Today, there are so many different diets to adopt that one can get easily confused. With a new diet making its debut every month, it has become relatively a mind boggling task to arrive at a decision of choosing a particular diet. The truth is that each diet has its pros and cons and a single diet does not offer you all the benefits. So, it therefore becomes important to take an insight into the goodness as well as shortcomings of each diet.
THE RAW FOOD DIET
This diet proposed the idea of consumption of uncooked food items or food that is not heated more than 46 degree.
PROS
- Uncooked food retains all its rich nutritional values.
- This diet keeps your free from trans-fat and saturated fats that are very harmful for your body. It also eliminates the consumption of sugars and sodium.
- This diet is very beneficial to cure constipation and to keep cholesterol and BP levels normal.
- This diet is rich in healthy fats and fiber.
CONS
- It is very difficult to follow and people tend to give up easily because of tastelessness.
- Uncooked food can be filled with bacteria and toxins which can cause stomach infections.
VEGAN
Very popular and significantly discussed on various online platforms, this diet excludes any food that comes from animals such as dairy products, eggs, meat etc. This diet only recommends fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. This diet’s prime focus is to be environment friendly yet healthy.
PROS
- These diets offer you a cholesterol free lifestyle as it eliminates saturated fats.
- Veganism eliminates the chances of chronic heart diseases and cancer.
- If you are someone who wants to get rid of ill habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol, then vegan diets are considered the best
- This diet boosts the ability to protect your cells and saves you from harmful pollution and radiations.
CONS
- This diet is very rigid and strictly to be smoothly incorporated in today’s tiresome lifestyles.
- Contemporary restaurants aren’t well equipped with menus favoring vegans and therefore, you may have a very hard time dining out.
- You might face deficiency of the supplement Vitamin B12 which is substantially found in animal foods.
- Since this diet restricts the intake of protein rich sources like meat and eggs, you will have to look for other substitutes to complete your diet.
THE FAST DIET
This diet bases the use of stored energy in your body as your primary fuel and says that there should be calorie restriction for two non-consecutive days a week (calorie intake should be under 500) and unrestricted eating the other five days.
PROS
- This diet helps in weight loss and maintenance.
- It protects you from heart diseases and diabetes.
CONS
- People with diabetes and low sugar level are not considered suitable for this diet as it may negatively affect them.
- This diet is highly criticized for its unhealthy approach of not achieving nutritional balance by recommending two days of fasting.
GLUTEN FREE
This diet eliminates wheat and its products and restricts the consumption of processed foods. Doctors recommend this diet especially to people who suffer from celiac diseases.
PROS
- Some people are allergic to wheat and cannot digest it properly. Gluten free diet is a life savior for them as it is rich in wheat-free grains such as rice, quinoa, oats, fruits and vegetables.
- Gluten free diet gives you excellent results if your aim is to lose weight and overall improve your health.
- This diet is highly beneficial for people suffering from migraine and type 2 diabetics.
CONS
- Gluten free food items are comparatively expensive than wheat products.
- This diet may lead you to a deficiency of Vitamin B complex
- This diet will not offer you all kinds of nutrients which is very essential for a balanced intake and nourishment of your body.
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
This diet is plant based and includes olive oil and canola oil instead of butter and coconut oil. It recommends the use of herbs to flavor the food instead of using salt and other processed toppings.
PROS
- This diet is rich in mono-saturated fats which protects your heart and keeps it healthy.
- This diet is rich in antioxidants and thus, has a high concentration of cancer fighting elements.
CONS
- This diet is considered as very confusing as it doesn’t state the exact serving quantities.
- People with high triglycerides are discouraged to take up this diet.
- This is a very expensive diet and is not suitable for Indian style and patterns of cooking.
If you research more, you will find out that no particular diet actually offers you everything and it is a mix of choices according to your body type and most importantly your gut feeling that will help you fulfill your fitness goals. Therefore, try incorporating different elements from different diets to get best results. Although, we suggest you consult your nutritionist before you rush into any diet!
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