The year-end school holidays to the triple festive seasons of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, spilling over to Chinese New Year is the time when most people can’t resist the temptation to indulge in the variety and abundance of food.
Long before you know it, you will have added a few centimetres to your waistline after the end of the festivities. Once you have gotten over that inevitable guilt staring at your reflection in the mirror, it is time to set aside that regret and start doing something about it.
Atkins
Dr Robert Atkins introduced his plan in 1972 and has modified the plan over the years. Whichever versions you might hear or come across, the general idea behind the Atkins diet plan is to significantly reduce intake on carb-heavy foods such as bread and potatoes while encouraging a high protein diet.
- First phase – induction: Eat no more than 20g of carbohydrates per day. Stay away from pasta, bread, grains, fruits of any kind, starchy vegetables like potatoes and corns, nuts, seeds or beans in favour of beef, chicken, fish, shellfish, eggs and salad greens. You must also refrain from drinking alcohol and caffeine. A minimum requirement of two weeks should be fulfilled for the induction phase, although you can extend the duration if you want to shed more weight.
- Second phase – ongoing weight loss: Add more vegetables, seeds, nuts, fruits and whole grains slowly into your diet. You are allowed to increase your carbs up to 25g per day, followed by 30g of carbs in the second week and so on until your body stops losing weight. You just need to maintain 5g of carbs every week.
- Third phase – pre-maintenance: Increase carb intake by 10g every week as long as you continue shedding the weight off.
- Final phase – lifetime maintenance: Eat more food as long as you limit the amount of carbohydrates and still continue keeping your weight down.
- Before you undergo the Atkins diet plan, make sure you check with your doctor, especially if you have any heart diseases.
The Zone
Balance fat, carbs and protein with biochemist Dr Barry Sears, the man behind this diet plan, who promises you will lose between 1 and 1.5 pounds (between 450 and 680g) in the first week. He also pledges that you will lose fat, not muscle or water.
- You get 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Each is a mix of low-fat protein, like skinless chicken, turkey, or fish; carbs (mostly fruits and veggies); and a small amount of ‘good’ fat, like olive oil, almonds and avocado.
- No food is completely banned, but if you’re a carb-lover, you may find getting used to the Zone plan challenging.
- Veggies and fruits that are relatively high in sugar like corn, carrots, bananas and raisins are on the ‘unfavorable’ list. Fatty red meat and egg yolks fall into the Zone’s ‘bad fats’ column.
- Every meal on the Zone has the same proportions: 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbs.
- What does your plate look like? A palm-sized portion of protein, two-thirds of the plate filled with non-starchy fruits and vegetables and a dash of monounsaturated fat like olive oil or slivered almonds.
- Calories on this diet: women get about 1,200 calories a day and for men, it’s 1,500.
Fertility
There’s no guarantee you’ll get pregnant by following the Fertility Diet. However, the diet includes 10 research-backed steps based on a study conducted on female nurses (Nurses’ Health Study) that may boost fertility for women.
- You don’t have to follow all 10 steps at once. But, start with avoiding trans fat.
- Second: Consume more unsaturated vegetable oils such as olive oil or canola oil
- Third: Incorporate more vegetable proteins such as beans and nuts, but less animal protein
- Fourth: Choose whole grains and unrefined carbohydrates such as oatmeal, beans and vegetables
- Fifth: Choose whole-dairy products. Findings from the Nurses’ Health Study indicate that one or two servings of whole-fat dairy foods improve fertility.
- Sixth: Take a multivitamin that contains folic acid and other B vitamins. Women of childbearing age are recommended to take at least 400mg of folic acid per day in addition to what comes from their food intake.
- Seventh: In the Nurses’ Health Study, women who took an iron supplement regularly or a multivitamin or mineral with extra iron were 40 percent less likely to have trouble conceiving compared to women who did not take iron.
- Eight: Choose water as your beverage of choice.
- Ninth: Aim for a body weight within the ‘fertility zone’ aka the 7.5 percent solution. In the Nurses’ Health Study, women with the lowest and highest body-mass index, or BMI, were more likely to report problems getting pregnant compared with women somewhere in the middle. The ‘fertility zone’ ranges from a BMI of 20 to 24.
- Tenth: Exercise is the final step in the Fertility Diet. If you already exercise, that’s great. But don’t overdo it. Too much exercise can reduce body fat to a level that is incompatible with conception.
Vegetarian
There are various types of vegetarian diets:
- Lacto-vegetarians exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter are included.
- Ovo-vegetarians exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.
- Pescatarians exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.
- Pollotarians exclude meat, dairy and fish, but allow poultry.
Studies over the last few years have shown that vegetarians have a lower body weight, suffer less from diseases and typically have a longer life expectancy than people who eat meat.
Ketogenic
Burn fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. That is the essential ingredient if you wish to follow through with this diet plan.
The ketogenic diet, often termed keto, is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that drastically reduces carbohydrate intake and replaces it with fat. The reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain. Ketogenic diets have been known to cause massive reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels.
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 two years or less, there is some promising research in relation to diabetes management, metabolic health, weight loss and body composition change.
Weight Watchers
Losing weight through diet and exercise is a given but under this plan, it comes with a special support network.
After realising there was a high possibility she might put on the weight she lost, a homemaker decided to create a network of friends that helps with your weight loss programme. Since creation in the 1960s, today, Weight Watchers Inc. has branches all over the world and dieters can choose to either physically join and attend regular meetings, or online. In both cases, there is lots of support and education available for the dieter.
In 2015, the organisation created the ‘Beyond the Scale Programme’ which assigns every food and beverage a SmartPoints value, based on its nutrition (higher amounts of saturated fat and sugar increase the point value; higher amounts of protein bring the point value down). Choices that fill you up the longest ‘cost’ the least and nutritionally dense foods cost less than empty calories.
Vegan
Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products — and foods that contain these products.
Health-conscious vegans substitute animal products with plant-based replacements, such as:
- Tofu, tempeh and seitan: These provide a versatile protein-rich alternative to meat, fish, poultry and eggs in many recipes.
- Legumes: Foods such as beans, lentils and peas are excellent sources of many nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. Sprouting, fermenting and proper cooking can increase nutrient absorption.
- Nuts and nut butters: Especially unblanched and unroasted varieties which are good sources of iron, fiber, magnesium, zinc, selenium and vitamin E.
- Seeds: Especially hemp, chia and flaxseeds, which contain a good amount of protein and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
- Calcium-fortified plant milks and yoghurts: These help vegans achieve their recommended dietary calcium intakes. Opt for varieties also fortified with vitamins B12 and D whenever possible.
- Algae: Spirulina and chlorella are good sources of complete protein.
MIND
The MIND diet stands for ‘Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay’ and was developed by Martha Clare Morris, a nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center, through a study funded by the National Institute on Aging and published in 2015.
This diet is a combination of two proven diets, the DASH and Mediterranean, that focuses on foods that specifically affect brain health.
Eat more of foods from 10 brain-boosting food groups such as: green leafy vegetables and all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine.
Meanwhile, MIND strictly avoids foods from the five unhealthy groups: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheeses, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.
DASH
The original DASH diet was designed to lower blood pressure and was not specifically a weight loss plan. However, over the years, the diet has evolved to also include a weight loss plan.
The DASH diet is especially recommended for people with hypertension (high blood pressure) or pre-hypertension. The DASH diet eating plan has been proven to lower blood pressure in sponsored studies. In addition to being a low salt or low sodium plan, the DASH diet provides additional benefits to reduce blood pressure. It is based on an eating plan rich in fruits and vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy, with whole grains. It is a high fiber, low to moderate fat diet, rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean diet plan consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables, fish and poultry, beans and nuts as well as olive oil. The Mediterranean diet plan is not just about eating the right food but also involves regular exercise and trimming on how much you consume by sharing meals with others like a family.
- Fill up your stomach with lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, blueberries, bananas and leafy greens, which are all vital for promoting a healthy heart. For instance, you can concoct a fruity smoothie by blending mixed berries with low-fat yoghurt for that delicious, yet healthy dessert.
- Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids and that means adding fish or other seafood to your diet plan at least twice a week. Consume poultry such as chicken and turkey, as well as eggs, in small portions.
- When it comes to nuts, you can have almonds and walnuts easily by adding them to a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Nuts are rich in antioxidants and also make you feel full for hours. However, go easy on the nuts by having not more than 50g of nuts each day as they are high in calories.
- You may be excited to know that alcohol can be part of a weight loss programme! Not all or any alcohol that is; only red wine is part of the Mediterranean diet plan. Moderation is the key – the general rule of thumb would be one glass of wine for women and two glasses for men.
Raw Foods
Tired of cooking your meals? Well, your stove will definitely be making less of an appearance if you follow this diet. Think uncooked, unprocessed, mostly organic foods. Your staples are raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. Some people also choose to eat unpasteurised dairy foods, raw eggs, meat and fish.
The raw foods diet or raw foodism involves consuming foods and drinks that are not processed, are completely plant-based and ideally organic.
So, in a nutshell, raw foods diet followers do not cook their meals as they believe cooking will kill nutrients in the food.
However, due to the risk of food poisoning, a raw foods diet isn’t recommended for pregnant women, young children, the elderly, people with weak immune systems and those with chronic medical conditions.
Biggest Loser
If The Biggest Loser diet plan sounds familiar to you, it is because it is based on the TV’s hit reality show, The Biggest Loser. You can lose weight effectively and efficiently like how the contestants did minus the public scrutiny and berating by the trainers. To help you get started, here is what you should do:
- Keep in mind that the Biggest Loser diet plan involves a lot of commitment. What you can do at home is to follow the show’s “4-3-2-1 Pyramid” diet plan, which means four servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of lean protein (fish, white meat poultry, turkey, beef and soy food), two servings of whole grains and one serving of healthy fat equivalent to 200 calories (avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds) every day.
- A general rule of thumb is to consume between 1,050 and 2,100 calories, the exact amount depends on how much you weigh. Keep track of your calorie counts accurately by using one of the many available fitness apps available for download on your smartphone.
- Also as part of the diet plan, drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day and ditch caffeine-based drinks such as coffee.
References
• Webmd.com
• Fitnessmagazine.com
• Livestrong.com
• Atkins.com
• Medicalnewstoday.com
• Mayoclinic.org
• Healthline.com
• Health.usnews.com
• Dashdiet.org
