There are so many diet plans out there, it can be difficult to tell which ones are true weight loss plans and which ones are utter nonsense, possibly even harmful (we’re looking at you, cotton ball diet). Of course, one of the biggest keys to taking weight off and keeping it off is following a diet plan full of foods that you enjoy. It’s also important that these foods are high in nutritional value, and that is where BODY Divine comes into play. As much as we might love the idea of a Snickers-and-ice-cream diet, it just isn’t realistic.
Even if you did manage to curb your caloric intake through the consumption of candy and ice cream alone, you would feel pretty lousy, as those foods are basically devoid of nutritional content. Lots of fat and sugar, but virtually no nutrients otherwise. And while you definitely need fats and sugars in your diet, this isn’t exactly what we’re talking about. So let’s dive right into four ways you might consider using as diet plans to help you slim down effectively and deliciously.
Flexitarian Diet
The Flexitarian diet is an easy way to venture into vegetarianism or veganism. The Flexitarian diet emphasizes a plant-based focus, but if you feel like having a burger now and again, that’s okay, too. There aren’t any restrictions on calories per day specifically, but Dawn D. Blatner, nutritionist and author of the book The Flexitarian Diet, provides a 5-week eating plan that clocks in at around 1500 calories per day.
The way that this works for weight loss is as follows: by filling your plate with more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant proteins — and sticking to the low-cal plan — you can lose weight by also improving your health. And at least one recent study found that people on a Flexitarian diet had lower BMIs and lower rates of metabolic syndrome than people who regularly ate meat.
Intermittent Fasting
A variety of ways exist to do the intermittent fasting plan, which is probably why it is so popular these days: you can eat normally for 5 days and then consume a minimal calorie (around 500) diet for the other 2 days of the week, you can fast at different intervals within a 24-hour period, just as 20:4 or 14:10, wherein the first number refers to how long you fast and the latter number is the window in which you can eat. However you decide to structure your schedule is up to you, and there are no restricted foods as with some other nutrition plans.
This diet takes off pounds easily: by limiting your overall consumption of calories to a brief window, you do end up eating less than you would if you weren’t fasting. One study showed that people practicing intermittent fasting lost about the same amount of weight as those on a calorie-restricted diet.
DASH Diet
The DASH Diet, also known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, was designed as a way to help people control their blood pressure without using drugs. The diet itself, however, with its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low- or nonfat dairy, as well as limits on saturated fat and cholesterol, offers a generally excellent plan for anyone to follow.
With this diet, your health will definitely improve. If you combine this diet with calorie restriction, as many weight-loss plans do, you can also lose weight while attaining better overall health. Nutritionists love it for its emphasis on heart-healthy, antioxidant-loaded fruits and vegetables, and are enthusiastic about the diet’s plan for overall health and well-being.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet has been around for quite some time, during which thousands of people have lost weight while eating to their satisfaction. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, nuts, and fish at least twice a week. It further emphasizes beans, fruit, leafy greens, whole grains, and even a daily glass of red wine. When combined with calorie reduction, the Mediterranean diet is a great plan for weight loss.
Additionally, the Mediterranean diet appears to be a great nutrition plan for overall health. With its heavy emphasis on crucial omega-3 fats obtained through consuming oily fish such as sardines and salmon, whole grains and beans for filling, restorative fiber, and lots of fruits and vegetables included, the Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest around. And you even get to drink red wine as part of its plan. What’s not to love?
What Do You Think?
Do you think any of these diets would work for you? What are you most interested in taking off the pounds while keeping the smile going? Have you tried any of these diets before? Let us know in the comments; here at BODY Divine we would love to hear from you!