Losing weight and getting fit is a tough battle, but finding a new diet to kick start your new healthy eating regime is easy. Or it is if you fall for all the media hype out there in the big bad world of the internet.
After all, not a day goes by without the announcement of a miracle diet revolution or a celebrity-endorsed product promising to help you shed those extra inches.
We’re constantly hearing about detox teas and cleanses, or being bombarded with the supposed scientific facts about the dangerous foods we need to be avoiding, without any attention being paid to the truth – namely, that what works for one person might not work for you.
[thrive_highlight highlight=’grey’ text=’light’] Lots of factors play into the effectiveness of a diet, including your current lifestyle and any pre-existing health conditions you might have.[/thrive_highlight]
So you don’t suffer the consequences of following a plan that’s ill-suited to your personal needs, we’ve picked three of the most popular diets of the moment and provided you with a balanced look at their pros and cons.
[thrive_highlight highlight=” text=’light’]Lots of factors play into the effectiveness of a diet, including your current lifestyle and any pre-existing health conditions you might have.[/thrive_highlight]
#1: the alkaline diet
The alkaline diet is based on the idea that we consume foods which create excess acid, mucking up our delicate pH balances and leading to fat gain. It aims to cut out foods like meat, dairy and caffeine in favour of alkaline foods – essentially, fruits and vegetables.
The biggest benefit is that it will massively decrease your intake of processed foods, which are notoriously bad for pretty much every aspect of health.
However, it’s also a tad unnecessary. Subject yourself to regular pH testing throughout the day and you’ll notice it never varies much from a steady, healthy level. That’s because our bodies are naturally equipped to balance acid and don’t necessarily need extra help.
#2: the 5:2 diet
Intermittent fasting has been used by many individuals to maintain weight over the centuries, but it caused quite a stir a few years ago when it was freshly packaged as the 5:2 diet.
Basically, you limit yourself to severe calorie restrictions for two days of the week. It can feel much more realistic that permanently cutting out your favourite treats, and has been shown to reduce body fat.
The downside is realising that you don’t have free rein to eat whatever you want the remainder of the week, you still to have to stay active and eat healthy on non-fasting days if you want to see results. Many people also report dizziness and irritableness as major drawbacks.
#3: the paleo diet
#3: the paleo diet
If a caveman could’ve eaten it, then so can you. That’s the simple concept behind the paleo diet, which will have you waving goodbye to takeaways and junk food, as well as wholegrains, if you take it up.
For lovers of meat it’s a dream come true, and for everyone else it’s a pretty good way of forgetting about processed foods and embracing good old-fashioned, home cooking instead.
Unfortunately, most research shows that red meat is bad for our hearts, waistlines and the environment, so the fact that the paleo diet tends to increase meat consumption isn’t such good news.
If you want to permanently change your lifestyle, then you have to make an informed decision when it comes to your food regime. Remember to look at advice with caution and think only about what’s going to work best for you.
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