How cool would it be to confidently rock your best summer look and have people gush, “You look so good; what’s your diet routine”?
The pride that comes with knowing the best weight loss diet is sure to make you feel like a unicorn amongst horses.
However, with tons of diet information on the internet professing its effectiveness, it can be quite confusing and daunting to know your dream of rocking your favorite outfit remains a dream.
The pandemic resulted in the entire world shutting down and the majority of us binge-eating on everything chewable. However, we take a look at the mirror, and it dawns on us that we need to lose a few pounds.
Whenever diets are mentioned, most people think it entails limiting oneself to a slice of pizza a day, stocking up on fruits forever, or having a love-and-hate relationship with feeding.
However, diet goes further than cutting out steak forever; it involves regulating one’s food intake for the sole purpose of weight loss and prevention of diseases.
As of 2023, there are new nutrition plans to diet on; these diets break the noise amongst other superficial diets being posted on the internet.
Thus, before stocking up your home with all kinds of “dietary substances,” dive into the best diets for weight loss in 2023 to adopt healthier habits.
Contents
Meditteranean Diet
Starting with the best-voted diet by the US news report, the Mediterranean diet is a healthy weight loss meal.
This diet goes way back to the cuisines eaten in the 60s by the Mediterranean regions such as the Greeks, Spanish, and Italians.
Research reports that people in this region were healthier compared to other regional countries.
The Mediterranean diet works effectively in dropping some lbs and helps prevent health diseases such as diabetes and heart attacks.
Based on the healthy lifestyle of people in the Mediterranean countries, the Mediterranean diet includes a high percentage of plant food and a low percentage of animal products.
Due to the variation within the different Mediterranean countries, the Mediterranean diet consists of various foods.
The top Mediterranean foods consist of ;
Plant-based: Cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, Brussel sprouts, tomatoes, etc.
Fruits: Banana, oranges, dates, pears, peaches, melons, berries, grapes, etc.
Nuts: Hazelnuts, Almond, cashews, walnuts, etc.
Healthy fats: Avocados or Olive oil.
Healthy whole grains: Corn, barley, whole wheat, oats, etc.
Seafood: Shrimps, crabs, clams, sardines, mackerel, etc.
Other Mediterranean diets are; sweet potatoes, chicken eggs, beans, peanuts, lentils, yogurts, pumpkin seeds, yams, etc.
The Mediterranean diet also includes beverages aside from water, like wine, a glass per day, or coffee and tea.
FLEXITARIAN DIET.
The flexitarian diet, also known as the “flexible vegetarian diet”, was coined by American dietitian Dawn Jackson whose aim was to put forward a diet that allows people to binge on veggies and occasional animal products.
This comes second as one of the best diets because whereas a vegetarian diet cuts out meat, a flexitarian diet allows you to munch on a minimal amount of healthy meat whilst sticking to plant-based delicacies as well.
Unlike the Mediterranean diet, which requires a calorie count, this diet requires zero calorie count and is one of the best and simple weight loss diets to undergo.
Thanks to Dawn, you can gobble up the Thanksgiving turkey whilst maintaining a healthy weight loss journey with a bonus of good health benefits.
This diet prevents chronic health conditions such as heart diseases and diabetes. The flexitarian diet effectively sheds off your pounds through its high intake of plant-based food and low-calorie intake.
Studies have reported that people who binge on a flexible plant-based diet tend to lose weight quicker than those who don’t.
Although this diet aims to fill you up more on nutritious plants and occasional meat, you should incorporate only chicken, turkey, organic, free-range, or pasture-raised meat into your flexible plant diet journey.
This diet encourages stocking up on fruits and veggies and eliminating refined carbs or added sugars.
VEGAN DIET.
vegan diet
The vegan diet is amongst the top diet weight loss advice; unlike the people on a flexitarian or Mediterranean diet, vegans stay committed to their veggies.
Although similar to a vegetarian diet, vegans exclude all animal products, including dairy and eggs. Being rich in high fiber, this diet helps you lose weight more than any other diet.
According to an Eatingwell dietitian, fibers effectively help you lose weight due to the body’s inability to completely digest fiber, which in turn makes you feel full and less hungry.
Research shows that a vegan diet contains few calories, inducing a lower body mass index (a measure of body fat) and the best summer body.
Aside from being an effective weight loss miracle, this diet has tons of health benefits, including preventing heart diseases, diabetes and reducing obesity and hypertension.
This diet includes whole plant foods like vegetables, legumes, nuts, fruits, seeds, and whole grains.
These vegan foods are rich in nutrients like vitamin A, K, C, E, fibers, and antioxidants; however, they are also deficient in important nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, and calcium, mostly found in dairy and animal products.
Thus, whilst undergoing your vegan journey, fortify yourself with the knowledge of a nutritionist to guide you through stocking up with these nutrients.
DASH DIET.
DASH is an acronym for Diet Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet contains low sodium foods designed to help people regulate their blood pressure without the need for drugs.
These low-sodium foods are rather rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Research asserts that people who undergo the dash diet tend to have a lowered blood pressure within two weeks. A study also reports that obese adults who underwent DASH noticed a significant decrease in body fat.
The diet encourages a limited intake of sweets, added sugars, and saturated fat and a high intake of whole grains, lean poultry meat, fruits, veggies, and fat-free dairy.
However, rather than munching on a random amount of dietary meal, the dash diet works with a recommended nutritional serving.
A serving is the recommended portion of meals to take in. Hence this diet helps you count and regulate your calorie intake through servings.
For instance, a recommended serving for vegetables is 4-5 per day, which is broken down into sizes such as 1 cup of cooked veggies, ½ raw greens, and ½ vegetable juice.
This diet contributes effectively to weight loss due to a regulated calorie plan and reduction of saturated fat.
WW DIET
WW is a weight loss diet program formerly known as weight watchers founded by Jean Nidetch with over 600,000 subscribers, including high-profile celebrities like Ciara, who asserts that she dropped nearly 30 pounds through the program.
The WW program was awarded the best doctor-recommended weight loss diet program in 2020.
This diet program assigns you a daily number of points to consume on whatever kind of meal you desire.
These daily points are assigned to regulate your food intake based on factors like sugar, protein, calories, and fat in correlation with your personal data.
Unlike other diets, WW doesn’t have a restricted food type making it one of the best weight loss journeys you’d undergo.
In addition, the WW diet program also helps you to track your workouts through its designated app.
However, the program necessitates a membership payment to access its weight loss regulation, counseling, and other diet benefits.
The minimum membership fee is $19.95 per month for overall digital access to fitness trackers, a personal coach, healthy recipes, and an interactive community.
INTERMITTENT FASTING
Intermittent fasting is a popular way to lose weight rapidly. It entails an extended period of minimal or zero food consumption.
It is different from other diets due to the fact that it requires nor eliminates any kind of meal.
Fasting intermittently helps to regulate the intake of calories, thus thinning your waistline in no time. This is a time-based diet plan that depends on your lifestyle.
For instance, some people undergo a fasting period called 5:2, which entails consuming whatever they want for five days within a week whilst fasting on the remaining two days.
Another intermittent fasting pattern consists of fasting for as long as 16-20 hours during the day, then subsequently bingeing on as much food you desire for 4-8 window hours at night.
The latter pattern is known as the 16:8 intermittent fasting. However, this timed pattern helps you lose weight depending on your schedules, lifestyle, and needs.
If you have to leave for work very early in the morning, fasting for long hours might lead to fatigue and dizziness. This diet routine isn’t viable for everyone, especially for those with a history of eating disorders.
Although intermittent fasting allows you to munch on your desired cuisine once you’ve broken the fast, it’s no excuse for you to gobble up a large quantity of juicy steak and unhealthy foods.
Research has reported that intermittent fasting has its health benefits, including reduced insulin and blood sugar, and pressure levels.
KETO DIET.
The ketogenic diet entails limiting carbohydrates, moderating protein, and increasing fat intake.
Although this might sound contradictory since you are trying to shed fat, not snack on it, keto diets work by reducing your carbs intake and stocking up on fat.
As there is a limited fat intake, the body works with the fat by entering a metabolic state called ketosis, which involves converting those fats into ketones which are energy supplying molecules for the brain or energy fuel known as gluconeogenesis.
The keto diet is effective in controlling blood sugar levels and diabetes. It consists of good food like fish, meat, avocados, seeds, oils, nuts, and cheese.
This regimen induces weight loss by positively suppressing your hunger hormones; nonetheless, it is not viable long term and can lead to fatigue and headaches.
Thus, it is advisable to speak to a nutritionist or dietitian before choosing this as the best option amongst other diets to lose weight.
PALEO DIET.
Similar to the Mediterranean diet, which goes back to the 60s, this diet was derived from the feeding pattern during the Paleolithic era.
It is believed that the Paleolithic ancestors were healthy due to reduced health conditions, including obesity, heart diseases, and diabetes.
The Paleo diet involves feeding on fruits, veggies, poultry, meat, fish, nuts and seeds. This is because the hunters were gatherers of this type of provision due to its availability.
The diet cuts out processed foods, legumes, artificial sweeteners and grains. It is a helpful health diet that improves overall health.
The Paleo diet helps you to lose weight due to the rich nutrient embedded within it. However, according to Bonnie Taub, published author of Read it before you eat it, this diet can be hard to maintain due to its restricted list of other food.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also report that although the Paleo diet is effective in helping people lose weight and health benefits, this diet can lead to a shortage of important minerals and vitamins due to the restricted intake of whole grains.
MAYR DIET
Although this diet has been shedding off pounds since the 1920s, it has gained increased popularity after celebrity actor Rebel Wilson accredited it for her amazing weight loss.
The Mayr diet helps you gain that summer body by eliminating gluten, dairy, and added sugar, linking to weight gain and overall poor health.
A downside to losing weight with this diet is the pricey fee of staying at a luxurious diet center known as VIVAMAYR for a Mayr method program.
However, suppose you can’t afford the wellness diet center. In that case, you can opt to undergo the diet at the comfort of home by following the guidelines in the book “The Viva Mayr Diet: 14 days to a flatter stomach and a younger you” by Helena Powell and Dr Harald Stossier.
These guidelines involve mindful eating by limiting distractions like smartphones, slow chewing, and a timed-period rule such as no feeding after 7 pm.
The Mayr method includes fruits, vegetables, proteins, seeds, nuts, whole grains with herbs, and spices.
Although there are no studies that report the effectiveness of this diet, a review shows that mindful eating helps to lose weight.
VOLUMETRIC DIET
Rated by the US News and World report, the volumetric diet is one of the best and simplest diets.
Created by nutrition researcher Barbara Rolls, to help you lose weight by feeding on nutrient-dense and low-calorie food.
The volumetric diet limits hunger pangs by stocking up your body with high-water content and low-density calories such as veggies and fruits. It restricts biscuits, candies, cookies, and crisps, which are calorie-filled.
This diet encourages counting calories based on the guidelines from the book “The Volumetrics Eating Plan” by Barbara Rolls.
Barbara reports that a few calorie intakes help you feel full quicker, limiting your hunger hormones and dropping few lbs.
Aside from limiting your calorie intake, this diet promotes regular exercise and prevents nutritional deficiencies due to high intake of vitamins and minerals.
However, the downside of this diet is it places excess emphasis on calories and involves time consumption due to the calculation of calories.
11. NORDIC DIET
The Nordic diet is a traditional feeding pattern of Nordic countries like Finland, Norway, Denmark, etc. This diet is usually locally sourced and farmed in these countries.
The Nordic diet places emphasis on sea and plant-based foods. The diet includes; low-fat dairy, vegetables, fruits, berries, canola oil, seeds, nuts, potatoes, fish, herbs, and spices.
It limits yogurt, cheese, eggs, and game meat while eliminating red meat, processed foods, and added sugars.
However, studies report that this diet only works effectively as a short-term weight loss plan.
Regardless of its downside, it has major health benefits like reducing blood pressure and sugar level.
MAYO CLINIC DIET
The Mayo Clinic diet is a weight loss program created by weight experts at the Mayo clinic.
This diet is one of the best weight-loss diets because it not only helps you lose weight but restructures your lifestyle and helps you adopt new healthy habits.
The Mayo diet focuses on your feeding habits, lifestyle routine, and mindset. The diet effectively cuts out your weight through these factors and finds you a sustainable, healthy way of feeding.
Unlike other calorie-counting diets, the Mayo diet focuses more on healthy choices and amounts of foods without eliminating anyone in particular.
This diet also helps you plan and exercise routine that correlates with your diet for healthy weight loss.
A bonus point is, the diet helps to prevent health conditions like heart diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
CONCLUSION: Although each year, there is an overall list of top diets, some of the above-stated diets that go far back to the early centuries are still recommended, proving their effectiveness.
However, randomly embarking on either of the diets isn’t how it’s done. You should check in with a dietitian to know what diet will work for your weight.
You can solely determine which of these diets are appropriate for you, especially if you have a history of allergies or eating disorders.
The above-stated diet for weight loss is an effective method of dropping some pounds permanently from the comfort of your home with an added advantage of a healthy life.
