The Paleo Diet
This is a natural way of eating, one that almost abandons all intake of sugar. The only sugar in a Paleo diet comes from fruit. However, abandoning sugar is not the only stipulation. Processed foods and grains are also eliminated from the Paleo diet. The fewer number of carbohydrates in your system leads to a decreased amount of glucose. So your system will then begin to use fat as its fuel source. In a Paleo diet, dairy is also eliminated. So what can be eaten? A Paleo diet consists of fish, fowl, vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, sweet potatoes, eggs and meat, so long as that meat is grass-fed and not grain-fed.
The Blood Type Diet
Some doctors have started to research diets that coincide with particular blood types. The premise of these diets attempts to match people with their common dietary needs based on their blood type. For example, individuals with type O blood are recommended to eat lots of food that are high in protein. In order to lose weight, spinach, red meat, seafood and broccoli are suggested while dairy should be avoided. Those with type A blood are recommended to avoid meat and place an emphasis on turkey, tofu, and fruit while weight loss is contingent on eating a diet that consists primarily of soy, seafood and vegetables. Individuals with type B and AB blood also have their own dietary restrictions and recommendations.
The Vegan Diet
This diet is a form of a vegetarian diet as it eliminates meat and animal products. One of the primary effects of this diet is that it reduces the intake of cholesterol and saturated fat. It takes some planning, but if a vegan diet is rationed out properly, it can have many positive effects. Studies have proven that those who practice a vegan diet minimize their overall risk of coronary heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure. To compensate for a lack of meat, vegans must find a way to incorporate more sources of protein and vitamin B-12 into their diets.
The South Beach Diet
This diet was first introduced in 2003 and is based on the premise of changing one’s overall eating habits by balancing out one’s everyday diet. Certain carbohydrates are completely avoided. It does not eliminate carbohydrates altogether, but aims to educate dieters on which carbs to always avoid. This often leads to developing a healthy way of eating so that it will be sustainable for the rest of people’s lives. The diet includes a selection of healthy fats, lean protein, as well as good carbs.
The Mediterranean Diet
This is another kind of vegetable-heavy diet that avoids a lot of meat, but does not eliminate it altogether. This diet has been proven to help with depression, in addition to controlling blood sugar levels and helping with weight loss. The Mediterranean diet recommends the use of oil as much as possible and that means as an alternative to butter, salad dressings or marinades. It also emphasizes adding vegetables to each meal and favors fish over chicken. Whole grains, nuts and herbs are also used in larger amounts.
Raw Food Diet
This is a diet that places a premium on eating uncooked and unprocessed foods. The diet eliminates the intake of any foods that have been pasteurized or produced with any kind of synthetics or additives. The diet is intended to create a surge in energy, a decrease in inflammation, while also lowering the number of carcinogens in one’s diet.
The Zone diet aims for a nutritional balance of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fats, and 30 percent protein in each meal. The focus is also on controlling insulin levels, which may result in more successful weight loss and body weight control than other approaches.
The Zone diet encourages the consumption of high-quality carbohydrates – unrefined carbohydrates, and fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts.
Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet has been used for decades as a treatment for epilepsy and is also being explored for other uses. It involves reducing carbohydrate intake and upping fat intake. It sounds contrary to common sense, but it allows the body to burn fat as a fuel, rather than carbohydrates.
Healthy fats, such as those in avocados, coconuts, Brazil nuts, seeds, oily fish, and olive oil are liberally added to the diet to maintain an overall emphasis on fat.
The diet causes the break down of fat deposits for fuel and creates substances called ketones through a process called ketosis. This diet has risks including ketoacidosis for people with type 1 diabetes, however, and may result in diabetic coma and death. Although most studies are 2 years or less, there is some promising research in relation to diabetes management, metabolic health, weight loss, and body composition change.
Weight Watchers diet
Weight Watchers focuses on losing weight through diet, exercise, and a support network.
Weight Watchers Inc. was started in the 1960s by a homemaker who had lost some weight and was concerned she might put it back on. So, she created a network of friends. Weight Watchers is a huge company, with branches all over the world.
Dieters can join either physically and attend regular meetings, or online. In both cases, there is lots of support and education available for the dieter.
Western diet: Risks
Doctor Tasnime Akbaraly from Montpellier, France, and team carried out a study that found that the Western style diet, which is high in sweet and fried foods, raises a person’s risk of dying early. They published their findings in the American Journal of Medicine.
Akbaraly said “The impact of diet on specific age-related diseases has been studied extensively, but few investigations have adopted a more holistic approach to determine the association of diet with overall health at older ages. We examined whether diet, assessed in midlife, using dietary patterns and adherence to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), is associated with aging phenotypes, identified after a mean 16-year follow-up.”
The team found that study participants who strayed from the “Alternative Healthy Eating Index” had a considerably higher risk of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular death.
Growing Up Eating 