The 5 Fad Diets That Really Work

Holistic Nutrition

Most of us have tried them. In fact, these fad diets are very popular way to lose those extra pounds. They also come and go, more so as we jump to the next fad diet. However, have you ever thought that if these diets really work, or if they are just merely unbalanced and ineffective, as some people have labeled them?

What this article is going to show is that these fad diets can be healthy, well balanced and sustainable. In short, they can work.

1. Atkins diet

Cardiologist Robert Atkins created the famous low card diet or the Atkins diet in the early 1970s, which claimed that you could have rapid weight loss without hunger.

This diet consists of four stages, including an initial two-week Induction phase that restricts carbs to 20 grams per day, while allowing unlimited amounts of protein and fat. All through this phase, your body begins converting fat into compounds called ketones and switches to using these as its main source of energy. The next step is that followers of this diet needs to gradually add back their carbs in 5-gram increments in order to decide their “critical carbohydrate levels” for losing weight and preserving the loss.

Still the research studies have shown it is one of the best for lose weight.

2. South Beach diet

This diet was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston in the 1990’s, a cardiologist with an interested in helping his patients lose weight sustainably and without going hungry. He used parts of the Atkins diet, but thought that that diet was too restrictive, and there was a heart disease issue associated with the Atkins’ diet.

The South Beach diet is a lower-carb, lower fat, high-protein diet.

Once on the diet, you need to start by keeping your diet low in carbs and very low in fat. After this restrictive phrase, you will be allowed to eat limited quantities of all types of unprocessed foods while keeping protein intake high. Still, with this diet, high intake of protein is encouraged. That is since protein has been shown to burn more calories during digestion than fat or carbs. More so, protein encourages the discharge of hormones that subdue hunger and can help you feel full for longer.

This diet does not only work to reduce weight, but pre-diabetic adults have experienced a reduction in fasting insulin levels and an increase in cholecystokinin, a hormone that promotes fullness.

Though the diet is generally nutritious, this diet involves an unwarranted drastic restriction of saturated fat and encourages the use of processed vegetable and seed oils, which could cause different health problems.

3. The vegan diet

The vegan diet, although criticized for being unbalanced and dangerous, as it has no animal products. Still, this diet is seen as being ethical, healthy way of eating, but more so helping many people to lose weight.

What should be said is that this sort of diet can be unhealthy just as much as it can be healthy. The difference is what sort of foods are eaten and which are ignored. For instance, if you consume large amounts of processed foods and beverages you will not lose any weight.

That said, a healthy vegan diet could lead to a reduction of heart problems.

4 The ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet is very effective for losing weight. This diet work by lowering levels of insulin and shifting your primary fuel source from sugar to ketones. Ketones are made from fatty acids, and your brain and other organs can burn them for energy. More so, if your body lacks carbs to burn for energy, ketones will be burned.

Where low carb diets slowing will increase their carb intake, this diet does not. But it will keep carb intake very low, to around 50 grams per day, to ensure followers stay in ketosis.

This diet has been found to effectively reduce weight and body fat, but also inflammatory markers and disease risk factors in those who are overweight.

5. The paleo diet

The paleo diet, or paleolithic diet, is based on the diets that hunter-gatherers ate thousands of years ago. A very restrictive diet bans dairy, legumes and grains. Many have stated that this diet is not practical and not the diet of our prehistoric ancestors as there is no proof that they even ate this sort of diet.

That said the diet could be balanced, and healthy as processed foods are also banned. Plus, you will lose weight and your triglyceride levels in your blood will reduce. Your visceral fat will reduce. This is the bad fat found in your abdomen and liver that promotes insulin resistance and increases the risk of disease.

Closing comments

We all like an easy way to fix our problems, and diets or fad diets are the same. They help us to lose weight quickly. Many have called them unbalanced and analyzed them to not be sustainable. But just because a diet is effective for weight loss does not mean it is workable long-term. To achieve and maintain your weight loss goal, it is imperative to find a healthy way of eating that you enjoy and can follow for life.