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Which diet is the most effective in weight loss? This is a popular question among people looking to reduce some weight. Different types of diets have gained popularity over the years for their visible impacts, other benefits and from the beliefs that their proponents spread via word of mouth, media, and other channels. Despite the popularity, some information may be misleading. To help you parse between the factual and fantasy, here are the details of these common weight loss diets to direct you to make the right decision.
You must have heard that a particular diet is more beneficial than the other or guarantees quick weight loss within a shorter period. This may be true, but what are the other pros and cons involved? It is important to understand that ‘one man’s meat may be another man’s poison’; with this in mind, know that there are different types of diets for different body types.
Diets can be defined as fixed or outlined eating and drinking plans for a specific purpose such as weight loss or weight gain. Particularly for weight loss, some meal plans are healthy and sustainable in the long run, while others, though effective in the short run, are very restrictive and may harm your body. While some diets restrict carbohydrates, calories, or unhealthy fats, others concentrate on reducing your appetite. So, what are the different types of diets? Here is a detailed breakdown of the most common diets that you may have heard of or will come across.
Borrowing heavily from the nutritional habits of the people of Southern Europe, i.e., Greece, Crete, Southern Italy, Spain, Southern France, and Portugal, this is a vegetable-rich diet that restricts most of the possible meat intake. Plant foods, whole grains, beans, olive oil, seeds, and nuts are preferred, and the main dairy foods are cheese and yogurt (20). Some poultry, wine, and moderate amounts of fish are allowed. Vegetables are taken in every meal, and fish is preferred to chicken. Instead of butter, marinades, or salad dressings, oil (particularly olive) is recommended. Also, large quantities of whole grains, nuts, and herbs are consumed.
Vegetarians do not consume animal products for either ethical, health, or environmental reasons. In addition, they prohibit animal exploitation and cruelty.
What are the different types of vegetarian diets? Types of vegetarians include fruitician vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, and living food diet vegetarian, leading to some variations in their eating plans (18). For instance, lacto-ovos do not eat animal-based foods apart from dairy, honey, and eggs. Here are some common vegetarian diets.
Veganism is the strictest type of vegetarianism because on top of meat, it does not allow the consumption of eggs, dairy, or animal-derived products like honey, gelatin, whey, albumin, casein, or some types of vitamin d-3. Other than ethical, health, and environmental reasons, they avoid animal products for compassionate purposes. Here are the different types of vegan diets.
Read More: The Basics of a Vegetarian Diet: How Safe Is It?
Some different types of diets for different body types are customized for specific blood types whereby the eating plan is matched to standard dietary requirements of the specific blood type (15). For instance,
There is also the Body Type diet, whereby meals are customized depending on whether you are ectomorph, mesomorph, or endomorph. Neither the blood type nor body type diet are backed by scientific evidence.
Introduced in 2003, this eating plan focuses on changing an individual’s overall eating habits by balancing out their daily diet (14). Healthy fats, good carbohydrates, and lean protein are recommended. Note that some carbohydrates are eliminated so that one can eat only healthy meals daily.
As the name suggests, this diet encourages you to eat uncooked and unprocessed foods (at least three-quarters of food consumed should be raw food). Foods produced or pasteurized with any additives or synthetics are prohibited; therefore, one eats completely organic and plant-based foods. The focus is to create energy surge, decrease inflammation, and minimize the amount of dietary carcinogens. Raw foodists are categorized as raw vegetarians, raw vegans, raw carnivores, and raw omnivores.
These involve restricting the daily carbohydrate intake so that your body is forced to utilize more fats for fuel in place of carbohydrates as the main energy source. This diet is rich in proteins and fats.
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They include:
This eating plan encourages you to eat the same foods as the hunter-gatherer ancestors may have consumed before the development of agriculture, which resulted in the western diet characterized by dairy, grains, and processed foodstuffs (16). Foods consumed are lean proteins, grass-fed meat, whole foods, fruits, eggs, fowl, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Being a restrictive low-carb natural way of eating, only sugars from fruits are allowed, and it prohibits the intake of dairy, grain-fed meat, and processed foodstuffs. Some flexible Paleo diet versions allow dairy such as butter and cheese and tubers like sweet potatoes.
It is a famous, fast, low-carb weight loss diet whose proponents believe that can shed a considerable amount of pounds from consuming protein and fats in any amounts but no carbohydrates. This low-carb diet concentrates on controlling insulin levels in the body, with the reasoning that large amounts of refined carbs result in a rapid rise and fall of insulin levels. When insulin levels go up, they trigger the body to conserve energy from food eaten; therefore, the chances that the body will utilize stored fats as a source of energy are less.
Divided into 4 phases, the first one being the induction phase whereby you eat below 20grams of carbohydrates in a day for two weeks. You then begin to slowly reintroduce healthy carbs into the diet as you approach your desired weight.
This is a high-protein, low-carb diet for weight loss. It is split into 4 phases- 2 weight loss phases and 2 maintenance phases, each with a particular dietary plan and varying time-frames depending on the number of pounds you want to shed. The 2 weight loss phases involve the consumption of high-protein meals, and you must have oat bran. The other 2 maintenance phases involve consuming non-starchy veggies and some fats and carbohydrates, and as time goes by, you consume fewer pure proteins to maintain your ideal weight.
This is another meal plan where carb intake is reduced, and unlike the others, consumption of healthy fats (nuts, avocados, seeds, coconuts, oily fish, and olive oil) is increased to permit the body to burn fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates (glucose). It is the most popular diet in the US (). By following this eating plan, fat deposits are broken down for fuel to create ketones through the ketosis process.
There are various high-fats, moderate protein, and very low-carb keto diets. These include:
Focus is only on keeping the carbohydrate intake very low, but may not lead to ketosis.
It is a variation of the keto diet whereby more carbs than usual are consumed. While traditional ketogenic diet recommends 70-75% fat, 10% protein, and 5% carbs, here fats are 50%, protein 30%, and carbs 20% (21).
Read More: Vegetarian vs. Keto Diet: Which Diet Method Helps Better In Losing Weight?
The usual low-fat diet provides about 30% of daily calories as fat, but an ultra-low-fat eating plan restricts fat consumption to below 10% of the daily calories. This is because the proponents believe that 30% is not low enough, therefore, more fat should be restricted for weight loss and other health benefits. It is a high-carb diet and low in proteins because mostly one consumes mostly plant-based foodstuffs and controlled amounts of animal products (10).
It is a low-glycemic load meal plan whereby carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (monounsaturated oils like almonds, avocados, and olive oil) are limited to 35-45%, 30% ( ⅓), and 30% ( ⅓), respectively, of the daily calorie intake (17). ⅔ of the meal is colorful vegetables and fruits. Carbs with a low glycemic index, i.e., an estimate of how much it increases the blood glucose levels, are consumed (bananas, potatoes, and rice are high-GIs, therefore prohibited). There are inconsistent outcomes from studies on this diet, concluding that it reduces appetite and promotes weight loss. In contrast, others argue that weight loss realized by following a low-glycemic diet is minimal compared to that of other meal plans.
Initially, this meal plan was meant to (17)
It restricts the intake of certain healthy carbohydrates, for instance, potatoes and bananas.
This is an eating pattern that is split into periods of eating and fasting (23). You do not limit what you consume but control when you eat different foods. It can be effective if followed appropriately. Do not overcompensate by consuming excess calories when not fasting.
Other fasting diets include the Military diet, Master Cleanse diet, and Juice cleanse.
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Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is a very extreme meal plan that makes one lose weight very fast, up to 1-2 pounds daily. During early pregnancy, the hormone HCG is very high, and the body will maintain the production of hormones that are essential for the fetus’s development. The same hormone is used to treat infertility.
According to the proponents, HCG boosts metabolism and loss of fat without inducing hunger.
This meal plan is split into 3 phases, with the first phase involving the intake of HCG supplements. In the second phase, which is about 3-6 weeks, you will receive HCG supplement injections, drops, pellets, or sprays, as you embrace an ultra-low-calorie eating plan of 500 calories a day. Lastly, you cease HCG intake and begin to increase your food intake, slowly.
FDA disapproves of it because it is dangerous, illegal, and fraudulent (3).
It encourages the consumption of nutrient-dense foods and minimal intake of sugar. It is effective for weight loss, and there is no calorie counting.
These are temporary weight loss plans that promise quick weight loss. They include:
Note: They are not recommended.
How many different types of diets are there? There are in fact uncountable thousands of diets for different purposes such as weight loss, weight gain, lowering cholesterol e.t.c. The bottom line is to understand your body type and select a healthy weight loss plan that is sustainable, bearing in mind that different diets work for different people. With this knowledge of different types of diets, you are now well-equipped to select the one that will help you attain your weight loss goals. Remember to get approval from your doctor and a dietician before trying any meal plan.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!