6 Diets That Are Supported by Science

The Mediterranean diet has been widely accepted as the standard for healthy eating, disease prevention, happiness, and longevity. This eating plan is preferred due to its attainable nutritional advantages.

How does it work?

This diet includes foods from several different nations and regions, including Spain, Greece, and Italy. It encourages the consumption of foods from natural sources, such as:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Nuts
• Lentils
• Olive oil
• Lean meat
• Legumes

Red meat consumption should be limited, whereas poultry, eggs, and dairy products should be consumed in moderation.

Restricted foods

• Highly processed foods
• Trans fats
• Processed meats and meat products
• Refined grains

Health benefits of the Mediterranean diet

• Promotes healthy and long-term weight loss
• Improves heart health and functions
• Reduces cancer risk and combats cancer
• Lowers the risk of diabetes
• Enhances cognitive health and mood
• Aids in keeping you calm and relaxed

The DASH diet is an eating pattern designed to treat or prevent hypertension. The consumption of varied fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats is stressed in this diet while also limiting salt (less than 2.3 grams a day), red meat, added sweets, and fat intake. 

Although this diet is not meant to help you lose weight, many people start to do so.

How does it work?

Based on daily calorie consumption, the DASH diet advises a particular number of servings from various food groups, which include:

• Five servings of vegetables
• Five servings of fruits
• Seven servings of good complex carbs
• Two servings of low-fat dairy products
• Two servings or lesser of lean meats

Additionally, nuts and seeds can be consumed two or three times per week.

Advantages of the DASH diet

• Reduces the risk factors for heart disease and supports maintaining blood pressure management
• Reduces the risk of colorectal and breast cancer
• Might aid in weight loss

Veganism and vegetarianism are the most well-known plant-based diets that completely avoid the consumption of animal products for health, ethical, and environmental reasons.

Additionally, there are plant-based eating plans that are more practical, such as the flexitarian diet, which allows a small number of animal products.

How does it function?

Vegan diets entirely forbid all animal products, including butter, dairy, and other by-products, such as honey. This diet often restricts the consumption of meat and meat products but includes dairy products.

The flexitarian diet does not have rigid advice regarding calories and macronutrients. Instead, it is more of a lifestyle change.

Basically, it includes:

• Fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and whole and natural foods (plant-based sources of protein)
• Limited intake of sugar and sweets
• The occasional addition of meat and animal products

Health advantages of plant-based and flexitarian diets

• Plant-based diets are advantageous for lowering the risk of chronic diseases, including better metabolic health markers, blood pressure control, lowering the risk of type II diabetes, and weight loss.
• A flexitarian diet reduces the risk of type II diabetes, supports metabolic health, regulates blood pressure, and helps you lose a few pounds.

The MIND diet combines the principles of two eating plans (that is, Mediterranean and DASH diets) to create a routine that focuses primarily on the health and well-being of the brain.

How does it function?

The MIND diet emphasizes the eating of certain foods with brain-boosting qualities rather than following a strict eating plan.

The following food groups are permitted in the MIND diet:

• Six or more servings of green leafy vegetables
• One serving of non-starchy vegetables
• Five or more servings of nuts and seeds in a day

Additionally, it includes the following foods several times per week:

• Berries
• Beans
• Olive oil
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Poultry

Advantages of the MIND diet

The MIND diet is well known for enhancing cognitive function, lowering an individual's risk of Alzheimer's disease, and delaying the onset of Parkinson's disease.

This diet encourages consumers to choose foods with low energy density rather than emphasizing on eating less.

How does it work?

You consume low-calorie foods during this eating pattern, which causes you to feel full and lose extra weight. Foods with a low-calorie density have high dietary fiber and water content.

Health advantages of the volumetrics diet

• Full of vital vitamins and minerals that improve the intake of important nutrients and reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies
• Supports weight loss 
• Reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease

Low-carb diets, such as the Atkins diet, keto diet, and low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet, are among the most popular diets for weight loss.

Some types have lower carbohydrates than others. The keto diet, for instance, limits carbohydrates to less than 10 percent of total calories, whereas other diets limit them to 30 percent or less.

How does it work?

Low-carb diets restrict the consumption of carbohydrates and substitute them with protein and healthy fats, which reduce appetite, speed up metabolism, and help develop muscle mass. The keto diet causes the body to start using fatty acids for energy instead of carbs by turning them into ketones (a process known as ketosis).

Health advantages of low-carb diets

• Lowers risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure levels
• Improves blood sugar and insulin levels in type II diabetes
• Significantly aids in weight loss compared with other low-fat diets

Several science-backed diets can help you lose weight while also providing other health benefits. Although it has been proven that all diets can help you lose weight, your diet will rely on your lifestyle and food choices. This assures that you will stick to it in the long run.

• Additionally, it's advisable to discuss your health situation with your healthcare professional before beginning any new diet so that they can advise you on the strategy that will be most effective for you.
• After deciding to start a new diet, speak with a dietitian or nutritionist who can help you modify the guidelines and assist you in creating meals that you enjoy eating.