10 Most Popular Lifestyle Diets: Benefits & Guidelines

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10 Most Popular Lifestyle Diets Benefits
Guidelines 08-02-2016 By Sehat
From celebrity starlets to fitness enthusiasts,
the craze for lifestyle diets has spread amongst
people far and wide, and going by its rising
popularity, its safe to say that it is not going
to die down anytime soon. If you, like many
individuals around the world want to join the
lifestyle diet bandwagon but are unsure where to
begin, we have got you covered. Listed below are
details of the ten most popular modern lifestyle
diets, their benefits, dos and don'ts
1. Vegan Diet A popular diet, resulting
commonly from a movement towards animal welfare
is the vegan diet. Veganism discourages the
consumption or use of anything of animal origin.
This includes dairy products, eggs, honey,
leather, silk, fur, wool, animal-tested cosmetics
and soaps, etc.
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• Guidelines
• Ensure your diet comprises of fruits, vegetables,
  whole grains , nuts, legumes and seeds.
• To prevent the deficiency of calcium, include
  lots of leafy greens in your diet.
• Take multi-vitamins to prevent the deficiency of
  B12 and other vitamins as prescribed by the
  doctor.

• Benefits
• LPlant-based diets lower the risk of chronic
  diseases like type 2diabetes, cardiovascular
  disease, and cancer.
• Plant-based foods are low in unhealthy fats and
  contain no cholesterol.

2. Clean Diet As the name suggests, the clean
diet encourages clean eating of 5-6 small meals
throughout the day. Doing so helps raise your
metabolic rate. Depending upon your body type and
fitness goals, you can choose to consume between
1,200-1,800 calories daily. This diet encourages
a blend of exercise along with a healthy diet
plan comprising of whole and unprocessed foods
like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean
meats. Foods packed with chemicals, artificial
ingredients, preservatives, sugars, saturated
fat, and trans-fat should be avoided altogether.
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• Guidelines
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day.
• Ensure that every small meal be restricted to
  200-300 calories.
• Include complex carbohydrates and protein-rich
  foods (20-21 grams) in every meal.
• Dont skip any meal.
• Ensure your breakfast is the most wholesome meal
  of the day.
• Include adequate doses of healthy fats (olive
  oil, nuts, fish, etc.)in your diet each day.

• Benefits
• This diet boosts your metabolism and detoxifies
  your body.
• Your cravings get reduced with healthier and
  low-calorie meal options.
• This diet improves your energy levels and
  contributes to cell growth.

3. Paleo Diet The Paleo diet plan encourages the
consumption of foods that were enjoyed by people
in the Paleolithic era. These include lean
meats, vegetables, seafood, nuts, fruits and
healthy fats. The diet excludes dairy, grains,
legumes, alcohol, and processed foods.
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• Guidelines
• Clean out foods like legumes, cereal grains,
  dairy, refined sugar, processed foods, salt,
  refined vegetable oils and potatoes from your
  kitchen.
• Replace trans-fat with omega-3 fats.
• Cut out processed meats like salamis and sausages
  from your diet and replace them with wild meats
  pasture-fed meats and poultry, and lean grain-fed
  meat, in that order. Opt for fish low in mercury.
• Make sure your plate contains the maximum amount
  of veggies (fiber), along with one portion of
  protein, and a smaller portion of healthy fat.
• Get into the habit of examining food labels
  carefully.
• Curb your sugar craving with fresh fruits.
• Cook more often at home.

• Benefits
• This diet improves blood lipids..
• It contributes to significant weight loss without
  lowering energy levels..
• It improves cardiovascular health..
• It promotes digestive health..
• It lowers mood swings, depression and anxiety..

4. Gluten Free Diet Gluten is a protein present
in grains like wheat, rye and barley. A
gluten-free diet is one that discourages the
consumption of gluten and is mostly followed by
people with gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease.

• Guidelines
• Enjoy foods like unprocessed beans, seeds and
  nuts, eggs, meats, fish and poultry, fruits and
  vegetables, and dairy products.
• Avoid foods and beverages containing barley, rye,
  wheat, and triticale.
• Check for gluten-free specifications on the
  labels of beer, bread, cakes, cereals, wafers,
  fries, candies, pasta, sauces, processed meats,
  snack foods, soups, crackers, etc.

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• Benefits
• People suffering from celiac disease can
  experience fewer complications and improved
  energy levels with a gluten free diet.
• A gluten-free diet can improve gastrointestinal
  symptoms in individuals suffering from rheumatoid
  arthritis, IBS, multiple sclerosis or HIV
  enteropathy.

5. Mediterranean Diet The Mediterranean diet
encourages the consumption of foods traditionally
eaten by people in Italy and Greece. The diet
emphasizes on the increased intake of vegetables
, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, bread,
whole grains, fish, seafood, olive oil, herbs and
spices along with moderate intake of poultry,
eggs, and dairy. The diet discourages the
consumption of sweetened beverages, added
sugars, processed meats and foods, and refined
grains and oils.

• Guidelines
• Enjoy plant-based foods like fruits and
  vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts in
  abundance.
• Flavor your meals with herbs and spices and avoid
  salt.
• Adopt healthy fats like olive oil.
• Eat fish and poultry at least twice a week and
  limit your consumption of red meat to a few times
  a month.
• Drink red wine in moderation.

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• Benefits
• Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of
  cardiovascular disease , cancer, and
  neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's and
  Alzheimer's disease.
• It also lowers blood pressure.

6. Atkins Diet This low-carb diet is ideal for
those looking to lose weight and stay healthy.
The diet focuses on a high intake of
protein-rich foods and a reduced intake of carbs.
Guidelines Phase 1 (Induction) In this stage
you are required to consume less than 20 grams of
carbs daily day for 2 weeks to begin the weight
loss process. Enjoy foods high in fats and
proteins along with low-carb veggies like leafy
greens. Avoid most fruits, nuts, pasta, alcohol,
trans-fats, sugar, potatoes, rice and bread in
this phase. Phase 2 (Balancing) In this phase,
you can add nuts, fruits and more low-carb
vegetables (5 grams extra per week) to your
diet. Phase 3 (Fine-Tuning) In this phase, you
can increase your carb (from sources like whole
grains, legumes, yams, lima beans, bananas,
whole-wheat pasta) intake as you almost hit your
goal weight. Phase 4 (Maintenance) In the
maintenance phase you can enjoy healthy carbs as
long as your body does not gain too much weight.

• Benefits
• Atkins diet helps regulate blood pressure and
  cholesterol levels.
• It helps aid weight loss.

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7. Primal Diet Similar to the paleo diet, the
primal diet also encourages the consumption of
lean meats, fruits, veggies and healthy fats,
but unlike the paleo diet, it allows the
consumption of a few dairy products.

• Guidelines
• Avoid grains, legumes, sugar, processed foods,
  and refined vegetable oils.
• Include fruits, vegetables, eggs, lean meats,
  fish, nuts, seeds and healthy fats in your diet.
• You can also enjoy fermented dairy products like
  raw cheese and kefir.
• Replace artificial sweeteners with natural
  sweeteners like raw honey and pure maple syrup.

• Benefits
• This diet provides anti-inflammatory benefits
  along with generous doses of vitamins and
  minerals.
• It lowers LDL cholesterol levels.
• It regulates blood sugar levels and improves
  cardiovascular health in type-2 diabetes patients.

8. South Beach Diet
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The South Beach diet is yet another weight loss
diet that encourages low carbs, high protein and
healthy fat intake. It is less stringent than the
Atkins diet.
Guidelines Phase 1 This phase lasts two weeks.
You should eat lean protein including seafood,
lean beef, skinless poultry and soy products.
Vegetables that are high in fiber, low-fat dairy
and healthy-fat foods like avocados, nuts and
seeds should form a part of your diet. Avoid all
carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and fruit.
Fruit juice and alcohol are not
permitted. Phase 2 In this phase you can add
carbs like whole-grain breads, brown rice,
whole-wheat pasta, and fruits prohibited in
phase 1, in your diet. Increase your intake of
vegetables and continue this phase until you
reach your goal weight. Phase 3 In this phase
you can enjoy all food types in moderation.
Follow the healthy choices as learnt in the
first and second phase.
Benefits Apart from steady weight loss, this
diet helps improve your blood cholesterol levels.
9. Zone Diet The zone diet encourages striking a
nutritional balance of 40 carbohydrates, 30
fats, and 30 protein in every meal. Instead of
recommending reduced intake of calories, the zone
diet encourages one to make healthier food
choices.

• Guidelines
• Have your first meal within an hour of waking up,
  and ensure the gap between meals is 4 to 6 hours.
• Consume 8 cups of water a day.
• Enjoy two protein, carb and fat-rich snacks a
  day.
• Begin your meal/ snack with low-fat protein and
  subsequently, add healthy carbohydrates with a
  low glycemic index, along with good fats.

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• The carbohydrate content of a meal should be
  about twice that of the protein portion. Opt for
  healthier carbohydrates like vegetables, beans,
  whole grains, fruits and lentils over bread,
  bagels, cereal, juices, pasta, etc.
• Every meal or snack should include healthy fats
  rich in omega 3.

• Benefits
• This diet fights hunger and aids weight loss.
• It benefits patients suffering from high BP and
  heart disease.

10. 52 Diet This diet recommends that dieters
eat however they please five days a week within
the recommended calorie bracket and for two
non-consecutive days, they consume just 25 of
their regular calorie intake - 500 calories for
women and 600 for men.

• Guidelines
• For five days a week, you can eat normally
  without restricting calories. However, it is
  important to avoid junk and processed foods for
  maximum benefits.
• You can pick two non-consecutive days of the week
  to consume a quarter of your daily food intake.

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• Benefits
• This diet can help reduce insulin levels.
• It can help lower the risk of heart disease ,
  stroke and cancer.

Disclaimer Before you adopt any of the diet
plans mentioned above, do consult your doctor to
avoid any health complications. Good luck on
your fitness journey.