Picking a diet can be confusing. There are so many options out there. How do you know which ones work, which ones are safe, and what ones you might even like?
I hear ya. I’m pretty diet agnostic, in that I don’t favor any specific diet over any other. However, there are a few diets that are safe if done well, and may even work for your needs, and there are a few diets I couldn’t recommend given a variety of things which I can go into later.
In this article, I’ll give an overview of several popular diets and some general information to help you choose what eating style might be right for you.
Diets
There are 5 main diets I am going to cover.
- Vegan/Vegetarian Diet
- Low-Fat Diet
- Mediterranean Diet
- Paleo (Paleolithic) Diet
- Ketogenic/Keto Diet
There are several other diets that may bridge between or combine elements of these 5 diets. Plus I’ll cover an eating protocol (Intermittent Fasting), in case you want to know more about that.
And lastly, I’ll touch on some “Probably best to avoid” diets out there that aren’t necessarily helpful and could potentially be harmful.
Vegan or Vegetarian Diet (Plant-Based)
The Vegetarian Diet has 5 main forms. Vegan is the most restrictive and contains no products that come from animals, this includes honey and gelatin. Many vegans also refrain from using any animal-based materials even in non-food items such as silk or leather.
Vegetarian is typically the term used to describe plant-based eaters that do allow some kind of animal products and therefore is not as restrictive.
- Lacto Vegetarian: Dairy products such as yogurt, cheese or milk is allowed.
- Ovo-Vegetarian: Eggs are allowed.
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: Dairy and Eggs are allowed.
- Pescatarian: Fish and Seafood is allowed (and some pescatarians eat dairy and/or eggs as well).
Many people feel good and lose weight or maintain a healthy weight eating vegetarian or vegan.
Eating a plant-based diet does not automatically result in weight loss, one must still curb calories, and many plant-based foods such as grains and especially refined grains like cereal grains (wheat, rice, etc) can pack in a lot of calories without a lot of bulk leaving the eater feeling less full.
There are risks associated with a vegetarian diet. Skipping meat can result in certain nutrient deficiencies, and the more strict you are, the more real the concerns become.
The best way to eat vegetarian (or vegan) is to stick to whole foods that are minimally processed. Get lots of dietary fiber from your vegetables, and eat a variety of foods to ensure you get all the nutrients your body needs. Be aware of common deficiencies and find good sources of plant-based foods that can supply the nutrients in your diet.
For more on a Vegetarian (or Vegan) diet, read my article on it. In it there are additional resources should you choose to pursue this eating plan.
Low-Fat Diet
A low-fat diet aims to reduce the number of calories in your diet that you get from fat. Considering that fat contains over twice the calories of either protein or carbohydrate, this means the grams of fat in your diet must be drastically reduced. A typical low-fat diet would aim to get about 15-30% of the calories from fat. The 15% would be on the very low fat range, and the 30% would be on the highest end of the spectrum of what could be considered a low-fat diet.
Humans need fat. A Low-fat diet isn’t “No Fat”.
Good healthy fat is preferred, so aim to get vegetable fats such as olive, avocado, or coconut oils. Limit saturated fats found in meat.
I should note that people can lose weight on a low-fat diet. But it isn’t necessarily super easy. Much like in a vegetarian diet, it’s really easy to overeat calories that come from refined carbohydrates (that are still low-fat). Also, fat can make you feel fuller, so to combat that, add many plant foods that have high fiber content. Higher fiber foods also help you feel fuller.
Some people don’t tolerate high carbohydrates and you should evaluate how you respond (physically and mentally) to large amounts of carbohydrates. Don’t push yourself into eating this way if it doesn’t work for you.
For more depth on a low-fat diet, read my article here. There are also additional resources on eating low fat within that article.
If you have heard of the Ornish Diet, created by Dr. Dean Ornish to combat diabetes and heart disease, his diet is basically a low-fat vegetarian diet.
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is patterned off the eating habits of people living in the Mediterranean basin. There isn’t one specific Mediterranean Diet. The area was a melting pot of cultures being a major hub for trade throughout the ages. And there are several notable cuisines in the region.
This does mean that you can eat “Mediterranean” in one of many different ways, while your neighbor could also eat “Mediterranean” in a completely different way. However, there are some similarities.
In pretty much all varieties of this diet, there is a preference for whole foods that are minimally processed. It is mostly plant-based, but not strictly vegetarian, though a vegetarian lifestyle could combine nicely with the Mediterranean diet. There are no “Off-limit” foods. However sweets, red meat, sugary beverages, saturated fats, highly processed foods (including meats) and refined carbohydrates should be limited, but not eliminated.
Red wine is encouraged, in moderation (one glass per day).
The culture of the area places an emphasis on friends and family sharing meals together.
For true health benefits to be realized, though, one must exercise. It doesn’t have to be strenuous, daily walks could suffice.
This diet might not be the best option for you if you don’t’ tolerate carbs well. As with the low-fat diet, there can be a lot of carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, and rice.
Read my article on Mediterranean Diet for more in-depth information and resources.
Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet is based on the premise that our ancestors were much healthier than we are today. While science may not actually back that up, there is one thing that is certain: Our ancestors (caveman) did not overeat an abundance of highly processed foods. Therefore, the Paleo diet focuses on eating things that a caveman would eat.
In general, dairy, grains, refined oils, refined sugars, and salt need to be avoided. Most people will avoid grains and tubers (like potatoes) believing that the Paleolithic man didn’t eat these things. But science is starting to uncover evidence that some may have eaten some grains, even crushed, and made into some sort of bread like meal. And tubers would have been eaten if found.
Depending on where the Paleolithic man dwelled, the diet would be different. Coastal regions would have supported fish and seafood, northern regions would have been light on leafy greens during the winter and heavier on wild game (though probably smaller). Desert regions would have been a challenge for both plants and animals. And insects may have contributed many nutrients to a real caveman diet.
Because of the restriction on grains and tubers (starchy carbohydrates), a Paleo diet would be heavier in protein and fat than the low-fat or even vegetarian diets. It can consist of more animal-based proteins and may be a challenge for vegetarians. I honestly don’t think caveman made tofu. However, they may, if found, eaten soybeans.
There have been studies that suggest the Paleo diet can contribute significant health benefits. But since some food groups are completely eliminated, there is still a chance of being deficient in some nutrients.
For a deeper dive into the Paleolithic diet, read my article here.
Keto Diet
The Keto Diet or Ketogenic diet is a diet that was created to force the body into a state called “Ketosis”. This state is when the body switches from using ingested or stored glucose for fuel (because there isn’t any being eaten, and stores rapidly deplete when you use your muscles) to using Ketones. Ketones are created in your body from fat (either stored or ingested).
The interesting thing about this diet (for me anyway) is that it was originally created to mimic the effects of fasting on the body. For ages fasting was used as a treatment for many illnesses and conditions. And it was found to be successful for the treatment of seizures. However, many patients found that the seizures came back when they started eating again. So, since one can’t fast indefinitely, the Ketogenic diet was created.
In order to force you into ketosis, you must severely limit carbohydrate consumption. This means that all grains, sugars, starchy vegetables such as potatoes, and fruit must be limited. A true Ketogenic diet must be carefully controlled to get the benefits for seizures. But for general weight loss, there can be a little more flexibility in the amount of carbohydrates ingested. Originally it was recommended that 90% of your daily calories come from fat and only 4% from carbs. But today for those not controlling seizures, can drop the fat intake to 70% of your daily calories and aim to get no more than 50g of carbs. A more standard number would be 30g of carbs per day.
The ketogenic diet is a low carb, high-fat diet. The protein should be moderate and generally recommended to get about 1 g per kg of body weight (or 0.5g per pound of body weight). Because of the high-fat content of this diet, it has received a lot of scrutiny in recent (since the year 2000) history.
Much like the other diets mentioned above, there is an emphasis on minimally processed whole foods. Consider that many processed foods have added sugars that are not allowed on the Keto diet. If you don’t tolerate a lot of fats, or if you need more carbs in your diet, you may not be able to do a Keto diet
For a much deeper dive into the history of the Keto diet, read my article here.
Similarities of the diets
You may notice that all of the above diets emphasize whole food sources with the restriction or elimination of any processed foods. For some of these diets above, that is the largest contributing factor to its success.
If long lists of do/don’t foods and can/can’t haves are not your thing, you can still get many of the benefits of a healthy diet without all the rules by just adopting a healthy eating style. Eat lots of veggies, and good sources of protein. Limit highly processed foods. Be aware of when you are eating and why (are you really hungry?) And note how much you eat and how full you feel. Can you eat a little less and still feel satisfied?
You can learn more about adopting a healthy eating style without “dieting” in my article here.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting is not a diet per se. It’s more of an eating protocol. You can combine it with any of the above diets. Or you can do it on its own with the foods you already eat. However, it will be MUCH easier to do intermittent fasting if you are eating a healthy diet to begin with. One must get all the nutrients one needs, preferably from food. And if you aren’t eating a healthy diet, you likely have deficiencies. Intermittent fasting without correcting the deficiencies will compound the effects of the deficiencies. Not to mention, it will be much harder to fast when you haven’t eaten a decent meal at the end of your feeding window.
Intermittent fasting has many different protocols available, but the most common is eating within an 8-hour window, and not eating (water, black coffee, and black or green unsweetened tea is generally allowed) for 16 hours. You can read more about intermittent fasting in my article on it.
Because both intermittent fasting and the Keto diet induce ketosis in your body, they are often combined. But, you can do one without the other.
“Diets” I Cannot Recommend
All the above diets have pros and cons. But, if done in a healthy way, they can be sustainable and safe.
That being said, there are a few “diets” out there that I cannot, in good faith, recommend.
Basically, anything that said “Cleanse” or “Detox” and puts you on some juice or smoothie diet for any amount of time. If you really want to help your body out and relieve it of having to work so hard to process the food you eat, 1) eat less processed foods, 2) maybe try intermittent fasting (or even a 24 hour fast). Unless you have liver or kidney disease of some sort, your organs are quite capable of detoxifying your body.
While the carnivore diet is intriguing to me (being a meat-eater), it seeks to eliminate ALL Plant-based foods. Including coffee and tea. I can’t give up my coffee. But that aside, there hasn’t been any research on this diet to speak of and therefore no way to really know if it is safe long-term. Scientists are still discovering nutrients found in plants (and animals) that we may actually need or benefit from. Therefore, completely giving up an entire food group or macronutrient (such as carbohydrate) seems incredibly risky to me. Additionally, the carnivore diet limits the intake of dairy which would be a significant source of carbohydrate from the milk sugars that occur naturally.
Any diet that focuses on getting your nutrients from shakes, smoothies, meal replacement bars or supplements instead of whole foods is likely to be very hard to sustain in the long run. If you fill up on a variety of whole foods, you will feel fuller longer and over time eat fewer calories. I feel like diets selling shakes and supplements are in it for the money from the food products that they sell. You can get your calories from foods that aren’t processed and probably feel better in the long run.
Blood Type or Blood pH diets don’t have science that backs these up. There is no evidence that shows that you should eat specific foods given your blood type. As for the Blood pH diet (alkaline), our body needs to regulate the pH of our blood in a narrow range or we will perish. There has been no scientific evidence that what we eat does anything to change our blood pH.
Conclusion
There are many diets out there to choose from. Some are even safe. However, while all diets can work, they might not all work for you. You need to decide how you want to eat and live, and what diet will ultimately fit into your lifestyle indefinitely. If you cannot sustain the diet over time, you won’t sustain the results from the diet.
Some people tolerate carbohydrates better than others, and some people tolerate a lack of carbohydrates better than others. Don’t force yourself to eat in a way that doesn’t work for you and your own physiology. While there may be no scientific link from blood type to food preferences, there are a whole host of factors that do influence how you should eat to be the best possible you.
Regardless of how you choose to eat, it’s best to adopt any lifestyle change in a way that makes it part of how you live. If you want help making a change adopt a healthier lifestyle, I offer coaching that focuses on finding the right diet for you and making the change in manageable steps. Click here to contact me for more information on coaching.