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| Source: Better Humans |
Humans want to feel belonged and welcomed in their communities. In our culture, the need to be thin, slim, and healthy is cultivated. While being healthy is a great and important component for everyone, being thin and losing weight, especially the obsession over it is highly unnecessary.
Our culture promotes dieting and weight loss as a way to achieve a higher status and worthiness. We're told that we have to eat a certain way and be a certain size to be "healthy." Therefore, certain foods and certain body types are inherently elevated, while others are vilified.
Paleolithic Diet
The Paleolithic diet is also known as the Paleo diet or the caveman diet, which aims to mirror the diet that humans followed before the development of agriculture followed. This diet involves eating fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish especially those that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, such as salmon and mackerel. This diet can lead to significant weight loss and can reduce risks of heart diseases.
However, there are some disadvantages of the Paleo diet. It involves low to moderate consumption of carbohydrates and elimination of dairy, which is important for our daily dose of calcium. This primarily includes the exclusion of cereal grains such as rye, wheat, barley, which are all very good sources of fiber, magnesium, iron, B vitamins and selenium.
Grains are a vital component of our diet that help us in lowering cholesterol levels, fight the risk of chronic diseases and control blood sugar. Consistent low consumption of carbohydrates can lead the body to go into a state of ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is a disease that occurs when the body starts to break down fat at an extremely fast pace. This disease primarily affects people with diabetes, but can even happen to people who do not have a diagnosis of diabetes but are following a diet where there is little to no consumption of carbohydrates.
The Vegan Diet
This diet restricts consumption of all animal products for ethical, environmental or health reasons. It eliminates consumption of all products obtained from animals. This includes elimination of dairy products, poultry and other forms of meat including seafood. In addition to eliminating meat, it eliminates dairy, eggs, and animal-derived products, such as gelatin, honey, albumin, whey, casein, and some forms of vitamin D3.
The vegan diet makes people feel full quicker - because it is high in fiber and low in fats. This makes people lose weight and they can then be more inclined to follow this diet. Additionally, plant - based diets are linked to reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and premature death.
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Nonetheless, because the vegan diet eliminates animal foods completely, this may result in deficiencies of several nutrients including vitamin b12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc and omega - 3 fatty acids.
The Dukan Diet
This diet is a high - protein low - carbohydrates diet which is split into 4 phases - 2 weight loss and 2 maintenance phases respectively. The duration of each phase depends on how much weight you wish to lose. Each phase follows its own dietary pattern.
However, this eating plan limits levels of both fat and carbohydrates. What’s more, fast weight loss achieved by severe calorie restriction tends to cause significant muscle loss. The loss of muscle mass and severe calorie restriction may also cause your body to conserve energy, making it very easy to regain the weight after losing it. Additionally, there is not a lot of scientific data supporting this diet, hence it does not have a lot of reliability in terms of its effects or benefits.
The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is the most well known low - carbohydrates diet for weight loss. It recommends eating as much protein and fat as you want, as long as carbs are avoided. The main reason why low carbohydrates based diets are effective for weight loss is because it reduces your appetite. This diet is split into 4 phases. It starts with an induction phase in which you eat under 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks. The other phases incorporate healthy carbs back into the diet.
This diet prevents ketoacidosis as your body does not switch to only burning the fats and proteins for energy, as healthy carbs are reintroduced into your diet as you approach your goal weight. Other benefits of this diet include reduced chances of heart diseases, blood sugar, insulin related diseases.
The Bottom Line
It is important to remember that weight loss is not the be all and end all, meaning, it is not everything. You must not get lost in the midst of alluring diets and neglect your desires for junk food. Even though it is unhealthy, everything can be unhealthy if taken to extreme measures, even healthy food.
The Dukan Diet
This diet is a high - protein low - carbohydrates diet which is split into 4 phases - 2 weight loss and 2 maintenance phases respectively. The duration of each phase depends on how much weight you wish to lose. Each phase follows its own dietary pattern.
However, this eating plan limits levels of both fat and carbohydrates. What’s more, fast weight loss achieved by severe calorie restriction tends to cause significant muscle loss. The loss of muscle mass and severe calorie restriction may also cause your body to conserve energy, making it very easy to regain the weight after losing it. Additionally, there is not a lot of scientific data supporting this diet, hence it does not have a lot of reliability in terms of its effects or benefits.
The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is the most well known low - carbohydrates diet for weight loss. It recommends eating as much protein and fat as you want, as long as carbs are avoided. The main reason why low carbohydrates based diets are effective for weight loss is because it reduces your appetite. This diet is split into 4 phases. It starts with an induction phase in which you eat under 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks. The other phases incorporate healthy carbs back into the diet.
This diet prevents ketoacidosis as your body does not switch to only burning the fats and proteins for energy, as healthy carbs are reintroduced into your diet as you approach your goal weight. Other benefits of this diet include reduced chances of heart diseases, blood sugar, insulin related diseases.
The Bottom Line
It is important to remember that weight loss is not the be all and end all, meaning, it is not everything. You must not get lost in the midst of alluring diets and neglect your desires for junk food. Even though it is unhealthy, everything can be unhealthy if taken to extreme measures, even healthy food.
It is important for individuals to find a balance, to work around their desires, only then they would be healthy individuals, mentally and physically. Even these diets can result in life threatening diseases if taken too far. The media promotes these diets a lot, so it is understandable why people are so interested in these eating plans. Establishing balance will help you follow the diet that you want, and also have fun while doing the diet.
Written By - Vidita Sachdeva
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