Top 5 Diets & Plans

1. Paleo

The paleo diet is one of the most popular current diets and is rooted in the notion that many modern diseases are a result of the processing of modern foods (especially sugar and fat) and sedentary lifestyles. Popularised by Loren Cordain, Ph.D., the paleo lifestyle promotes regular exercise and a return to whole foods. Although the diet was not created as a method for weight loss, many people find that by replacing the consumption of empty calories with real nutrient-dense food, the diet promotes a natural return to a healthy weight through satiety. The diet plan (which consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat, fish, and select natural oils) floods the body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals, which alongside regular exercise, promote the kind of natural vibrant health our ancestors experienced. Eating paleo is a very natural, and involves no counting or calculating (of calories or macronutrients), the only thing you need to understand is which modern foods are completely off-limits, which include all dairy products, cereal grains (including flours), legumes (including peanuts), refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, and processed meats.

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2. Ketogenic

The ketogenic diet (or keto diet) is a high-fat, medium-protein, and very low-carb diet. By replacing the carbohydrates (sugars) with healthy fats, the body transitions from burning sugar (glucose) for fuel and instead runs on ketone bodies; this is the metabolic state of ketosis. This process radically reduces blood sugar and insulin levels and has a positive impact on many health markers including weight loss, triglycerides, cholesterol, improved insulin sensitivity, and overall lower risk of disease.

There are multiple versions of the ketogenic diet:

• Standard ketogenic diet: which is the traditional very low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet. It typically ranges around 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% carbs.
• Cyclical ketogenic diet: which includes 1-2 days per week of a high-carb refeed.
• Targeted ketogenic diet: which includes higher carb meals following a high-intensity workout.
• High-protein ketogenic diet: which is similar to the standard ketogenic diet, but includes a slightly higher protein: fat ratio. The ratio is approximately 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

This diet requires an understanding of macronutrient balance (protein/ fat/ carbohydrates) but does not involve counting calories.

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3. Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) is one of the health trends sweeping the globe, and unlike many other diets- it does not address the quality or quantity of food whatsoever. What matters is not what you eat or how much you eat, but when you eat it. The plan essentially restricts your eating window, so that there are cycles of feeding and fasting.

Intermittent fasting actually has roots in many ancestral healing modalities like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese medicine, which promote larger breakfasts and meals that get smaller as the day goes on. Before the advent of modern food supply chains (grocery stores, etc), our ancestors would fast regularly between hunts, and thus fasting is also naturally built into our genetic makeup. Fasting is also sought after for spiritual reasons in many religions of the world including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.

Benefits include a boost in human growth hormone (HGH), increased insulin sensitivity, cellular repair, gene expression, metabolic boost, and weight loss.

There are multiple versions of the ketogenic diet, but popular ones include:

• The 12/12 method: involves fasting for 12 hours, and eating within a 12-hour window.
• The 16/8 method: involves fasting for 16 hours a day, and eating within an 8-hour time period (skipping either breakfast or dinner).
• 24-hour fasts: which involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week.
• The 5:2 method: involved reducing caloric intake (to approximately 500 calories per day) twice a week.

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4. Mediterranean

The Mediterranean diet is a return to the traditional foods eaten by the people of countries of the Mediterranean area (like Greece and Italy, and the South of France) back in the 1960s. Researchers found that these areas were filled with exceptionally healthy people (especially compared to modern North American standards), and many subsequent studies demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet promotes cardiovascular health, reduced oxidative stress, reduced instances of type 2 diabetes, reduced inflammation, and more.

The diet is a high-fat diet that promotes lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, bread, herbs, spices, fish, and seafood; a moderate amount of poultry, eggs, red meat, and dairy; and no processed sugars, meats, refined grains, refined oils/ trans fats, or artificial sugars/ products. This diet parallels the principles of the Paleo whole foods diet, but the return to ancestry is a more modern-day, sea-dwelling population.

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5. South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet was popularized in the mid-1990s by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a Florida-based cardiologist that was observing the benefits of the Atkins Diet but believed the low-carb diet to be too restrictive in terms of fruits and vegetables. After testing his diet principles on himself with success, Agatston published The South Beach Diet, which promotes low-glycemic-index carbs, lean proteins, and unsaturated fats. The diet includes three phases; first very low-carb for rapid weight loss, followed by a less restrictive carbohydrate phase, and finally a more balanced macronutrient phase for weight maintenance.