Which Diet Is The Best Diet?

Which Diet Is The Best Diet?

A topic that is often discussed in the fitness industry is: which diet is the best diet? Because of the wide range of opinions out there, it can often be hard to find out which diet really is the best diet. The short answer is that there is no one diet that is the best one for everyone. The long answer is a little more complex, so let’s go through some of the most known diets with the safety and effectiveness of each of them!

 

There are many ways to approach a diet and they are often based on several factors, including but not limited to the following:

• Calorie-controlled diets, for example counting calories, commercial diets based on a point system, or even meal plans that have specific foods to eat at certain times.
• Macronutrient composition diets, for example low-fat, low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, or a modified protein-sparing fast.
• Food type and/or restriction diets, for example vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, Mediterranean, or simple clean eating.
• Time-based restriction diets, for example fasting, cut-off times for meals or certain nutrients, or time-restricted eating.

 

Calorie-Controlled Diets

Starting off with calorie-controlled diets. Calorie-controlled diets have a very simple method of approach. The idea behind it is to count everything consumed in a day or week to reach a certain calorie intake everyday or average for a week. This is an approach that many fitness enthusiasts have tried at some point throughout their time in fitness. The downside of this approach is getting obsessed with the numbers and sacrificing other aspects of their life, like socializing and eating with family, to make sure to hit these numbers every day. However, for populations who want to lose weight, this is an approach that makes it easy to hit a target calorie deficit to ensure consistent weight loss. Overall, this approach is a safe approach, and the effectiveness can be great if counted right.

 

Macronutrient Composition Diets

Moving on to macronutrient composition diets. Macronutrient composition diets are based on the promotion or restriction of certain macronutrients. The three macronutrients we’re talking about are protein, carbohydrates (including fiber), and fat. With the modification of any of these macronutrients, an impact will be made on the food choices for that person.

 

A low-calorie diet is a well-known macronutrient composition diet which limits the intake of calories to 800-1200 calories per day (Any lower intakes of 800 calories per day should be advised and monitored by a registered dietitian nutritionist or medical professional to ensure safety). This diet, if followed properly, can be very beneficial for rapid weight loss in clients who are obese as the rapid weight loss reduce the probability of other health-related diseases. However, there are downsides to this approach. Some of the downsides include an increased risk of lean body mass loss, especially for individuals who already are lean; a decreased athletic performance, a decreased ability to recover after exercise; a highly probable increase in hunger; very limited food options; and a difficulty in consuming sufficient amounts of micronutrients, meaning vitamins and minerals.

 

A low-fat diet is another macronutrient composition diet, which limits the consumption of fat to 20-35% of total daily calories. Today, this is a very common diet that many follow without even knowing about it, and at the same time, public health organizations have this set as a recommended intake. However, reducing the intake of fat to under 20% would be considered a very low-fat diet, and this approach has potential downsides that should not be overlooked. These downsides include a limited intake of healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, and olive oil; a decreased adherence due to limited food options; a potential to decreases in sex hormones such as testosterone; an increase of triglycerides (body fat) in the blood; and a risk of essential fatty acid deficiency. A deficiency of these fats would have a negative impact of the absorption of the vitamins A, D, E, and K, which need fat to be absorbed.

 

A low-carbohydrate diet is an option that many might have tried themselves, maybe even a ketogenic (keto) diet. This approach simply limits the intake of carbohydrates and increases the intake of fat and protein to lose body fat. However, it has nothing to do with the carbohydrates themselves, it is just a form of limiting the overall calorie consumption and is not superior to for example a calorie-limiting diet. One downside to a low-carbohydrate diet is a lack of fiber which will result in decreased absorption of nutrients in the digestive system and can therefore lead to a deficiency in certain macronutrients and micronutrients. With a ketogenic diet, the main goal is to reach ketosis which has been shown to lead to a decrease in hunger, however, the possible downside to a ketogenic diet is side effects such as headaches, vomiting, nausea, and dizziness.

 

A high-protein diet is a diet that includes at least 25% of calories from protein. This approach is an approach that has many possible benefits, especially for people trying to build muscle or cut down body fat. The main function of protein is to rebuild muscle tissue to make it stronger and bigger. It has been shown that especially for people who are in a calorie deficit, having a higher intake of protein will help reduce the amount of muscle loss that occurs in the process. However, having an intake that is higher than the recommended 0.8-1.1g/lbs/bw or 1.8g/kg/bw while gaining weight has no effect on improved muscle gain.

 

Food Type and/or Restriction Diets

Continuing with food type and/or restriction diets. These diets are just like what it says, either choosing a certain range of foods to build the basis of the diet on or restricting certain food types.

 

A Mediterranean diet is a diet which is has become popular because of the good health experienced by the population in the Mediterranean. This diet has a basis focused on plant food such as fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains, as well as the use of olive oil. Additionally, fish, poultry, cheese, and yogurt make up a moderate amount. Red meats are consumed in low amounts. This is a diet that is based on healthy and unprocessed foods, and with that comes a great adherence to it. Because of this, the Mediterranean diet is a highly recommended diet to try out.

 

A vegan diet is a diet based on plant foods and excludes all animal products. It has become more popular in recent years due to many different reasons, including but not limited to animal welfare and a decreased risk of diseases, like cancer. Research has shown that there is an association between processed meats and cancer risk, however, if meat is consumed in an unprocessed form, there is no research that points to increased risk of cancer. There are downsides to a vegan-based diet, including but limited to a risk of a subpar protein intake and quality of consumed protein, a lack of vitamin B12 and Omega 3, as well as a lack of calcium, iron, and creatine. However, f these are accounted for, a vegan or vegetarian diet is associated with positive health outcomes in comparison with the Western diet which includes processed foods.

 

Time-Based Restriction Diets

Time-based restriction diets are diets that focus on restricting the time window for eating throughout the day, rather than focusing on certain macronutrients or counting calories. Let’s go through a few approaches to this type of diet.

 

Starting with alternate day fasting. This approach is, as the name states, fasting for one day with a max calorie intake of 500 calories and then eating regularly for the next day. The main idea behind this approach is to end up in a calorie deficit average over the two days. It is a great way to achieve rapid weight loss and/or fat loss, but it has a potential downside to it. For some people, this diet brings the chance of overeating on the days of eating because of increased hunger. Because of this, this approach is not for people who tend to overeat.

 

Another option is the 5:2 diet. This is an approach that includes five days of eating regularly and then two days of fasting. If followed correctly, this approach can result in a significant calorie deficit over a week, which will aid in weight loss and/or fat loss. The only way for this approach to work would be to not overeat for the days of eating throughout the week. However, there might be side effects like dizziness and a feeling of irritability due to the two days of fasting, so one should be approaching this strategy with caution.

 

The most common approach to fasting for fitness enthusiasts is time-restricted eating. This approach commonly consists of 16-18 hours of fasting and 6-8 hours of eating. The idea behind this approach is to obtain a calorie deficit, so if one eats normally during the eating period, it can aid in fat loss.

 

 

As you can see, there are many ways to approach a diet. One diet does not fit everyone so trying different approaches is a good way to find a diet that fits you.