Eat this, not that
TODAY, going on a diet to lose weight isn’t about eating less. It’s about what you eat. Proponents of different diet plans praise some food and avoid some food groups. Hundreds of books and websites will lure you to adopt a certain diet promising weight loss if you religiously follow its food plan. Here are some of the well-known diets.
1 -ATKINS DIET
Be prepared to cut back a lot of carbohydrate with this diet. The theory of this diet, devised by Dr Robert Atkins, is that when you reduce or stop eating food with carbohydrate, your body turns stored fat for fuel. The result is you burn body fat, releasing a by-product called ketones that you will use for energy.
This diet involves eating high-protein food — such as chicken, fish, shellfish, beef, and tofu. Although you can eat vegetables, you are not allowed to eat higher-carb vegetables. Also, no fruit and whole grains.
2 – BLOOD TYPE DIET
Naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo, who started this diet fad, claimed that the foods you eat react chemically with your blood type. Each blood type apparently digests food proteins (called lectins) differently. If you follow a diet designed for your blood type — A, B, AB, or O — your body will digest protein efficiently. As a result, you will lose weight, have more energy, and may even help prevent disease.
According to the diet, eating the wrong food proteins can cause ill effects on the body, including slower metabolism, bloating, and even certain diseases.
3 – CABBAGE SOUP DIET
This is a crash diet that only reduces weight short-term. It is a very low-fat, low-calorie plan that you follow for seven days. As the name suggests, your diet is primarily made of cabbage soup. The diet promises rapid weight loss — about 5kg — in a week and is promoted as a “vanity diet”— a quick way to lose a few extra kilogrames to look good for a special occasion.
4 – PALEO DIET
The theory is to follow what our pre-historic ancestors eat since modern eating pattern is blamed for many chronic diseases. Also known as Caveman Diet, it is basically a high-protein, high-fibre eating plan that promises you can lose weight without cutting calories.
Based on the idea that if the pre-historic people don’t eat it, we shouldn’t too— the diet only allows meat, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Avoid grains, legumes, refined sugar, processed food or dairy since these were part of the agricultural revolution.
5 -MEDITERRANEAN DIET
It follows the eating habits of people in the coastal regions of Southern Italy, Crete, and Greece. The diet encourages eating bread and pasta, more fruit and salad, including tomatoes and vegetables, fish, olive oil and eating less meat.
6 – THE ZONE DIET
The diet advocates balancing protein and carbohydrate ratios. According to the Zone diet, your intake of food should consist of 40 per cent carbohydrate, 30 per cent fat and 30 per cent protein. Food should consist of lean, natural meats; low glycaemic-load fruits and vegetables and fat.
It is popularised by Barry Sears who refers to The Zone as proper hormone balance when insulin levels are neither too high nor too low. He claims the 30:40 ratio of protein to carbohydrates triggers this effect and that these natural anti-inflammatories are heart and health-friendly.
7 – THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) DIET
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how fast food is converted into glucose and how fast it is absorbed by the body. If you take foods with a low GI, it will slowly release sugar into the blood, providing you with a steady supply of energy, leaving you feeling satisfied longer so that you are less likely to eat more.
Foods with a high GI value will cause a rapid — but short-lived — rise in blood sugar. It will cause a reduction in energy and leave you feeling hungry within a short time. You will snack more and if this pattern is frequently repeated, you are likely to gain weight. Foods in the low category usually have a GI value of 55 or less; in the medium category, a GI value of 56 to 69; and in the high category, a GI of 70 or more.
8 – THE DUKAN DIET
This is another diet that promotes high-protein foods and avoids carbohydrates. It has four phases. In phase one, you can only eat lean proteins such as nonfat dairy, fish, chicken breast, oat bran, and water—at least 48 ounces each day. The next two phases gradually integrate other foods but in limited portions and only on certain days. The final stage allows you to eat whatever you want for six days a week—as long as you resume the protein-only diet on the seventh.
Followers have to follow the list of 100 allowed foods — 68 pure proteins and 32 vegetables — if they want to see the results.
9 – BIGGEST LOSER DIET
Designed for contestants of The Biggest Loser weight-loss reality show, it is based on the pyramid of 4-3-2-1 — four servings of fruits and veggies; three of lean protein; two of whole grains; and one “extra” such as desserts. Each meal should have 45 per cent carbohydrates, 30 per cent protein, and 25 per cent healthy fats
You should choose foods that are not processed and contain no added fats, sugar or salt. Whole fruits and vegetables are preferred over juices or dried fruits. In addition, do moderate exercise four times a week of between 60 and 90 minutes.
10 – THE DASH DIET
It stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension that focuses on food that is low in sodium and high in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and lean protein. Promoted by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, it encourages nuts, seeds, legumes, fish, lean meats, lean poultry, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products in its aim to help control high blood pressure.
Source: NST
Published: 04 Mar 2014