There is no doubt that diet has a vital impact on human health. In recent years, as experts have studied diet and health in depth, it has become increasingly clear that diet is equally important for people’s mental health. Junk foods that are high in sugar and fat make you gain weight, but also cause a range of emotional and mental health problems. Therefore, why don’t we adopt healthy eating habits? However, different diet plans have different effects, with some diets focusing on appetite suppression and others on limiting carbohydrate or calorie intake. Thus, people should choose the appropriate diet plan for their needs.
Top 10 Diet Plans for Fast Weight Loss
Here are the top 10 diets that are currently the most popular to help you lose weight quickly and effectively.
1. Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet advocates eating foods like those consumed by Paleolithic people between 2.5 million and 10,000 years ago. They are usually foods that can be obtained by hunting and gathering in the past, such as lean meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. In addition, the Paleo Diet excludes dairy products, grains, and legumes, which were thought to be contributing factors to today’s obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
There are several benefits to a Paleo Diet, including losing weight, improving glucose tolerance controlling blood pressure, suppressing appetite, and so on.
2. Vegan Diet
The Vegan Diet now has become a lifestyle. It excludes all animal products, including meat, eggs, and dairy products.
Compared to non-vegans, vegans always consume fewer calories and thus lose weight and look slimmer, which is a big reason why more and more people are turning to a vegan diet to lose weight.
What’s more, the Vegan Diet may help control blood sugar and prevent type 2 diabetes. In addition, studies have shown that a Vegan Diet can reduce the risk of high blood pressure by up to 75% and the risk of dying from heart disease by 42%.
3. Flexitarian Diet
The Flexitarian Diet is mostly based on plant foods, while meat and other animal products can be consumed as appropriate. As such, it appears more flexible than the previous vegan diet. Because it does not have clear dietary rules, most people consider it as more of a lifestyle.
Apart from being good for heart health, weight loss, and type 2 diabetes, vegetarian diets can also reduce the overall incidence of cancer, especially colorectal cancer.
4. Dukan Diet
The Dukan Diet was created by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French general practitioner in the 1970s, taking inspiration from an obese patient.
In a nutshell, the Dukan Diet is divided into 4 phases. You reach your target weight through 2 weight loss phases and 2 maintenance phases. It focuses on high protein and low carbohydrates while limiting the intake of foods such as grains, legumes, and fruits. The Dukan Diet prefers to consume a gluten-free or dairy-free diet.
Although studies have found high protein and low carbohydrate to be effective for short-term weight loss, there are many questions about the safety and sustainability of this approach to weight loss.
5. Keto Diet
The Keto Diet focuses on high fat and low carbohydrate. When your body goes into a metabolic state called ketosis because of the reduction of energy. It lowers blood sugar and insulin levels and increases the level of ketones in your body, which has some health benefits.
But keeping your body in this state for a long time is not a long-term viable plan. This diet can also lead to some side effects such as headaches, muscle aches, constipation, and fatigue.
6. Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet was introduced by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins in the 1960s that emphasized protein and fat and limited carbohydrate.
The Atkins Diet believed that excessive carbohydrate intake could lead to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain, and cardiovascular problems, so it restricted carbohydrates and encouraged eating more protein.
It starts with a very low-level carbohydrate plan, which is also divided into multiple weight loss and maintenance phases. Now as it continues to evolve, the Atkins Diet also encourages more high-fiber vegetables to meet the needs of vegetarians.
However, this diet is not suitable for people with severe kidney disease, or pregnant or breastfeeding women.
7. The Volumetrics Diet
The Volumetrics Diet is also a new way of life rather than a strict dietary requirement. While promoting a high intake of nutrient-rich foods that are low in calories and high in water, this diet also restricts calorie-dense foods such as biscuits and nuts.
The Volumetrics Diet divides foods into four categories based on their calorie density, advocating eating mainly the first two categories, that is, foods that are low in calorie density, and in small amounts the other two categories that are higher in calorie density. It is worth mentioning that the diet does not completely ban any one food and promotes appropriate daily exercise.
Although it can help you lose weight, it requires a good understanding of food volume and calorie levels.
8. The DASH Diet
As a matter of fact, the DASH Diet is not a weight loss diet, but a diet plan designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure.
While advocating a reduction in salt, red meat added sugar, and fat intake, it emphasizes eating more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meat.
An average person on the DASH diet would eat approximately five servings of vegetables, five servings of fruit, seven servings of healthy carbohydrates, two servings of low-fat dairy products, and two servings of lean meat each day. It also recommends that we consume nuts and seeds two to three times a week.
This low-salt diet has been shown to help with weight loss, plus interestingly, studies have shown that it also helps combat depressive symptoms.
9. Intermittent Fasting
In simple terms, intermittent fasting limits the amount of time you can eat and keeps you cycling between fasting and eating.
Intermittent Fasting takes many forms such as the 16:8 method, the 5:2 method, and so on. This method of reducing your calorie intake not only leads to weight loss but also has great benefits for your body and brain. For example, it can be anti-aging, increase insulin sensitivity, improve brain health, reduce inflammation, and much more.
Currently, this diet is safe for most healthy adults, except for some special groups of people who need to consult a health professional before starting Intermittent Fasting.
10. Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet, just as the name implies, is a reference to the traditional foods that people used to eat in the countries bordering the Mediterranean. It has always been considered the golden diet for nutrition, disease prevention, and a long and healthy life because of its nutritional value and sustainability.
It emphasizes a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats while limiting refined and highly processed foods such as trans fats, processed meats, etc. Sugary drinks also need to be limited. There is no doubt that water is the first choice of drink for the Mediterranean diet.
Although it is not a weight loss diet, a large number of studies have shown that it can help with weight loss and improve overall health. In addition, it has a preventive effect on certain cancers.