Dieting is a new hobby. Everyone wants to lose some weight and then the trend spreads on like wildfire. It could be celebrities, friends, or even our family. But losing weight for the sake of getting a svelte silhouette isn’t what you should aim for.
It should also be about maintaining your overall health which is often ignored due to the fast-paced lifestyle we are used to. Even if we want to go on a diet, which ones should we go for? The one our cousin suggested or the one our favorite star swears by?
This is where we come to your rescue as we will be discussing in detail how 8 popular diets work and how they can help you attain a holistic state of well-being.
Boost A Healthy Diet: The 8 Best Diet Plans For Overall Health
Not unknown to anyone, the internet is overflowing with diet plan suggestions one should try at least once but we are here to give you 8 of them including:
1. Intermittent Fasting Diet
This is all about teaching the body to allow itself to rest and then restart it to work at its full capacity. The history of fasting can be dated back to over 5th Century when scholars from various parts of the countries believed that fasting was an important part of their health.
Similarly many religious bodies also made fasting a part of their ideologies. However, the modern version is quite adaptable according to our lifestyle. The idea is to fast for 16 hours and then eat for 8 hours. Another popular version is to eat normally for 5 days and diet heavily on two alternate days.
You could eat all kinds of vegetables, fruits, or whole grains while you stay away from the usual villains like sugar. This diet could be followed to ensure good heart health, weight loss and even to level the blood sugar ratio.
2. Keto Diet
Though it began its journey in 1920 as a way of treating epilepsy patients, it sure has come a long way. It is now regarded as the most reliable option for weight loss, insulin regulation, and blood pressure.
Users on the keto diet primarily skip carbohydrates and go for fats and encourage the body to use fats instead of carbs through a process of ketosis. Like most diets, sugar is a no-no and you might want to include more proteins in your diet.
3. Paleo Diet
As you could have guessed from its name, the diet is an homage to the diet of ancient humans. It is based on the principle that the diet available in the Paleolithic era made them stronger and smarter so that they could invent things and at the same time defend themselves from animals and diseases.
Mostly used by dieters to lose weight, the food should not include grain or dairy. However, you can eat lean meats, nuts, and seeds by keeping the seasoning minimal.
4. Vegan Diet
A vegan diet needs no introduction as similar to fasting vegetarianism has been prevalent in many cultures. The principle behind veganism is not just about achieving all the nutrients from plant-based products but also stopping the indiscriminate killing of animals as they are a part of our planet too.
Many celebrities are known vegans and swear by its efficiency in reducing weight but at the same time being able to develop muscles if that is your aim. Apart from this, red meats are all known to be high in cholesterol whereas plants are not.
5. MIND Diet
Expanded to be read as a Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neurogenerative delay, the diet is unique in many ways. Firstly it is the best of both worlds including the Mediterranean and the DASH(Dietary approaches to stop Hypertension) diet.
Secondly, while the former is about controlling amounts of meat and poultry consumption, the latter wants the user to control their sodium. The idea is to decrease the major reason for heart disease; the silent killer or hypertension.
By avoiding meats and poultry with wholesome cholesterol, the diet prefers fruits and leafy vegetables that could provide protein but without harmful side effects.
6. Flexitarian Diet
Not all diets are rigid. Some could be flexible and if you are not a rule-follower, this is just the right diet for you. According to the theory, the diet wants its users to choose vegetarianism but occasionally they could indulge in meat-eating to get necessary proteins or to indulge in a craving, once or twice a month.
7. W/W Diet
There couldn’t be a more popular diet than this one on the list ever since its inception in the ’60s. The points system-based diet is about taking food to complete a particular round number on a particular day.
For instance, macronutrients like protein, carbs, and fats are counted along with micronutrients. In other systems, calorie is the keyword however WW diet takes into consideration every single thing a person consumes.
Weight loss is its obvious result but it can adopted and adapted according to your wishes if you have any particular ailments like diabetes.
8. The Atkins Diet
Keeping in tandem with its namesake, the diet is a doctor-approved one. Unlike its counterparts, it is a more calculative one and is often found to be difficult to maintain.
Although ketosis or the idea to use fat instead of carbs is the idea, is done in a very precise manner as we should always be aware of the “net carb” and calorie content to make it as effective as possible.
Sum Up
To define diet plans in simple words is the easiest thing to do. All it means is a certain menu or schedule one chooses to follow to get a healthy body.
The reasons could be various or so could be the strategies but the idea behind them is the same; to give the body what it needs the best to work in the most efficient way it knows including enhancing your immune system.
You can go for any of the above ones as per your health needs or its suitability with your schedule. In case you are too confused, you could also approach a dietitian.
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