Many diets offer benefits that go beyond weight loss. While changing your diet can be one of the best ways to lose weight, it can also be a gateway to improving your habits, focusing on your health, and leading a more active lifestyle. Yet the sheer number of available diet plans may make it difficult to get started. Different diets will be more suitable, sustainable, and effective for different people. The best programs for losing weight also improve your overall health. The biggest challenge is finding the one that will work for you. Some diets aim to curb your appetite to reduce your food intake, while others suggest restricting your intake of calories and either carbs or fat. Some focus more on certain eating patterns and lifestyle changes, rather than on limiting certain foods. What’s more, many offer health benefits that go beyond weight loss.
Understanding the Basics of Diet Plans
An individual's diet is the sum of food and drink that one habitually consumes. When we refer to “diets,” we’re talking about specific eating patterns rather than short-term weight loss plans. A diet is simply the foods and beverages a person regularly consumes. Some diets focus on overall health, others target specific medical conditions, and many aim to help people achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
It’s essential to recognize that no single diet is suitable for everyone. Your body’s needs, health conditions, activity level, cultural background, and personal preferences all play crucial roles in determining which eating pattern might work best for you. A diet that helps one person lose weight and feel energized might leave another person hungry, tired, or struggling with nutritional deficiencies. The most successful diet is one you can maintain long-term while meeting your nutritional needs, supporting your health goals, and fitting into your lifestyle. Extreme restrictions or elimination of entire food groups without medical necessity often lead to poor adherence and can sometimes cause more harm than good.
Evidence-Based Diets with Strong Scientific Support
Some eating patterns have decades of research demonstrating their health benefits. These diets consistently show positive outcomes in scientific studies and are often recommended by healthcare professionals and nutrition organizations.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet has long been considered the gold standard for nutrition, disease prevention, wellness, and longevity. This is based on its nutrition benefits and sustainability. The Mediterranean diet is based on foods that people in countries like Italy and Greece have traditionally eaten. It is rich in:
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- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grains
- Fish
- Nuts
- Lentils
- Olive oil
Foods such as poultry, eggs, and dairy products are to be eaten in moderation, and red meats are limited. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet limits:
- Refined grains
- Trans fats
- Processed meats
- Added sugar
- Other highly processed foods
This diet’s emphasis on minimally processed foods and plants has been associated with a reduced risk of multiple chronic diseases and increased life expectancy. Studies also show that the Mediterranean diet has a preventive effect against certain cancers. Though the diet was designed to lower heart disease risk, numerous studies indicate that its plant-based, high unsaturated fat dietary pattern can also aid in weight loss. One study in more than 500 adults over 12 months found that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with double the likelihood of weight loss maintenance. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet encourages eating plenty of antioxidant-rich foods, which may help combat inflammation and oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals.
Recent studies have also found that the Mediterranean diet is associated with decreased risk of mental disorders, including cognitive decline and depression. Eating less meat is also associated with a more sustainable diet for the planet. Since the Mediterranean diet does not put a big emphasis on dairy products, it’s important to make sure you still get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet.
The DASH Diet
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, is an eating plan designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure, which is clinically known as hypertension. It emphasizes eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. It is low in salt, red meat, added sugars, and fat. While the DASH diet is not a weight loss diet, many people report losing weight on it.
The DASH diet recommends specific servings of different food groups. The number of servings you are encouraged to eat depends on your daily calorie intake. For example, each day an average person on the DASH diet would eat about:
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- Five servings of vegetables
- Five servings of fruit
- Seven servings of healthy carbs like whole grains
- Two servings of low fat dairy products
- Two servings or fewer of lean meats
In addition, it’s recommended to consume nuts and seeds two to three times per week. The DASH diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure levels and several heart disease risk factors. Also, it may help lower your risk of breast and colorectal cancers. Studies show that the DASH diet can also help you lose weight. Another study in adults with obesity over 12 weeks found that the DASH diet helped decrease total body weight, body fat percentage, and absolute fat mass in study participants while preserving muscle strength.
In addition to weight loss, the DASH diet may help combat depression symptoms. A comparative study over 8 years found that even moderate adherence to the DASH diet was related to lower depression risk. While the DASH diet may aid with weight loss and lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension, there is mixed evidence on salt intake and blood pressure. Eating too little salt has been linked to increased insulin resistance, and a low sodium diet isn’t the right choice for everyone. A low sodium diet like the DASH diet is more appropriate for individuals with hypertension or other health conditions that benefit from or require sodium restriction.
Plant-Based Diets
Vegetarianism and veganism are the most popular versions of plant-based diets, which restrict animal products for health, ethical, and environmental reasons. However, more flexible plant-based diets also exist, such as the flexitarian diet. This is a plant-based diet that allows eating animal products in moderation. Typical vegetarian diets restrict meat of all kinds but allow dairy products. Typical vegan diets restrict all animal products, including dairy, butter, and sometimes other byproducts like honey. The flexitarian eating plan does not have clear-cut rules or recommendations about calories and macronutrients, so it’s considered more of a lifestyle than a diet. Its principles include:
- Consuming protein from plants instead of animals
- Eating mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains
- Eating the least processed, most natural forms of foods
- Limiting sugar and sweets
Additionally, it allows the flexibility to consume meat and animal products from time to time. Numerous studies have shown that plant-based diets can reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases, including improved markers of metabolic health, decreased blood pressure, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. They can also help you lose weight. Flexitarian diets have also been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and improve metabolic health and blood pressure, plus may have their own weight loss benefits. For those who are looking to lead a sustainable lifestyle, decreasing your meat consumption can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and soil degradation.
Plant-based eating patterns like vegetarianism and veganism can sometimes be difficult to maintain and may feel restricting, especially if you’re switching from a more meat-based eating style. And while the flexibility of the flexitarian diet makes it easy to follow, being too flexible with it may counteract its benefits. Plant-based diets like veganism and vegetarianism can have real health benefits, such as a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. However, they can also feel restricting for some people. The flexitarian diet is a less strict version of a plant-based diet that allows for minimal meat and animal product consumption.
Read also: Vegan Diet for Diabetes Management
Other Notable Diet Plans
The MIND Diet
The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet combines aspects of the Mediterranean and DASH diets to create an eating pattern that focuses on brain health. Like the flexitarian diet, the MIND diet does not have a strict meal plan, but instead encourages eating 10 specific foods with brain health benefits. Per week, MIND includes eating:
- Six or more servings of green, leafy vegetables
- One serving of non-starchy vegetables
- Five or more servings of nuts
Other foods it encourages multiple times a week include:
- Berries
- Beans
- Olive oil
- Whole grains
- Fish
- Poultry
Research shows that the MIND diet may reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and studies show that the MIND diet is superior to other plant-rich diets for improving cognition. Research also shows that the MIND diet can help slow cognitive decline and improve resiliency in older adults. It may also help delay the onset of the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease. There is little research concerning the MIND diet and weight loss. Yet, since it is a combination of two diets that promote weight loss, the MIND diet may also help you lose weight. One way it can help promote weight loss is that it encourages limiting your consumption of foods like:
- Butter
- Cheese
- Red meat
- Fried foods
- Sweets
By combining the best of two diets, the MIND diet has a lot to offer and offers some more flexibility than stricter diets. While you can eat more than the 10 food groups it recommends, the closer you stick to the diet, the better your results may be. The MIND diet combines aspects of the Mediterranean and DASH diets and may help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. However, more research needs to be done to evaluate its ability to help you lose weight.
WW (Weight Watchers)
WW, formerly Weight Watchers, is one of the most popular weight loss programs worldwide. While it doesn’t restrict any food groups, people on a WW plan must eat within their set number of daily points to help them reach their ideal weight. WW is a points-based system that assigns different foods and beverages a value, depending on their calorie, fat, and fiber contents. As you work to reach your desired weight, you must stay within your daily point allowance.
Many studies show that the WW program can help you lose weight. What’s more, people who follow WW programs have been shown to be more successful at maintaining weight loss after several years, compared with those who follow other diets. WW allows flexibility, which makes it easy to follow. This enables people with dietary restrictions, such as those with food allergies, to adhere to the plan. While it allows for flexibility, WW can be costly depending on the subscription plan and the length of time you intend to follow it. Studies show that it may take up to 52 weeks to produce significant weight loss and clinical benefits. Additionally, its flexibility can be a downfall if dieters choose unhealthy foods. WW, or Weight Watchers, is a weight loss and healthy eating program that uses a points-based system. Studies show that it’s effective for long-term weight loss and highly flexible.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a dietary strategy that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. Various forms exist, including the 16/8 method, which involves limiting your calorie intake to 8 hours per day. There’s also the 5:2 method, which restricts your daily calorie intake to 500-600 calories twice per week. While it’s primarily known as a diet for weight loss, intermittent fasting may have powerful benefits for both your body and brain.
Intermittent fasting restricts the time you’re allowed to eat, which is a simple way to reduce your calorie intake. This can lead to weight loss - unless you compensate by eating too much food during allowed eating periods. Intermittent fasting has been linked to anti-aging effects, increased insulin sensitivity, improved brain health, reduced inflammation, and many other benefits. Both animal and human studies show that intermittent fasting may also increase heart health and extend lifespan. It can also help you lose weight. In a review of studies, intermittent fasting was shown to cause 0.8-13% weight loss over a period of 2 weeks to 1 year. Other studies found that intermittent fasting can increase fat burning while preserving muscle mass, which can improve metabolism. Due to the nature of the diet, there are fewer meals that you need to prepare, cook, and clean up after.
In general, intermittent fasting is safe for most healthy adults. That said, those sensitive to drops in their blood sugar levels should talk with a health professional before starting intermittent fasting. These groups include people:
- Who have diabetes
- Who have low weight
- Who have an eating disorder
- Who are pregnant
- Who are breastfeeding or chestfeeding
Intermittent fasting cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It has been shown to aid with weight loss and is linked to many other health benefits.
Unhealthy and Restrictive Diets to Avoid
It is important to note that not all diets are considered healthy. Some people follow unhealthy diets through habit, rather than through a conscious choice to eat unhealthily. Terms applied to such eating habits include "junk food diet" and "Western diet". Many diets are considered by clinicians to pose significant health risks and minimal long-term benefit.
Crash diets are very-low-calorie diets used for the purpose of very fast weight loss. They describe diet plans that involve making extreme, rapid changes to food consumption, but are also used as disparaging terms for common eating habits which are considered unhealthy. This diet is dangerous and can lead to sudden death when not done in a medically supervised setting.
Examples of unhealthy and restrictive diets include:
- The Last Chance diet: General premise is that the dieter will consume only one low-calorie high protein beverage daily.
- Tongue Patch Diet: Stitching a Marlex patch to the tongue to make eating painful.
- Dukan Diet: A multi-step diet based on high protein and limited carbohydrate consumption.
- Cabbage soup diet: A low-calorie diet based on heavy consumption of cabbage soup.
These diets are often unsustainable and can lead to nutrient deficiencies and other health problems.