The Most Popular Diets That Might Not Work for You

When it comes to improving your health through diets, there are so many different options. Every person’s fitness levels, personal health levels are different, hence why there are so many kinds of dieting and ways to go about them.

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Before you start assessing your health and trying to figure out what your next step should be, you need to understand that not all diets will work. Either because they aren’t true, or are not tailored for your body type or health condition.

There are over a hundred different types of dieting, and some are only slightly adjusted variations of others. This means finding the right one for you may be a challenge. With that being said, here are some of the most popular diets that you might want to consider trying:

1. Paleo Diet

The paleo diet suggests you should try to stick to the same diet as your ancestors before agriculture developed. The theory here is that by sticking to a more traditional diet from the past, we will stay away from foods that are heavily processed and refined due to the technological development in the food processing industry.

The paleo diet emphasizes the importance of whole foods, lean and fresh meats and poultry, organic vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds. This also means staying away from processed foods such as refined sugar, dairy products, grain mixtures, and pre-packaged meals.

The point of this diet is to stay healthy and avoid getting diseases by eating the most organic and unprocessed type of food possible. In turn, you consume fewer calories due to fewer additives as well as boosting your immune system by eating healthier and fresher foods.

The Paleo diet is known to reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, common flu as well as diabetes. The downside of this diet, however, is that it cuts out whole grains, legumes, and dairy as well as vitamin supplements that can be healthy for you.

2. Vegan Diet

This is one of the most popular types of diets as well as one of the most controversial. There are much debate and discussion of whether it’s good for your health.

Although a negative light is sometimes shined on this diet, there are a few benefits and favourable reasons why this diet is good. First of all, the vegan diet means restricting the consumption of animal products for ethical, environmental and/or health matters.

As most diets are tailored around how it can benefit our health, the vegan diet is one people will take to benefit animals by creating a resistance to animal cruelty and exploitation. It is also the strictest form of vegetarianism.

Not only are meats forbidden, but this diet also eliminates any product of animals, including eggs, honey, gelatin, whey and some types of vitamins. A strict vegan diet that is carefully followed will certainly help you to drop weight. It does burn fat and will also reduce your general calorie intake.

Another good point about vegan diets is that it decreases the chance of contracting certain diseases such as diabetes, heart disease as well as premature death as almost your entire diet is plant-based.

However, the downside of this diet is that you may suffer from malnutrition as you will be missing out on vital nutrients the human body requires that can only come from meat or animal products. This includes protein and certain vitamins and minerals.

3. Low-Carb Diets

Low carbohydrate diets have been popular for many decades as it drastically drops calorie intake and can help you lose weight fast. The primary aim of this diet is to eliminate carbohydrates so the body will not use it as a source of fuel.

When carbs are non-present in the system, it will begin to draw energy from fat cells and use it for fuel. This ends up in the burning of fat, ultimately losing weight. This means that your diet will require mainly protein and fat. The benefit of low carb diets is that it can eliminate processed foods such as white bread, mixed grains, artificial foods, and a lot of junk foods.

The downside to this type of diet is that by depriving yourself of carbohydrates, your appetite can drastically increase in the short term. Some people who have undertaken this diet will tell you it’s also painful and can even affect your mood. Carbohydrate is also a source of energy for muscles and joints.

Eliminating carbs may help you to drop weight, but fat isn’t the only thing that is decreasing. This diet will only suit certain people as it is very challenging and not recommended if you have certain health conditions.

4. Ultra Low-Fat Diet

This diet means you need to limit fat intake to 10% of your daily calorie intake. The remaining 90% will come from carbohydrates and protein. A low-fat diet usually means that fat intake limit is at 30%.

Ultra low-fat diet means that you’re having almost no fat in your diet. This dieting approach means that you will be losing weight by cutting down bad calories from fatty foods. It also decreases your chances of heart disease, developing diabetes and preventing high blood pressure.

The negative side of this diet is that fat plays many important roles in the body, including building cell membranes and hormones, as well as helping your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Cutting most of your fat intake also means you are staying away from healthy fats such as omega 3 Fatty acid-rich fish, avocados and nuts, to name a few.

Keep in Mind

The key here is to assess the different types of dieting, what your personal goals are and finding a match for them. The best way to assess your health situation is to speak with someone who knows what they’re talking about, such as a professional dietician, fitness trainer or your doctor.

These people can properly access your personal health and identify what your exact problems are. That way, you won’t waste time doing things or undertaking diets that won’t work.

Poor dieting can lead to malnutrition, deterioration of general health and cause health complications that can even be fatal. If you are unsure how to diet, or which one is most suitable for you, it is highly recommended to get your general health check-up before undertaking any drastic lifestyle or diet changes. Dieting to improve your health is essential. But doing it the right way is most important. Don’t take any risks and call your doctor.

Head over to the Okadoc app to immediately book an appointment with your health practitioner.

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