name suggests, this diet is based on food collected from around the Mediterranean. It is rich in fruit and veg, fish, whole grains, lentils, and nuts, with a dash of olive oil in the mix. Think Greek and Italian food. Things like eggs and chicken are to be eaten in moderation, along with dairy products and excessive red meats. You cut out anything processed, including added sugars and any trans fats. As it consists of mainly vegetables, it’s a good diet for people who struggle with cholesterol and other heart diseases. Its health benefits typically include a decreased risk of cognitive decline and depression as well as long-term greater weight loss. Plus, eating less red meat is more sustainable for the environment.
4. Plant-Based and Flexitarian Diets
If you are interested in plant-based diets that are stricter than the Med diet, both vegetarian and vegan diets restrict all meat consumption. These are both great ways of explaining that a diet can be about more than food and is actually a lifestyle change. These both focus on the ethical and environmental implications of overconsumption of meat and animal produce. These can, however, be incredibly difficult to maintain, which is why plenty of people opt for a flexitarian diet. Being a flexitarian means that you follow a mainly plant-based diet, but still eat some meat and other animal produce in moderation from time to time. Vegetarians don’t eat any meat but are allowed to consume dairy products and eggs. Vegans don’t eat any animal products, and some go so far as to even restrict their consumption of other by-products like honey. These diets are great for weight loss but do so much more. They can help decrease blood pressure, improve metabolic health, and are great for the environment.
5. The DASH Diet
While the DASH diet isn’t designed for weight loss specifically, it is a beneficial side effect. DASH is an acronym that stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. As the name suggests, this diet is designed to help reduce high blood pressure. The diet is comprised of eating plenty of fruit and veg, whole grains, and lean meat. It is low sodium with no added sugars, and fat. It works by allocating serving sizes of different food groups, which is dependent on your daily intake of calories. In a day the average person would have to eat 5 servings of fruit, five servings of veg, two or less servings of lean meat, two servings of low-fat dairy, and seven servings of healthy carbs. This diet can reduce the risk of heart disease, and may even be able to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
6. The Volumetrics Diet
The Volumetrics diet is a long-term lifestyle change rather than a restrictive diet. As the name suggests this diet is about the volume of food you consume. The idea is that it promotes weight loss by filling you up on food that is nutrient-dense but low in calories and high in water to make you feel full. It consists of foods that are primarily low-calorie, non-starchy, fat-free, and plenty of broth-based soups, however, nothing is off limits. It should just be consumed in moderation. This diet is meant to be paired with at least 30-60 minutes of exercise a day.
When it comes to choosing a diet, you should choose the right one for you. There are plenty of factors that influence this. Lifestyle, ethics, and mental and physical health all play an important role in what you should and shouldn’t be eating. While all of these diets contribute to weight loss, be sure to consult with a doctor and dietitian before so that you can make the best choice for your health.