Each diet encourages consuming certain types of food that can help with different medical conditions. As mentioned on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, healthy eating can help boost immunity, live longer, strengthen bones and offer many other health benefits. Hence, selecting and following specific diets is vital to prevent long-term health complications.
The importance increases when it comes to choosing a sustainable diet. Sustainable diets aim to focus on specific health areas and overall development. Hence, selecting the right diet can help you avoid or treat a life-long condition and help manage it effectively. These sustainable diets can be challenging but can suit you and your lifestyle.
Warrior Diet
The warrior diet is a type of intermittent fasting. The idea was first published in a book by Ori Hofmekler. Like most other intermittent fasting methods, this diet restricts the followers from eating most of the day while allowing them to consume as much food as possible in the remaining time.
The warrior diet encourages consuming fruits, vegetables, protein and beverages for around 20 hours daily. You can eat one large meal rich in protein, fat and carbs in the remaining four hours.
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The warrior diet is challenging to follow because it follows a strict regime. Fasting for 20 hours a day and every day can be difficult. In fact, the warrior diet can have adverse effects like fatigue, dizziness, insomnia and more if undertaken by those incapable of following the diet.
Despite being challenging, it can be highly beneficial for your health. To begin with, it can significantly reduce your calorie intake, helping you with weight loss. According to a study published in the ScienceDirect journal, 4 and 6-hour time-restricted fasting, like the warrior diet, can help reduce calorie consumption by around 550 calories.
Besides weight loss, the warrior diet is also known to help with the following:
- Better blood pressure
- Improved insulin resistance
- Reduced inflammation
- Enhanced sugar level control
- Improved brain health
The warrior diet suits healthy individuals that are looking to shed weight and improve blood pressure. You must only follow this diet if you can handle hunger and don’t have any disease. It is also unsuitable for pregnant women, children or older adults, someone with a history of disordered eating and individuals with chronic conditions.
Paleo Diet
The paleo diet came into existence in 2002 when Dr. Loren Cordain mentioned it in the book The Paleo Diet. It follows the ancient approach of eating whole food. It is based on the concept of hunter-gatherer ancestors. According to the diet concept, the ancestors used to feed on whole foods and rarely faced problems like obesity or heart disease.
The paleo diet encourages consuming meat, fish, eggs and other healthy food while avoiding processed foods. Hence, this diet plan can have many health benefits. However, it is not for everyone. The paleo diet focuses on eating meat and other whole food. Hence, it can be challenging to stick to for people who don’t want their diet to be too restrictive.
If you are willing to stick to this diet plan, it can offer many benefits to you. Studies suggest that following the paleo diet can prevent several health problems, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Hence, if you suffer from these problems, you can opt for the paleo diet.
However, since this diet encourages consuming meat, it can increase bad cholesterol levels. Hence, if your cholesterol levels are already high or you have a history of cardiovascular problems, it is best to avoid the paleo diet and look for an alternative.
The Zone Diet
The zone diet promotes eating 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat for each meal. It was created by Dr. Barry Sears, an American biochemist. According to Dr. Barry Sears, the zone diet will not help shed weight dramatically. But it will gradually help reduce weight, and everything you lose will be fat, not muscles.
This diet is very particular about tracking the number of carbs, protein and fat you intake. You cannot have all the protein in one meal and carbs in another. It has to be in the appropriate amount. Hence, tracking food consumption can make following this diet challenging. But if you want to reduce inflammation in the body, following this diet is an excellent choice.
The zone diet is most suitable for individuals who are willing to put in the effort to monitor their diet. This diet is more about remaining consistent with what and how much you eat. However, it gives you flexibility in the type of food you eat.
For example, trending foods like butter boards can also be indulged by finding alternatives to otherwise unhealthy food like butter based on the diet you’re interested in taking on. In a recent Innerbody report, CEO Eric Rodriguez shared a few healthier suggestions, such as avocado dip, hummus, white bean dip, and so on! That being said, looking for alternatives that fit into each diet can help keep you on track while not missing any food trends.
The 5:2 Diet
Like the warrior diet, the 5:2 is another intermittent fasting diet. The numbers 5 and 2 in the diet refer to the 7 days of a week. In the 5:2 diet, the followers eat according to their routine for 5 days a week but limit calorie intake to 500 or 600 during the remaining 2 days.
This diet does not restrict the type of food you eat. Also, since it allows you to consume anything you want for five days, this diet is more like a lifestyle. Another thing to note about the 5:2 diet is that although it does not give any guidelines on what and what not to eat, you cannot consume too much junk food and expect to lose weight.
Although it seems easy, as there are no strict guidelines, following the 5:2 diet can pose various challenges. For instance, it allows you to eat routinely for five days, meaning adopting to fasting for the remaining two days will be difficult. Moreover, there are also chances of fainting during the fasting days.
Following the 5:2 diet can give you all the benefits of intermittent fasting. It can help reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, decrease blood pressure and oxidative stress, improve appetite resistance and reduce cardiovascular risks.
Since this diet involves fasting, it is best suited for those who don’t have a habit of binge eating. Moreover, pregnant women should not follow this diet as fasting can adversely affect them.
Raw Vegan Diet
The raw vegan diet, as the name implies, is a diet plan that combines veganism with raw foodism. Besides the health benefits, the raw vegan diet is also good for the environment. Whether you do it for ethics, environment or health, a raw vegan diet can help reduce weight, improve heart health and reduce diabetes risks.
This diet can be challenging for those who do not follow veganism. Moreover, you must also have a habit of eating raw food. This is not the right diet plan if you can’t do that. But if you can, it can be highly beneficial.
The raw vegan diet can help improve your digestion. Also, since it restricts consuming meat and other animal-origin products, it reduces bad cholesterol levels, improving your heart health. Studies also show that people who follow the raw vegan diet also have better dental health than those who don’t.
Conclusions
Be it the warrior diet, the 5:2 diet, the zone diet or others, following the diets mentioned in this article can be challenging. However, if you can follow them, they can also offer you a vast range of benefits that can help prevent and fight against numerous life-changing medical conditions. Learn what you need and select the right sustainable diet plan to address your requirements.