Are you confused about all the different diets out there? There are so many diet plan books and it can get confusing because they all claim to have the perfect diet that will improve your health and make you feel better than ever. The truth is, every body is unique and no one diet plan is going to work for everyone. People have different food sensitivities, metabolisms, energy needs, and more. So how do you find the right diet for you? Most people will just jump in and try the one that sounds like it will work for them. For that reason, I have summarized some of the most common and talked about diets in this article.
If you want to take the guess work out of finding the right diet, you might want to consider using a form of muscle testing called applied kinesiology (AK). The International College of Applied Kinesiology has a directory of practitioners. There are other types of practitioners that use muscle testing as well.
Blue Zone Diet
At a very basic level, you might want to consider eating like the populations that are living in “Blue Zones”. “Blue Zones” are places with the longest lived people. People in “Blue Zones” eat an impressive variety of garden vegetables when they are in season. They pickle or dry the surplus to enjoy during the off-season. Some of the best foods for longevity are leafy greens such as spinach, kale, beet and turnip tops, chard, and collards. Combine these staples with seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans, and you’ve got the basic year round “Blue Zone” diet.
Beans are a meal staple in all five of the “Blue Zones”—with a dietary average of at least a half-cup per day, which provides most of the vitamins and minerals you need. And because beans are so hearty and satisfying, they’ll likely push less healthy foods out of your diet.
People in four of the five “Blue Zones” do eat meat, but they do so sparingly. Meat is treated as a small side, celebratory food, or a way to flavor dishes. Research suggests that 30-year-old vegetarian Adventists (a “Blue Zone” population) will likely outlive their meat-eating counterparts by as many as eight years.
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is a plant and omega-3 fatty acid rich diet that is prevalent in many longevity hot spots and “Blue Zones”. It is a high fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables that includes quality fats and proteins in moderation. It is considered by many nutrition experts to be one of the most heart-healthy ways of eating there is, largely because the diet is loaded with anti-inflammatory foods. The diet includes olive oil, nuts and seeds (think tahini), beans (think hummus), and wild-caught fish and seafood at least twice a week, and often times, a glass of red wine daily.
Nearly every nutritional researcher attributes at least some of the legendary health benefits of the Mediterranean diet to the copious amounts of olive oil included in almost every meal. Another factor contributing to the beneficial results is that the diet doesn’t include sugar and processed foods. The traditional diet consists of fresh, unprocessed, and GMO free foods. Any poultry is pasture-raised so the eggs, cheese, and goat milk, which are only consumed in moderation, are chemical free.
Ketogenic Diet
Scientific literature shows that a ketogenic diet produces robust physiological and biochemical health advantages, and is able not only to induce effective weight loss but also to improve several cardiovascular risk parameters. The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in which you switch your body’s primary energy source from carbohydrates to fat (i.e., from glucose to ketones). Up to 80 percent of your calories come from fat. That’s what differentiates this diet from something like Paleo or Atkins – they’re both low-carb, but with keto, the emphasis is on the fats.
One important aspect of following a ketogenic diet that is often overlooked is making sure you get enough sodium and minerals. Once you are running on ketones, your body excretes sodium at a much higher level until you are fully keto-adapted. This means it is important to salt your food with a high quality sea salt that contains both sodium and minerals. You can also eat mineral-rich foods like celery, cucumbers, and seaweeds. Or sip on an organic bone broth throughout the day.
There is quite a bit of controversy about the keto diet. It can be beneficial for those those trying to loose weight, fight diabetes, or for those trying to reduce inflammation. Many doctors recommend not staying on this type of diet for more than 3 months. Others recommend carb cycling which means you choose one day per week to eat more high-quality carbs. On those days, you can add things like sweet potato, white rice, butternut squash, carrots, plantains, and low-sugar berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries).
Carb cycling this way allows you to take advantage of all the keto benefits which include appetite suppression, fat burning, increased energy, and clear thinking. The addition of the carbs support the body systems that need some amount of carbohydrates to function well. A ketogenic Mediterranean diet merges the well-known beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet with the positive metabolic effects of a ketogenic diet.
Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet has been associated with many health benefits from better blood sugar levels to reduced inflammation. Like the keto diet, it is high in fat and it a good diet plan for weight loss. The basic premise is to eat only foods that were available to our hunter and gatherer ancestors thousands of years ago during the Paleolithic Age. This means that things like processed foods, refined grains and cereals are off the table. So instead your plate should be full of fruits and vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds.
The idea is that these are the foods that our bodies were designed to eat. Essentially it is a grain free diet and tends to be lower in carbohydrates. One controversial aspect of the diet is that it eliminates several food groups that contain beneficial nutrients, such as legumes and dairy.
Protein is one of the staples of the Paleo diet plan. This includes foods like grass-fed beef, poultry and seafood. Getting enough protein in your diet is essential to maintaining overall health. Protein is vital for repairing and rebuilding tissue cells, maintaining normal blood sugar, transporting oxygen, healing wounds, and building muscle mass.
FODMAP Diet
Irritable bowl syndrome (IBS) affects nearly 10% of the population. The low FODMAP diet has brought hope to millions of people because it greatly reduces the symptoms of IBS. FODMAPs are specific sugars found in food that are not absorbed completely by the human body. They’re easily fermented by gut bacteria and can cause significant gastrointestinal problems.
Many people with digestive complaints will mistakenly remove gluten from their diet, only to continue to experience digestive issues. Patsy Catsos, MS, RD, recommends that a FODMAP elimination diet be done for two weeks. Then she recommends re-challenging your body with one FODMAP item at a time, until you get to the final diet that includes all the foods that are well-tolerated. Anyone with IBS and/or small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) will be able to find the food triggers and get their situation under control within a relatively short period of time.
The point of following a low FODMAP diet is to avoid foods that ferment in your stomach. There are lots of resources out if you want to try a low FODMAP diet. Here is one great website that contains grocery lists and meal planning tips along with these FODMAP check lists. http://www.katescarlata.com/lowfodmapdietchecklists/
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