2020 has been a year of change and unknowns. However, with unknown times came a mindset in people to improve not only their physical and mental health but also their diets. A lot of people took to changing their diet by switching to a wholesome approach to food, incorporating more fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats in the form of nuts and fish. Yet, there was also a surge in the number of people that attempted to do fad diets that have circled the internet for the past couple of years.
Here at Health Fitness Revolution, our goal is to educate you on both the positive and negative aspects of the diet. That way, you, our readers, are getting the full picture of what exactly each diet entails. Of course when looking at these diets, we also want to highlight the risks involved with pursuing any of them. Not only how it will affect your physical body, but also your mental health and if there are any long-term side effects that you should take note of before embarking on your diet journey. We would also like to emphasize that although we do not promote these diets, we still would like to educate everyone about them, to spread helpful information as opposed to hiding the truth.
The number of influencers and T.V. personalities endorsing diets and weight-loss supplements skyrocketed during the beginning of the year, due to the quarantine that the world was placed into. As a way to either lose or maintain their weight while being locked in their homes, people took to trying all sorts of diets, and we’ve compiled the top 3 diets of 2020 so far, as ranked by U.S. News & World Reports.
Mediterranean Diet
For the past three years, the Mediterranean diet has ranked number 1 amongst its diet counterparts as being the most popular. The Mediterranean diet, much like its name entails, is a diet based upon the traditional cuisine of the Mediterranean region. While it pulls from different parts of the region, the main components of the diet involve eating plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as a weekly intake of fish, poultry, and beans; while limiting dairy and red meat intake. The Mediterranean diet is definitely the most wholesome of the fad diets to exist and promotes the consumption of each food group while emphasizing the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables.
Unlike other current fad diets, the Mediterranean diet stressed the importance of maintaining a plant-based diet, rather than a protein/meat-based diet. This diet prompts people to eat healthy servings of fruits, vegetables, and wholegrains on a daily basis while consuming fish (usually ones that are high in fat and omega-3’s, like salmon) and poultry sparsely. While it is not discouraged, the consumption of dairy products and red meat is limited in order to promote a less bloated feeling within the body.
Pros
One of the biggest pros of this diet is that it promotes a healthy lifestyle without forcing you to cut out important food groups from your diet. While it prohibits you from indulging in processed foods that are high in artificial sugars and saturated fats, this diet still allows you to eat healthier fats and carbohydrates to help replenish the energy reserves in your body.
Another good thing about this diet is the increased amounts of herbs used in the cooking. The herbs that are used in the cooking are meant to add copious amounts of flavor to the food that you are consuming, which in turn also allow you to reduce the amount of salt that you put into your food. Therefore, effectively allowing you to reduce your salt intake. If you have high blood pressure problems, this can be an effective diet to help reverse the effects. Since high blood pressure can lead to other coronary diseases, reducing salt, which reduces blood pressure, can help to prevent future coronary problems.
In addition to helping to aid in weight management, as well as reduction of inflammation in the body, and better heart health, the Mediterranean diet is also better for the environment. Because you are mainly ingesting plant-based foods, you’re helping to better protect the environment. Also, the decreased consumption of red meats, specifically beef, are shown to reduce pollution and be healthier for the Earth.
Cons
While there aren’t that many cons that are associated with this diet that pertain to your health, some of the main problems revolve around one’s financials. While this diet does promote a healthier overall feeling, it can cause quite a dent in one’s wallet. Ingredients such as olive oil, fish, nuts, and seeds can be quite expensive. For example, fresh fish can cost quite a bit, but instead, try looking at frozen fish. While it may seem like a less healthier alternative, it actually is not because the fish is usually frozen once caught fresh, so the nutrients are still packed inside. Once thawed, you can always grill it up with some nice herbs and create a beautiful meal. Also, consider buying some of your ingredients in bulk, especially olive oil. Stores like Costco and Sam’s Club offer larger sizes of these ingredients for a cheaper price than if you bought them at your local grocery store.
Another con, much like any diet, the restrictions can feel challenging sometimes. Especially in America where the standard diet consists of saturated fats and added sugars, it is sometimes hard to avoid. Not to mention, there are always challenges presented in the form of parties and going out to eat. But, this diet allows you to eat what you want, as long as it includes a healthy amount of vegetables and a lean protein of your choice! However, it’s ok to cheat every once in a while as long as it doesn’t lead to a spiral of bad decisions. Everything is good in moderation. That is the key to successfully sticking to any diet.
Flexitarian Diet
A combination of the words “flexible” and “vegetarian” the Flexitarian diet allows for its participants to indulge in meat every once in awhile sticking to a mainly vegetarian diet. Being ranked the second most popular diet for 2020, this diet adds five new food groups instead of requiring you to remove any food groups from your diet. These food groups consist of: “new meats” which is just a fancy way of saying non-meat proteins (beans or eggs), fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and sugar and spice.
Pros
As the name suggests, this diet is incredibly flexible. There is a specific outlined diet provided to all participants detailing foods to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and also for snacks, however, once you’ve gotten the hang of the diet, you can switch it up and make your own recipes that fall within the guidelines. You can tailor the plan to fit your specific needs and measurements. The plan highlights a 3:4:5 ratio for meals, meaning that the plan suggests that you eat 300 calories for breakfast, 400 for lunch, 500 for dinner, and then 150 for each snack. This totals to equivalently 1500 calories per day. Although, this plan is completely customizable to you. If you can’t eat that much, or you need to eat more, you can add as much food as you need.
Much like the Mediterranean diet, this diet is also majoritively plant-based, substituting meat-based products for a healthier plant alternative. However, that doesn’t mean that if you’re craving a juicy steak one night that you can’t eat it. But, once again, only in moderation.
As it is with many plant-based diets, there is a decreased risk of contracting heart problems/diseases as well as a decreased risk of cancer. Overall, plant-based diets are the best way to promote a healthier way of living, however, with the flexitarian diet, you’re not completely giving up your love for meat. You can indulge every now and again to ensure that you’re able to satisfy your wants and needs.
Cons
As with other diets, the Flexitarian diet places a lot of emphasis on home-cooked meals. In order to receive the most amount of nutrients, it is suggested that you cook the meals yourself. So, if you’re someone that doesn’t have a lot of time to cook meals every night, maybe you can look into meal prepping these foods for the week. Or invest in materials such as a crockpot or slow cooker. This way, you can throw all the ingredients into the crockpot/slow cooker in the morning, and when you come back home, there will be a hot meal waiting for you. There are a lot of ways to go about solving these problems!
DASH Diet
Tied as the second most popular diet, with the Flexitarian diet, the DASH, or Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, diet is a lifelong approach for helping to treat or prevent hypertension. This diet was created as a way to treat high blood pressure without the use of medication and has produced some promising results. The main component of the DASH diet is reducing sodium intake and filling your diet with foods rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium; all things that are good for lowering blood pressure. Being another plant-based diet, the DASH diet emphasizes increased intake of vegetables, fruits, and low to no dairy products. Although meat can be consumed, it is suggested that a participant stay away from red meat and stick to fish and poultry. If you want to consume meat, it is suggested to eat meat that is lean and low in fat.
Pros
Much like the above two diets, the DASH diet is a majoritively plant-based diet and therefore promotes a more wholesome and healthy lifestyle. Therefore this diet can help to prevent cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, and even stroke. There are two approaches to this diet, the Standard DASH diet, which allows up to 2300 mg of sodium per day, and the Lower Sodium DASH diet, which only allows 1500 mg of sodium per day. Either way, both diet options help to lower sodium intake because the average American consumes almost 3400 mg of sodium per day!
Cons
Before you consider this diet, you should know that this diet is not aimed at weight loss. While it could occur, this diet is mostly done as a way to reduce high blood pressure. So when comparing this diet to other weight-loss programs and diets, just keep in mind that it might not produce the effects that you’re looking for.
Another con with this diet is that it could potentially be hard to maintain. Mostly because of how bland the food may end up becoming. This is why if you’re looking to try this diet, you should find other, low-sodium, seasonings to top your foods with. It might also be incredibly hard to maintain because if you want to go out to eat, most meals at restaurants might have more than your allowed daily sodium intake within that one meal.
Along with the blandness, you will have to continually track the foods that you eat to make sure you don’t exceed your allowed sodium intake. Food tracking apps could be helpful for this aspect. Apps such as MyFitnessPal offer a free daily food log where you can input all of the food throughout your day to keep count of the amount of sodium that you’re ingesting. However, this can be time-consuming and can also lead to obsessive eating behaviors.
