Why do we follow various diets?
There are numerous reasons why people prefer to consume certain food varieties. Making healthy eating choices is only one of the many considerations that go into them.
A person could prefer one dish over another for cultural and religious reasons. Additionally, there are moral and environmental considerations. Due to food allergies or other medical conditions, some people must eat a certain way. Finally, we all have our unique tastes in foods that we enjoy and detest.
Some individuals think that if their diet works for them, everyone else should follow suit. This is fueled in part by the media, which could make you feel that one type of eating is superior to another.
There doesn't exist one. How is a ketogenic diet different?
A ketogenic diet, or "keto diet," is a strict form of low carbohydrate diet that involves almost not eating any carbohydrate foods, with the goal of moving the body into ketosis. Ketosis is where the body uses fat as its main energy source.
The keto diet is often high in meat (including processed meats like sausages and bacon), eggs, cheese, fish, nuts, butter, oils, seeds, and vegetables.
There is evidence to show that a ketogenic diet may be an appropriate therapy for people who have uncontrolled type 2 diabetes or children with epilepsy. However, following this style of diet should only be done with the support and monitoring of a health professional.
From a heart health perspective, people following a ketogenic diet are recommended to choose good quality foods and eat plenty of plant foods, like vegetables and fruit.
This means choosing good-quality heart-healthy fats (foods high in healthier polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats instead of less-healthy saturated and trans fats) and good-quality proteins, like lean meat, chicken, fish, and legumes, instead of processed meat.
Looking at low carbohydrate diets over
There are parts of a low-carb diet that many people could benefit from. For example, eating less refined carbohydrate foods like muffins, biscuits, and white pasta is good. And eating more non-starchy vegetables and some healthy fats is good for your heart. However, we don’t recommend cutting out whole food groups unless there is a medical reason to do so.
Whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, and legumes can all be included as part of a heart-healthy diet.
4. Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a type of eating that involves not eating any food during planned times.
There are different ways that you can try intermittent fasting, and a common one is the 5:2 diet. This involves eating "normally" for five days, then eating less food on the other two days. As with all other diets that involve some food restriction, there can be some resulting weight loss.
It’s important to know what foods you should eat on the five days of "normal" eating. The days with no restrictions are not a free pass to eat whatever you like. It's important to eat healthily during this time by having lots of plant-based foods and a good quality protein source.
Some people experience side effects when they follow this diet. This varies between individuals but can include
extreme hung
dizzines
low energy level
headache
loss of concentration
mood swings.
This way of eating is not recommended for those with insulin-dependent diabetes.
Getting the right information
Lots of nutritional information is available to anyone at the click of a button these days, but it's always important to check
the source of your information
the author’s credentials
whether there are any vested interests behind a message stating there is "one" way to eat.
Restrictive diets, whether followed for a short or long time, can cause harm to our bodies. these factors are all tightly linked and can become a complex tangle if ignored.
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