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Diets aren’t just for losing weight. While modifying your food is one of the most effective strategies to lose weight, it may also serve as a springboard to bettering your habits, focusing on your health, and leading a more active lifestyle.
However, the sheer quantity of diet programmes available may make it tough to get started. Different diets will be more appropriate, sustainable, and effective for various people.
Some diets seek to suppress your hunger in order to minimise your food intake, while others recommend limiting your calorie and carbohydrate or fat intake. Some people prefer to focus on specific eating patterns and lifestyle modifications rather than restricting specific foods.
1. The Mediterranean way of life
The emphasis on minimally processed foods and plants in this diet has been linked to a lower risk of several chronic diseases and an enhanced life expectancy. According to research, the Mediterranean diet can help prevent some cancers (1Reliable Source).
Though the diet was created to reduce the risk of heart disease, multiple studies show that its plant-based, high unsaturated fat dietary pattern can also help with weight loss (2).
A comprehensive assessment of five distinct trials discovered that the Mediterranean diet resulted in better weight loss after one year when compared to a low fat diet. It demonstrated comparable weight loss effects to a low carb diet (3Trusted Source).
One 12-month trial of approximately 500 adults indicated that increased adherence to a Mediterranean diet was related with a twofold increase in the likelihood of weight loss maintenance (4Trusted Source).
Furthermore, the Mediterranean diet promotes the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods, which may aid in the prevention of inflammation and oxidative stress by neutralising free radicals (5Trusted Source).
2. The DASH eating plan
The DASH diet has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. It may also help reduce your risk of developing breast and colorectal cancers (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
According to research, the DASH diet can also help you lose weight. An study of 13 research, for example, discovered that persons on the DASH diet lost more weight over 8-24 weeks than people on a control diet (12Trusted Source).
Another 12-week trial in adults with obesity indicated that the DASH diet reduced total body weight, body fat percentage, and absolute fat mass while retaining muscle strength (13Trusted Source).
Other advantages
The DASH diet may assist with depressive symptoms in addition to weight loss (14Trusted Source).
A comparative study conducted over an 8-year period discovered that even moderate adherence to the DASH diet was associated with a decreased risk of depression (15Trusted Source).
Downsides
While the DASH diet may help people lose weight and lower their blood pressure, there is conflicting research about salt and blood pressure.
A low sodium diet isn’t for everyone, and eating too little salt has been related to increased insulin resistance.
A low sodium diet, such as the DASH diet, is better suited to people who have hypertension or other health disorders that benefit from or require sodium restriction (16Trusted Source).
More research is needed to understand how a low salt diet affects insulin resistance in those who do not have hypertension.
3. Vegetarian and plant-based diets
Health Advantages
Numerous studies have indicated that plant-based diets can lower your chance of developing chronic diseases, such as improved metabolic health markers, lower blood pressure, and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. They can also assist you in losing weight (17Reliable Source).
Flexitarian diets have also been demonstrated to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, improve metabolic health and blood pressure, and may have weight loss advantages of their own. (18Reliable Source).
Other advantages
If you want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, reducing your meat consumption can help you minimise greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and soil damage (19).
Downsides Plant-based eating patterns such as vegetarianism and veganism can be tough to sustain and may feel restrictive, especially if you’re transitioning from a meat-based diet.
And, while the flexitarian diet’s flexibility makes it simple to follow, being overly flexible with it may negate its benefits.
4. the MIND diet
Health Advantages
The MIND diet may lessen a person’s risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease, according to research, and studies demonstrate that it is superior to other plant-rich diets for enhancing cognition (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
The MIND diet has also been shown in studies to help halt cognitive decline and enhance resiliency in older persons (22Trusted Source).
It may also assist to postpone the onset of Parkinson’s disease (23Trusted Source).
There has been minimal research into the MIND diet and weight loss. However, because it combines two weight-loss regimens, the MIND diet may also help you lose weight.
One method it can aid in weight loss is by encouraging you to reduce your consumption of foods such as:
sweets fried food butter cheese red meat
However, further research on the MIND diet and weight loss is required.
Other advantages
The MIND diet has a lot to offer by combining the finest of two diets and allows some more flexibility than harsher diets.
While you can eat more than the recommended ten food groups, the closer you keep to the diet, the better your outcomes may be.
5. WW (previously known as Weight Watchers)
Health Advantages
Many research demonstrate that the WW programme can assist you in losing weight (25Reliable Source).
A analysis of 45 research, for example, discovered that participants who followed a WW diet lost 2.6% more weight than people who received normal counselling (26Trusted Source).
Furthermore, persons who adhere to WW programmes have been demonstrated to be more successful at maintaining weight loss over time than those who adhere to alternative diets (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
Other advantages
WW offers for flexibility, making it simple to follow. This allows those with dietary constraints, such as food allergies, to follow the plan.
Downsides
While WW provides flexibility, it might be expensive depending on the subscription plan and the amount of time you intend to use it.
According to research, it can take up to 52 weeks to get significant weight loss and therapeutic advantages (27Trusted Source).
Furthermore, its adaptability can be a disadvantage if dieters choose bad foods.
6. Fasting on alternate days
Health Advantages
Intermittent fasting has been related to anti-aging effects, enhanced insulin sensitivity, improved brain health, decreased inflammation, and a variety of other advantages (29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source).
Intermittent fasting appears to improve heart health and extend lifespan in both animal and human studies (31, 32, 33Trusted Source).
It can also aid in weight loss.
Intermittent fasting was found to yield 0.8-13% weight loss over a period of 2 weeks to 1 year in a review of trials. This is a far higher proportion than many other approaches (34Trusted Source).
Other studies have demonstrated that intermittent fasting can improve metabolism by increasing fat burning while retaining muscle mass (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source).
Other advantages
While some diets have many rules, necessitate numerous trips to the food store, and are difficult to follow, intermittent fasting is known as a more simple-to-follow eating plan.
Because of the nature of the diet, there are fewer meals to prepare, cook, and clean up after.
Downsides
Intermittent fasting is generally safe for most healthy persons.
Those who are susceptible to blood sugar decreases, however, should consult with a health expert before beginning intermittent fasting. People in these groups include:
who have diabetes, are underweight, have an eating issue, are pregnant, and are breastfeeding or chest feeding.
7. The Volumetrics diet.
Health Advantages
The Volumetrics diet promotes nutritious meals that are low in calories but high in fibre, vitamins, and minerals, which may help you consume more important nutrients and avoid nutritional deficiencies.
Diets with a reduced calorie density have also been linked to enhanced diet quality (37Trusted Source).
It also reduces your intake of processed foods, which can lower your chance of getting some malignancies and heart disease (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).
The Volumetrics diet may also assist you in losing weight.
A meta-analysis of 13 trials involving over 3,000 people discovered that diets high in low calorie density foods resulted in enhanced weight loss. Similarly, an 8-year research of almost 50,000 women discovered that eating high calorie-dense foods caused weight gain (40Trusted Source, 41Trusted Source).
Downsides
While the Volumetrics diet may be beneficial for health and weight loss, it necessitates a thorough understanding of Volumetrics, which entails knowing about the calorie amounts of meals in relation to portion sizes and nutritional levels.
This may be easier for some than others.
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