When people talk about weight loss, they generally assure themselves and everybody around them that they would start going to the gym, especially as the year comes to a close, only to find in the following year that they never kept any of their promises.
Never does it cross their minds that their fitness takes place in the kitchen. They hardly ever factor in the criticality of consistently following and maintaining a proper weight loss diet.
If you are guilty of this, this is probably the right time to start including some weight-loss foods in your diet chart. The importance of a balanced diet cannot be emphasized enough in this day and age of speed and chaos.
Considering how people are wrapped up in their day-to-day work lives and other endeavors, they are usually not mindful of their diet and overall health. A short burst of significant stress can prove to be enough to make them binge on junk food, and eventually put on weight.
If you wish to avoid this, your best bet is to commit to a weight-loss diet and a weight-loss exercise regimen. The bonus of following a weight loss diet is the health benefits that come with the weight loss foods you eat.
Weight Loss Diets you can follow:
1. Plant-based diets
A plant-based diet aids in weight loss. As the name suggests, this weight loss diet restricts the use of animal products.
However, there exist flexible plant-based diets that allow the consumption of animal products in moderation. An example of this is the flexitarian diet.
Typical plant-based diets involve the elimination of all meat and poultry. Some diets do not allow the consumption of eggs.
Vegan diets are known to take it a step further and restrict the use of all animal products, and animal-derived products such as dairy, gelatin, honey, whey, casein, and so forth.
Plant-based foods like fruits, veggies, starchy vegetables, intact whole grains, and legumes are higher in nutrient density, and the most calorically dilute. These foods constitute a stellar weight loss diet as they are rich in fiber, which keeps you full for a reasonable amount of time, thereby reducing your constant calorie intake.
Plant-based diets have also been known to come with a variety of health benefits that include a reduction in the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, thwart cancer, and diabetes.
To make this a regular diet, start slow by having a vegetarian meal once a day. Dropping your regular diet altogether and opting for a plant-based diet is ineffective because you are likely to revert to your old dietary habits sooner or later. Instead, add a new plant food every week to ensure variety.
Another useful dietary habit you can adopt to steer yourself in the right direction is to include fruits in your desserts.
2. Low-carb diets
Low-carb diets are well-known and hugely employed for weight loss. Examples of Low-carb diets are the ketogenic diet and low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet, and the Atkins diet,
Low-carb diets are generally higher in protein than low-fat diets. This is vital because protein can help limit your appetite and raise your metabolism.
Low-carb diets are said to be effective in burning excess belly fat.
Some low-carb diets significantly restrict carbs at the beginning of the and then gradually increase the number of carbs you are allowed to consume.
If you are following this weight loss diet, you are allowed to consume the following:
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Lean meats, like chicken breast, or pork
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Cauliflower and broccoli
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Fish
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Eggs
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Oils like coconut oil
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Leafy green vegetables
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Plain milk and Greek yogurt
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Nuts and seeds, and nut butter
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Fruits like apples and strawberries
Some known health benefits of low-carb diets are the prevention of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
3. DASH Diet:
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is not the most popular weight loss diet. But people are experiencing weight loss by following this diet. The DASH diet is all about cutting sodium and sugar to reduce hypertension & blood pressure.
DASH diet highlights eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products.
In fact, a recent study conducted by Mdpi has proved that obese older adults following the DASH diet can help to reduce body fat and also maintains muscle strength.
The DASh diet can also improve heart health and reduce bad cholesterol. If you are looking for a weight loss diet then you can consider this diet plan.
See also: 10 Best Protein-Rich Food Items To Add To Your Diet
4. Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that switches between periods of fasting and eating.
There are various forms of this weight loss diet, including the 16/8 method, which involves curbing your calorie intake to 8 hours per day, and the 5:2 method, which limits your daily calorie intake to 500 or 600 calories two times a week.
Intermittent fasting focuses on when you can eat, as opposed to what you eat. It makes for an effective weight loss diet, so long as you do not eat in excess during your eating periods.
Most people find the 16/8 weight loss diet to be the easiest to start and stick to. Intermittent fasting boasts a variety of health benefits. Here are a few:
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Heart health: Intermittent fasting can reduce bad low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers, blood sugar, and insulin resistance, all of which play a part in heart disease
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Brain health: Intermittent fasting increases the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and may accelerate the growth of new nerve cells.
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Simplification of eating habits: Intermittent fasting makes it easier to eat healthily as you do not have to put in too much effort in preparing your meals.
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Other benefits include anti-aging effects and increased insulin.
Conclusion
If you are only just jumping head-first into the world of dieting, you should now have no problem getting started. Mentioned and explained above are the three quintessential weight loss diets you ought to know about. Be sure to select and commit to the weight loss diet that resonates with you the best and watch your results explode.