There are manytypes of diets out there.Some focus on reducing appetite, while others focus on restricting calories, carbs or fat. Some are to control Blood Pressure (DASH DIET) or Diabetes (Low Carb High Fat-unsaturated- Diet). The confusing part is all of them claim to be “the best” diet. Resultantly, we the consumers,feel hapless and helpless to know which ones are worth trying.

The truth is that our bodies are unique. No one diet is best for everyone, and what works for me may not entirely work for you.Everyone needs to decide by eating stuff and decide by trial and error method. Through this article we will delve deep into the various types of diets and decide whether they are good, bad or ugly for us:

The Paleo Diet

The term, paleo diet, is also referred as caveman diet or stoneage diet.The paleo diet claims that modern humans should eat the same foods that their hunter-gatherer ancestors ate — the way humans were genetically designed to eat before agriculture start developing in the year 1890.

While there is wide variability in the way the paleo diet is interpreted; the diet typically includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, and meat. Itdoes not include foods such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, alcohol or coffee.. Paleo diet is based on avoiding processed foods. There is some evidence thatthis diet lead to some improvements in terms of body composition and metabolic effects compared with the typical Western diet.. Present day research confirms that most modern diseases can be linked to the Western diet and the consumption of grains, dairy and processed / repackaged foods.

Since 2012 the Paleolithic diet has been recommended by few Doctors. Resultantly, it has become one of the “latest trends” in diets. Based on the popularity of thisdiet it wasGoogle’s most searched- diet for healthy eating with weight-loss in particular. When you are following the Paleo Diet, you can eat anything we could hunt and/or gather way back in aday i.e.things like meats, fish, nuts, leafy greens, regional veggies, and seeds.

Sorry, the pasta, cereal, and candy have no place in it. Anything that didn’t exist in caveman times will not be existing on your plate or in your stomach, as per the proponents of this study.

The paleo diet emphasizes whole foods, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, while avoiding processed foods, i.e. sugar, dairy and grains.Some more flexible versions of the paleo diet do allow for dairy like cheese and butter, as well as tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Always eat stomach full. Eat your Breakfast like a Prince, your Lunch like a King and your supper like a pauper. The only rider is avoiding simple carbohydrates and restrict complex carbohydrates to 60 gm per day plus lavish amount of protein and unsaturated fat. This is a healthy thing to do.

Many studies have shown that the paleo diet can lead to significant weight loss and reduced waist size. Paleo dieters automatically eat much fewer carbs, more protein and 300–1000 fewer calories per day.

The Upside: This diet seems effective at reducing risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol, blood sugar, blood triglycerides and blood pressure.

The downside: The paleo diet eliminates whole grains, legumes and dairy. Therefore, it unnecessarily eliminates several healthy and nutritious food groups.

Some diets focus on reducing your appetite, while others focus on restricting calories, carbs or fat. Though all of them claim to be number one, yet it is hard to decide which one is healthy, worth a try and not a fad diet.

The Vegan Diet:

Since a vegetarian may eat some animal products like dairy and eggs, a vegan diet follower eats absolutely no animal products, including any foods that have come from an animal – including things like honey.

Generally, the foods that normally appear in healthy vegan diet every day include, wholegrains, Vegetables, Fruits, Legumes and lentils/pulses and seeds Healthy fats like olive oil and avocado.

The logic of doing so is the known health benefits of including more plant foods and reducing animal foods from the diet. Needless to add that diseases are also coming out of farmed animal products. Plus, environmental reasons and the treatment and harm that may come to the animals in processing are also there.

People with vegan diet need to balance their daily nutritional intake because many essential nutrients can be missing in vegan diet, which can cause serious health implications in the long term. More often than not, some of those nutrients simply can’t be met in the diet alone, and we need dietarysupplements to fill in those nutritional gaps.Vegans may lack nutrients in their diet viz. Calcium ,Iron. Omega 3 fatty acids, Protein, Vitamin B12. Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarianism. In addition to eliminating meat, it excludesdairy, eggs and animalderived products, such as gelatin, honey, albumin, whey, casein and some forms of vitamin D3.

The paleo diet is based on eating whole foods and avoiding grains and dairy. It has several health benefits, including weight loss.

Promotes Weight loss: A vegan diet seems to be very effective at helping people lose weight. A person can eat stomach full – often without counting calories. This may be explained by its very low fat and high fiber content, which makes you feel fuller for longer. One study showed that a vegan diet helped participants lose 9.3 lbs (4.2 kg) more than a control diet over 18 weeks. The vegan group was allowed to eat until fullness, but the control group had to restrict calories. That’s’ why, vegan diets are more effective for weight loss than other diets when.Being Plant-based thisdiet have been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 and 3 diabetes and premature death. The downside: Vegan diets eliminate animal foods completely, so they may be low in several nutrients. This includes vitamin B12, vitamin D3, iodine, iron, calcium, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids.

Low-Carb Diets

Low-carb diets have been popular for many decades, especially forweight lossor Diabetics and other Circulatory Diseases.There are several types of low-carb diets, but all of them involve limiting carb intake to 20–150 grams of net carbs [total Carbs- Fibre] per day.

The main aim of the diet is to compel the body to use more fats for fuel, instead of using carbs as a main source of energy. When carbohydrates are less in the body, then body start using fat and when fat is used/ burned for energy. we lose weight and start staying healthy.We are overweight or obese due to accumulation of eaten unhealthy saturated fat.

Low-carb diets are based on eating unlimited amounts of protein and fat (unsaturated preferably), while severely limiting carb intake.

When carb intake is very low, fatty acids are moved into the blood and transported to the liver, where some of them are turned into ketones.The body can then use fatty acids and ketones in the absence of carbs as its primary energy source.

Low-carb diets tend to reduce your appetite and make you feel less hungry, leading to an automatic reduction in calorie intake. Furthermore, low-carb diets may benefit many major disease risk factors, such as blood triglycerides, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, insulin levels and blood pressure.

Low-carb diets do not suit everyone. Some may feel great on them, while others may feel miserable. Check yourself by trial and error method.Numerous studies show low-carb diets are extremely helpful for weight loss, especially in overweight and obese individuals.

Prof. Surinder Kochhar (Shaun)
LPN, FCN, M.Com, CAIIB, DIM A freelance writer with 36 Years Exp. A Diabetes Coach of University of Victoria