Diet Trends
With the endless supply of information available online, it’s not always easy to negotiate healthy eating habits. With the news and social media buzzing about new trends like keto and paleo, it can be hard to keep track. Here’s a quick summary of the current trendy diets, with a suggested plan of how to eat healthy food.
Diet Trends
- The Keto Diet: The keto diet revolves around eating very few carbohydrates and filling up on fatty foods. Essentially, it keeps your body in a state of ketosis; in this state, your body breaks down both dietary and stored body fats. While this diet is certainly not heart healthy, many people use it to jump start the weight loss. However, this updated version of Adkins is not sustainable for the long run because eating diets high in fat is not good for your organs.
- The Paleo Diet: The paleo diet calls for foods that would have been eating by our ancestors in the Paleolithic era (roughly 10,000 to 2.5 million years ago). During this state of evolution, humans were hunters and gathers. Paleo diets include meat, fish, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, while avoiding proceeded foods, dairy, legumes, and grains. Similar to the keto diet, paleo diets also limit carbohydrates, however, paleo doesn’t allow dairy or cheese. This diet would likely be hard to continue over a long period due to the extremely limited amount of foods available. Additionally, there is no long-term evidence yet to know if this is safe.
- The Mediterranean Diet: This diet based on the Mediterranean region along the water in Italy, Greece, and France, relying on eating large amounts of lean meat, fruits, and veggies. In fact, fruits and vegetables should make up the largest section of the food pyramid. Olive oil is a key ingredient for cooking and salad dressings. Whole grains, nuts, beans, and legumes are eaten in moderation. Lean meats and fish are favored, as opposed to red meat or processed meats.
Of the three diets discussed, the Mediterranean is the healthiest for long-term use. However, when all is said and done, the best way to lose weight is the old-fashioned way – eat less and move more. Fill up on fruits, veggies, lean protein, and drink plenty of water. And, when possible, avoid or limit processed foods, cheese, sweets, alcohol and other high fat foods.
As for exercise, adults should target 150 minutes per week, breaking down to 30 minutes five days per week. Moderate intensity —such as brisk walking, biking, aerobics, swimming, elliptical use, jogging, and even faster paced yoga— are all good options. The trick is finding what you enjoy and mixing it up to avoid boredom. Consider taking brisk walks at your lunch hour a few days a week, while saving longer work outs for weekends when you have more time.
Sources:
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mediterranean-diet/dos-and-donts
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/keto-diet