There are many weight loss diets out there.

Some focus on reducing your appetite, while others restrict calories, carbs, or fat.

Since all of them claim to be superior, it can be hard to know which ones are worth trying.

The truth is that no one diet is best for everyone and what works for you may not work for someone else.

This article reviews the 9 most popular weight loss diets and the science behind them.

The paleo diet claims that you should eat the same foods that your hunter-gatherer ancestors ate before agriculture developed.

The theory is that most modern diseases can be linked to the Western diet and the consumption of grains, dairy, and processed foods.

While it's debatable whether this diet really provides the same foods your ancestors ate, it is linked to several impressive health benefits.

How it works: The paleo diet emphasizes whole foods, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, while discouraging processed foods, sugar, dairy, and grains.

Some more flexible versions of the paleo diet also allow for dairy like cheese and butter, as well as tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Weight loss: Several studies have shown that the paleo diet can lead to significant weight loss and reduced waist size (1, 2, 3, 4).

In studies, paleo dieters automatically eat much fewer carbs, more protein, and 300900 fewer calories per day (1, 2, 3, 4).

Other benefits: The diet seems effective at reducing risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol, blood sugar, blood triglycerides, and blood pressure (5, 6, 7).

The downside: The paleo diet eliminates whole grains, legumes, and dairy, which are healthy and nutritious.

The vegan diet restricts all animal products for ethical, environmental, or health reasons.

Veganism is also associated with resistance to animal exploitation and cruelty.

How it works: Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarianism.

In addition to eliminating meat, it eliminates dairy, eggs, and animal-derived products, such as gelatin, honey, albumin, whey, casein, and some forms of vitamin D3.

Weight loss: A vegan diet seems to be very effective at helping people lose weight often without counting calories because its very low fat and high fiber content may make you feel fuller for longer.

Vegan diets are consistently linked to lower body weight and body mass index (BMI) compared to other diets (8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

One 18-week study showed that people on a vegan diet lost 9.3 pounds (4.2 kg) more than those on a control diet. The vegan group was allowed to eat until fullness, but the control group had to restrict calories (13).

However, calorie for calorie, vegan diets are not more effective for weight loss than other diets (14).

Weight loss on vegan diets is primarily associated with reduced calorie intake.

Other benefits: Plant-based diets are linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death (15, 16, 17, 18, 19).

Limiting processed meat may also reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease and dying from heart disease or cancer (20, 21, 22, 23, 24).

The downside: Because vegan diets eliminate animal foods completely, they may be low in several nutrients, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine, iron, calcium, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids (25, 26, 27, 28, 29).

Low-carb diets have been popular for decades especially for weight loss.

There are several types of low-carb diets, but all involve limiting carb intake to 20150 grams per day.

The primary aim of the diet is to force your body to use more fats for fuel instead of using carbs as a main source of energy.

How it works: Low-carb diets emphasize unlimited amounts of protein and fat while severely limiting your carb intake.

When carb intake is very low, fatty acids are moved into your blood and transported to your liver, where some of them are turned into ketones.

Your body can then use fatty acids and ketones in the absence of carbs as its primary energy source.

Weight loss: Numerous studies indicate that low-carb diets are extremely helpful for weight loss, especially in overweight and obese individuals (30, 31, 32, 33, 34).

They seem to be very effective at reducing dangerous belly fat, which can become lodged around your organs (35, 36).

People on very low-carb diets commonly reach a state called ketosis. Many studies note that ketogenic diets lead to more than twice the weight loss than a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet (35, 37, 38, 39).

Other benefits: Low-carb diets tend to reduce your appetite and make you feel less hungry, leading to an automatic reduction in calorie intake (40, 41).

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 (34, 42, 43, 44, 45).

The downside: Low-carb diets do not suit everyone. Some feel great on them while others feel miserable.

Some people may experience an increase in bad LDL cholesterol (46).

In extremely rare cases, very low-carb diets can cause a serious condition called nondiabetic ketoacidosis. This condition seems to be more common in lactating women and can be fatal if left untreated (47, 48, 49, 50).

However, low-carb diets are safe for the majority of people.

The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-carb weight loss diet split into four phases two weight loss phases and two maintenance phases.

How long you stay in each phase depends on how much weight you need to lose. Each phase has its own dietary pattern.

How it works: The weight loss phases are primarily based on eating unlimited high-protein foods and mandatory oat bran.

The other phases involve adding non-starchy vegetables followed by some carbs and fat. Later on, there will be fewer and fewer pure protein days to maintain your new weight.

Weight loss: In one study, women following the Dukan diet ate about 1,000 calories and 100 grams of protein per day and lost an average of 33 pounds (15 kg) in 810 weeks (51).

Also, many other studies show that high-protein, low-carb diets may have major weight loss benefits (52, 53, 54, 55).

These include a higher metabolic rate, a decrease in the hunger hormone ghrelin and an increase in several fullness hormones (56, 57, 58, 59).

Other benefits: Apart from weight loss, there are no recorded benefits of the Dukan diet in scientific literature.

The downside: There is very little quality research available on the Dukan diet.

The Dukan diet limits both fat and carbs a strategy not based on science. On the contrary, consuming fat as part of a high-protein diet seems to increase metabolic rate compared to both low-carb and low-fat diets (60).

Whats more, fast weight loss achieved by severe calorie restriction tends to cause significant muscle loss (61).

The loss of muscle mass and severe calorie restriction may also cause your body to conserve energy, making it very easy to regain the weight after losing it (62, 63, 64, 65).

An ultra-low-fat diet restricts your consumption of fat to under 10% of daily calories.

Generally, a low-fat diet provides around 30% of its calories as fat.

Studies reveal that this diet is ineffective for weight loss in the long term.

Proponents of the ultra-low-fat diet claim that traditional low-fat diets are not low enough in fat and that fat intake needs to stay under 10% of total calories to produce health benefits and weight loss.

How it works: An ultra-low-fat diet contains 10% or fewer calories from fat. The diet is mostly plant-based and has a limited intake of animal products (66).

Therefore, it's generally very high in carbs around 80% of calories and low in protein at 10% of calories.

Weight loss: This diet has proven very successful for weight loss among obese individuals. In one study, obese individuals lost an average of 140 pounds (63 kg) on an ultra-low-fat diet (67).

Another 8-week study with a diet containing 714% fat showed an average weight loss of 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg) (68).

Other benefits: Studies suggest that ultra-low-fat diets can improve several risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and markers of inflammation (69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74).

Surprisingly, this high-carb, low-fat diet can also lead to significant improvements in type 2 diabetes (75, 76, 77, 78).

Furthermore, it may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis an autoimmune disease that affects your brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves in the eyes (79, 80).

The downside: The fat restriction may cause long-term problems, as fat plays many important roles in your body. These include helping build cell membranes and hormones, as well as helping your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Moreover, an ultra-low-fat diet limits intake of many healthy foods, lacks variety, and is extremely hard to stick to.

The Atkins diet is the most well-known low-carb weight loss diet.

Its proponents insist that you can lose weight by eating as much protein and fat as you like, as long as you avoid carbs.

The main reason why low-carb diets are so effective for weight loss is that they reduce your appetite.

This causes you to eat fewer calories without having to think about it (32, 40).

How it works: The Atkins diet is split into four phases. It starts with an induction phase, during which you eat under 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks.

The other phases involve slowly reintroducing healthy carbs back into your diet as you approach your goal weight.

Weight loss: The Atkins diet has been studied extensively and found to lead to faster weight loss than low-fat diets (52, 81).

Other studies note that low-carb diets are very helpful for weight loss. They are especially successful in reducing belly fat, the most dangerous fat that lodges itself in your abdominal cavity (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36).

Other benefits: Numerous studies show that low-carb diets, like the Atkins diet, may reduce many risk factors for disease, including blood triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin, and blood pressure (34, 42, 43, 44, 45).

Compared to other weight loss diets, low-carb diets also better improve blood sugar, good HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and other health markers (52, 81).

The downside: As do other very low-carb diets, the Atkins diet is safe and healthy for most people but may cause problems in rare cases.

The HCG diet is an extreme diet meant to cause very fast weight loss of up to 12 pounds (0.451 kg) per day.

Its proponents claim that it boosts metabolism and fat loss without inducing hunger (82, 83).

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone present at high levels during early pregnancy.

It tells a woman's body it's pregnant and maintains the production of hormones that are important for fetal development. It has also been used to treat fertility issues (84).

How it works: The diet is split into three phases. During the first phase, you begin taking HCG supplements.

During the second phase, you follow an ultra-low-calorie diet of only 500 calories per day, along with HCG supplement drops, pellets, injections, or sprays. The weight loss phase is prescribed for 36 weeks at a time.

In the third phase, you stop taking HCG and slowly increase your food intake.

Weight loss: The HCG diet does cause weight loss, but multiple studies conclude that the weight loss is due to the ultra-low-calorie diet alone not the HCG hormone (82, 85, 86, 87).

Furthermore, HCG was not found to reduce hunger.

Other benefits: Aside from weight loss, there are no documented benefits of the HCG diet.

The downside: Like most other ultra-low-calorie diets, the HCG diet may cause muscle loss, which results in a reduced ability to burn calories (61).

Such severe calorie restriction further reduces the number of calories your body burns. This is because your body thinks it's starving and therefore attempts to preserve energy (63).

In addition, most HCG products on the market are scams and don't contain any HCG. Only injections are able to raise blood levels of this hormone.

Moreover, the diet has many side effects, including headaches, fatigue, and depression. There is also one report of a woman developing blood clots, most likely caused by the diet (83).

The FDA disapproves of this diet, labeling it dangerous, illegal, and fraudulent (88).

The Zone Diet is a low-glycemic load diet that has you limit carbs to 3545% of daily calories and protein and fat to 30% each (89).

It recommends eating only carbs with a low glycemic index (GI).

The GI of a food is an estimate of how much it raises your blood glucose levels after consumption.

The Zone Diet was initially developed to reduce diet-induced inflammation, cause weight loss, and reduce your risk of chronic diseases (89).

How it works: The Zone Diet recommends balancing each meal with 1/3 protein, 2/3 colorful fruits and veggies, and a dash of fat namely monounsaturated oil, such as olive oil, avocado, or almonds.

It also limits high-GI carbs, such as bananas, rice, and potatoes.

Weight loss: Studies on low-GI diets are rather inconsistent. While some say that the diet promotes weight loss and reduces appetite, others show very little weight loss compared to other diets (90, 91, 92, 93).

Other benefits: The greatest benefit of this diet is a reduction in risk factors for heart disease, such as reduced cholesterol and triglycerides (92, 94, 95, 96, 97).

Go here to read the rest:
9 Popular Weight Loss Diets Reviewed - Healthline

When Adele posts a picture of herself on her 32nd birthday,down 100 pounds, it's a show stopper. We all marvel at the body transformation and while we absolutely love and adore Adele at any size, when you're sitting at home with your hand in a bag of chips for 7 weeks, something like this is downright motivating.

Here, for all who want to try it, is the diet that reportedly got Adele to her new fighting trim. Even if you only want to lose 10 pounds, or like me, the 15 I gained during this "working from home" phase (which I call working from next to the fridge phase), then try the Sirtfood diet.

By the way, many stars have tried the Sirtfood Diet, including Pippa Middleton, Lorraine Pascale, the Food Network chef, Jodi Kidd the model, Sir Ben Ainslie, and a boxer named David Haye.

Sirtfoods are mostly plant-based and high in antioxidantsthat help trick your body into burning fat at a higher rate. It's called Sirt because it includes eating foods that are high in sirtuin activators, defined as seven proteins found in the body that regulate metabolism, inflammation, andthe longevity of cells.

Sirt foodshelp signal the body that it should rev up your metabolism and increase muscle mass while you burn fat. Also known as superfoods, the top 20 sirtfoods include the list below. Note that everyone gets excited about the wine and chocolate but your body is actually consistently eating more fiber, more antioxidants, and nutrient-dense foods.

Week 1. on the Sirtfood diet means you limit your calorie intake to 1,000 calories a day and drink three Sirtfood green juices throughout the day. the ingredients of a Sirtfood green juice are: Kale, arugula, parsley, celery, including the leaves, half a green apple, the juice of half of a lemon, and matcha green tea (we like. You can have it over ice or add water but don't add plant-based milk or other ingredients not on the list above.

Week 2. You should increase calories to 1,500 a day and only drink two of the Sirtfood Juices a day, plus have two sirtfood meals each day. Continue on this pattern until you have lost the healthy amount of weight that your body needs to feel your best.

The healthy slow and steady weight loss will add up. If you lose 2 to 3 pounds a week that means you'll have lost 15 pounds in five weeks. Keep in mind that Adele didn't shrink overnight. Her weight loss was evident back in late 2019 so if you have more than a small amount to lose, just tell yourself that consistency is the key, in order to sustain it over time.

Go here to read the rest:
How to do Adele's Diet: The Sirtfood Diet Which Allows Red Wine - The Beet

ATLANTA--Foods, such as French fries, cheese, cookies, soda, and sports and energy drinks, are commonly found in the diets of United States adults with inflammatory bowel disease, according to a new study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

The researchers analyzed the National Health Interview Survey 2015 to determine the food intake and frequency of consumption for U.S. adults with inflammatory bowel disease. The survey assessed 26 foods. The findings, published in the journal PLOS One, reveal that foods typically labeled as junk food were associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease, which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, affects three million U.S. adults. There are two types of conditions, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or bloody stools, weight loss and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This study found fries were consumed by a greater number of people with inflammatory bowel disease, and they also ate more cheese and cookies and drank less 100 percent fruit juice compared to people who did not have inflammatory bowel disease.

Intaking fries and sports and energy drinks and frequently drinking soda were significantly associated with having been told one has inflammatory bowel disease. Consuming milk or popcorn was less likely associated with receiving this diagnosis.

"While foods typically labeled as junk food were positively associated with inflammatory bowel disease, we found the eating patterns of people with and without this disease to be very similar," said Dr. Moon Han, the study's first author who completed the work as a Ph.D. student in Dr. Didier Merlin's lab in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences and now works as a Health Scientist ORISE Fellow at the CDC. "However, it's unclear whether the survey results reflect a potential change in the food intake of people with inflammatory bowel disease long before the survey was conducted."

To fully understand the role of food intake in inflammatory bowel disease risk and prevalence, it's important to explore environmental factors (for example, food deserts), food processing (such as frying) and potential bioactive food components that can induce intestinal inflammation and increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease, the researchers concluded.

Link:
Researchers find certain foods common in diets of US adults with inflammatory bowel disease - Science Codex

A1C might sound like a celebrity nickname.

Actually, its a simple, important blood test that Latinos should know about. African Americans, too. I became intimately familiar with it 15 months ago.

A1C tells you your average blood sugar level over two or three months. Some doctors include the test in physical exams. It can tell if you are on the verge of developing diabetes or how well you are managing diabetes.

I bring this up because diabetics who come down with the coronavirus are more likely to suffer serious complications.

That should jar Latinos, especially Puerto Ricans and those of Mexican descent like me. Compared with non-Latino white Americans, they are afflicted disproportionately with diabetes.

Now, theyre getting hit hard with the coronavirus, too.

Latinos make up 17% of the states population but account for 25 percent of the states cases. Fifteen percent have died.

African Americans, who also are prone to underlying illnesses such as diabetes, also continue to suffer disproportionately from the coronavirus. They account for almost 34% of coronavirus deaths in Illinois though they make up only 14 percent of the states population.

Marina Del Rios, an emergency room doctor at the University of Illinois at Chicago who is part of the Illinois Latino COVID-19 Initiative, told me she has started seeing more Latinos fighting the coronavirus in the intensive care unit. Other doctors in Chicago have told her the same.

Its no surprise. Many Latinos, like African Americans, work in the service sector in crowded places. Working from home to dodge the virus is an impossibility.

Physical distancing is a privilege, Del Rios noted.

Undocumented immigrants who have no labor protection are more likely to work while sick. My impression from patients is that theyre working because they have to, Del Rios said.

Multi-generational homes are common in African American and ethnic communities. Inevitably, some people bring the virus home and infect older, more vulnerable family members.

Were now just seeing transmission rates, Del Rios said of the virus spread among Latinos.

Messaging also has been a problem because of language barriers for some. The Illinois Latino COVID-19 Initiative is working on spreading awareness. The state and city are taking actions to try to curb the virus spread. The county has a track record for charitable care for those without health care insurance.

We also must do our part. That means washing our hands often, avoiding crowds if possible and taking other steps that experts recommend to keep the disease at bay.

But we must also take steps to improve our overall health. That means watching our weight, exercising more (long walks will do for some) and eating better whenever possible.

It means eating less rice and more veggies. Fresh veggies are too expensive for some, but more affordable frozen veggies can do the trick. It means scaling back on tortillas, which are high on the glycemic index.

I speak from experience. For about a year, I did a lot of sitting at my job. I started drinking caffeinated, sugary soda for an extra boost in the afternoons. I stopped walking and instead caught a bus from the office to the train. My diet included potatoes and pizza. I gained 8 pounds.

And 15 months ago, on a routine blood draw at a physical exam, my A1C was flagged as abnormal. I was headed for Type 2 diabetes. Im kind of lean and didnt think diabetes applied to me even though it rages in many blood relatives and some have suffered painful deaths because of the disease.

I had to get my act together with diet and exercise. Some people need medication, too. Doctors such as Del Rios at UIC are concerned that patients with chronic illnesses arent going to see their doctors out of fears over the virus. They must keep in touch.

Diabetes and conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure arent limited to Latinos and African Americans.

Too many Americans are obese. With that, some also deal with high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.

It has created a perfect storm of complications for those fighting the coronavirus. In March, 89% of patients hospitalized with the virus had at least one underlying health condition, the CDC reported.

Those who can improve their diets and exercise routines must do so. That goes a long way against disease.

Marlen Garcia is a member of the Sun-Times Editorial Board.

Original post:
COVID-19 hits Latinos hard. Its up to us to improve our overall health to keep it at bay - Chicago Sun-Times

With the outspread of the Coronavirus pandemic, one must take care of oneself and loved ones. For this various precautionary measure has been adopted by everyone over time, but with that, it is essential to take care of our eating habits also.

It is of utmost necessary to have a healthy diet as it could help us to boost immunity. One should be mindful now that how to make our eating habits healthy so that even if one is contaminated, then also our immunity can fight with the virus. If few food items inculcated in diet, then it could lead to for better immunity

It is essential to have protein into ones diet for this one can get it quickly during the lockdown from plant-based sources. One of the best sources of protein from plants is legumes like white peas, kidney beans, moong, masoor, chickpeas, and many others. These can be cooked in several ways as per the taste like that of soups, in stuffings, salads, etc.

Fruits are best to detoxify your body as well as a rich source of minerals and vitamins. It is best to take the nuts at this time, which are rich in Vitamin C, such as oranges, apples, and a few others. During snack time, instead of getting junk food, it is best to eat the bowlful of different fruits. It will fill the stomach, Zotezo suggests it also boosts your immunity.

Inculcate whole grains into the diet Mostly, we do not go for whole grains into our diet, but it is best to have whole grains instead of junk food or refined form of grains. It best to have whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat flour, millets, quinoa, buckwheat, and many others. These are very nutritious, having Vitamins, phosphorus, dietary fiber, magnesium, iron, and other nutrients in the high source. The majority of our body requirement for nutrition gets fulfilled through this only.

Many seeds are a good source of nutrients that you do not in our daily diets, such as omega 3, antioxidants, and fiber. If you include these seeds in food, then it caters to the need of these nutrients in a body. Some of the seeds are sunflower, flaxseeds, melon, and chia, which are easily available in the market.

These could be consumed in different forms, such as on parathas, different dishes for garnishing, salads, toasts, smoothies, etc. The taste of these seeds is good, and it is best to consume these seeds for boosting immunity.

All the health advisors or doctors always advise having a certain quantity of dry fruits into the diet daily. Different dry fruits like cashews, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc., provide different vital nutrients to our body like Vitamin E, fiber, and Omega 3. This is considered to be the healthiest snack. The taste of it is so good that when it gets into any preparation, then it increases the taste of it. So, it could be taken alone or with anything like salads.

All the things which one is eating will go to the stomach. Therefore it is essential to keep the stomach fresh and healthy. Some bacteria are required to make you healthy and fit. This one could get it from yogurt only, and it is one of the best sources of calcium.

It could be taken in different forms, which make it taste different every time like adding sugar or fruits into it gives a different taste. But both will taste good after adding into it.

It all depends on an individual, how one saves oneself from this pandemic. A person needs to take specific measures to keep oneself and loved ones safe from disease. But it is unknown where this virus could attack us. For this, we need to work on our immunity so that even if they contaminate us, then our body could resist the infection and could fight with it.

So, it becomes utmost necessary for one to have the best of a nutritious diet, which boosts our immunity, and in case one gets contaminated so can get out of it.

Read more from the original source:
How to Eat Healthy During COVID 19 Lockdown - Thrive Global