Modern Diets for Healthy leaving

Last updated on December 3, 2018

Diets come and diets go, and it is difficult these days to keep up with them, so here are a few of the ones that are doing the rounds at the moment. Some you may have heard of and a few may be totally alien to you.

5:2 Diet

The principal for this diet is you eat normally for 5 days of the week and then fast on the remaining two days. People who are fans of this diet, claim it can help individuals to lose weight, make you live longer and help protect against Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Dukan Diet

This diet is based on low carbs and a high protein intake, it consists of 4 stages, stage one being a strict lean protein diet for an average of 5 days. So, for this phase carbs are off limits except for a small portion of oat bran. Phases 2,3 and 4 start to introduce fruits, vegetables, and carbs. For long-term sustainability, it could be classed as unhealthy, as there is no real balance in the nutrition.

Paleo Diet

This one has been around for a while, it is also known as the caveman diet; the concept is to eat foods that can be hunted, fished or gathered. Anything that is refined or processed is strictly off-limits, thus the diet lacks food variety, so there is a tendency to break it, for some.

Alkaline Diet

The concept of the Alkaline diet is to reduce the amount of acid forming foods we consume, so these will be replaced by much healthier alternatives. Actually, for maintaining a balance the diet can be adapted to follow a 20% acid forming foods and 80% Alkaline forming foods consumption. So, it is the 20% where you receive your protein and fat requirements, as this has a high concentration of fruits and vegetables, and is sustainable and suitable for long-term usage, as it promotes many healthy diet habits.

South Beach Diet

This diet was developed originally for American heart patients, it has no calorie counting and no portion limits, it encourages you to eat 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks with the addition of a healthy exercise plan. Overall, it is maintained by reducing the high GI (glycemic index) foods, altogether. There are 2 phases, but phase 1 may be too restrictive for adults with a normal lifestyle.

The Mediterranean Diet

This is one of the best for the long-term, as it is very heart healthy and is based on the foods and recipes of people who live all around the Mediterranean. Healthy fats are encouraged in the form of extra virgin olive oil, olives and avocadoes. Then carbs are reduced, as people from this region normally only eat bread to dip in oil along with their meals. Essentially, the only real restrictions are large quantities of red meats and processed foods which should be reduced as much as possible, and fish, seafood and poultry should be eaten at least twice per week. With moderation in mind, it is also possible to have 1 or 2 glasses of red wine per day, as this has proven health benefits, but any more than this on a regular basis can soon turn into a negative effect.

The Keto Diet

This consists of a low-carb and high-fat intake, where it claims many health benefits. The many studies show it can help to lose weight and improve health, mainly against diabetes. Combatting Alzheimer’s and epilepsy (what it was originally designed for), and cancer, in some cases. It is similar in design to the Atkins Diet, by reducing the carb intake and replacing this with fat. Essentially, this will put the body in a state called ketosis, where the body should become more efficient at burning fat as there are no carbs for the energy supply. Actually, this forces the body to use the fat deposits to supply energy. Due to the way in which it works, the fat is also converted to ketones by the liver, and these have been shown to supply energy to the brain. As the number of carbs is drastically reduced, blood sugar levels and insulin are effectively lowered. This diet negates the facts of many studies that tell you to avoid eating saturated fats, which may impact health negatively.

If you are deciding on a diet, it is worth consulting a health professional, especially if you are currently on any medication. Actually, most diets, including the ones above, can have some early side effects. Even though these are normal, (maybe a headache, dizziness or nausea), it is worth checking to be sure. Usually these symptoms will pass within a few days.

It is advisable though, to not consider any diet that asks for vitamin or mineral supplements to be used to support something that is missing in the diet, as this is a warning sign that the diet is lacking in some area.

The length of the balanced diet should also be considered, as some are used for a very short term for a quick weight loss, these are the ones that are very restrictive on food types you can eat. Sometimes, these are also the ones where the weight is regained once the diet is over.

There is no doubt, new diets will be introduced that promise this and promise that, but it is the ones that can be used for the long-term that will give you many more benefits, in most cases.