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February 1, 20183 Of The Top Diets For 2018: What the Research Says
Let’s discuss 3 of the top diets for 2018. First of all, I am not a doctor. I’m not a dietician. Truth be told, I have zero credentials when it comes to professional health care.
What I am, though, is someone who wants to enjoy food without adding anymore weight to my diminutive frame. I want to slow down my sugar and speed up my metabolism. I desire more energy and less lethargy.
And I like to research topics.
Like most of you, I’m thinking about how I want to live differently in this New Year, and also like most of you, thoughts always emerge about diets and weight loss. But when I search the Internet for diets, wow, a whopping 234,000,000 results pop up! That’s insane!
There are commercial diets like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Nutrisystem.
There are multi-level marketing diets like Advocare.
There are heart-healthy diets, low-carb diets, shake diets, paleo, keto, and Whole30… and the list goes on and on.
So where does a person even begin if she wants to live better and eat differently?
With the research and as I mentioned, I like to research topics.
Let’s take a look together at three of the most talked-about diets of 2017 and see what the research has to say about the top diets for 2018.
Here are some on-the-go healthy snack ideas to keep you on track.
3 Of The Top Diets For 2018: What the Research Says
The Keto Diet
When looking at the top diets for 2018, Keto is topping the list. “Keto” is the truncated word for “ketogenic,” which basically means your goal for this diet is to get your body to a place of ketosis. Ketosis is when your body burns stored fat instead of carbohydrates, and in the process, makes ketones. Ketones are chemicals made in the liver.
In order for your body to enter into ketosis, you eat foods high in fat and very specific carbohydrates, thereby keeping the carbs limited to below 30 grams per day. You also include healthy proteins in your daily food intake.
While your body is undergoing ketosis, you will likely experience fatigue and brain fog. There are other factors to consider with your body’s glucose levels, an issue that can be complex if you have diabetes.
Reading about the diet itself, on the one hand, seems do-able, as you simply up your intake of healthy fats and proteins while restricting yourself to specific carbs. My concern with the keto diet is the lack of monitoring sugar levels. For that reason, I wouldn’t follow the diet without the help of a physician.
Paleo Diet
One of my best friends had some serious health issues with the pancreas, and to prevent other issues, was told to follow the paleo diet. Consequently, my friend has experienced few health issues with that weakened pancreas.
The Paleo diet…think “paleontology,” or the study of ancient life forms (here’s a nod to Ross, everybody’s favorite paleontologist from the hit television show “Friends.”).
You can define the paleo diet as eating foods only the cave man would eat. That means you can eat fish, meats, nuts, green, leafy veggies, and seeds.
You can’t eat grains. That means, say no to bread, pasta, rice, and corn.
You also shouldn’t have anything dairy.
To be fair, the paleo diet is NOT a diet, but rather a way to eat. Many people do lose weight because they’re eating healthier, but it’s a very different way of thinking about weight loss.
The “cons” about paleo include 1) this diet can get expensive; and 2) completely eliminating dairy and grains is not sustainable for the long-term.
Whole30
Like the paleo diet, the whole30 diet is more about eliminating foods from your lifestyle; it’s not necessarily a “diet.”
The idea behind the whole 30 diet, according to this website, is to eliminate “sugar, artificial sweeteners, grains, dairy, legumes, and alcohol for 30 looooong days. That means the vast majority of packaged foods—from cookies to ketchup—are out, as is your nightly glass of red wine. Foods that are typically considered pretty darn good-for-you, like quinoa, hummus, and Greek yogurt, are also no-gos.”
The goal, obviously, is after the 30 days, to eat healthy and not return to processed foods and sugar.
Like the other two diets, the whole30 is an elimination diet rather than finding balance in a person’s eating by limiting certain foods.
Conclusions:
As I think about all the diets to follow, all the ways I can eat, all the eliminations and inclusions of foods in my diet, the bottom line is, I just want to eat sensibly.
For me, that means:
- cutting back on sugar
- cutting back on grains
- choosing more white meat over red meat
- starting my day with a good protein, such as eggs or a protein smoothie
- not snacking late at night
With all this information about the top 3 diets for 2018, will you join me in making a realistic resolution to just be kinder to our bodies? No guilt, no uphill climb, just being sensible.
