2017’s 6 Most Popular Diets – With Their Pros and Cons

When diet is mentioned, the first thought is weight loss , but this perception is gradually shifting toward healthy eating for a healthy life . With more than a hundred diet options worldwide, finding the right one can be difficult. Therefore, in this article we present the 6 most popular diets accepted worldwide, particularly as weight-loss methods, with their advantages, disadvantages and our final comments.

1) The 5:2 Diet

This diet is based on intermittent periods of hunger resembling fasting . Normal meals continue for 5 days, and fasting is practiced for the remaining two days. The 5:2 diet is claimed to improve brain function, extend lifespan and protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

However, few studies compare the 5:2 diet with other diets. A study in 2010 found that the 5:2 diet had the same weight-loss effect as calorie-restricted diets and reduced the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Evidence also suggests protection against obesity-related cancers such as postmenopausal breast cancer.

• Advantages: Because a 2-day regimen is easier than a 7-day regimen, adherence problems are less common and success rates increase. The 2-day fasting periods substantially reduce body fat, insulin resistance and rates of chronic disease.
• Disadvantages: Normal meals on 5 days do not mean unlimited eating. Although strict calorie tracking is unnecessary, meal choices should be healthy and you should remain physically active. The 2-day fasting periods may cause headaches, discomfort, dizziness, bad breath, thirst, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping.
• Comment: The 5:2 diet is one of the easier ways to restrict calories. Many versions exist. Therefore, a 2-day diet or similar program prepared by dietitians and based on healthy, balanced nutrition may be chosen. This allows healthy eating without deprivation of important vitamins and minerals, thirst, overeating or going hungry. Skipping meals is definitely not recommended if you are pregnant or have diabetes.

2) The Dukan Diet

The Dukan diet is based on low carbohydrate and high protein consumption. Meals are not restricted throughout its 4 phases. The key is adhering to the plan. The first phase consists of a strict lean-protein diet. Specified low-fat, high-protein foods such as chicken, turkey, eggs and fish should be consumed, while carbohydrates are severely restricted except for oat bran. This phase produces rapid weight loss in approximately 5 days.

Unlike the Atkins diet, the first phase of the Dukan diet avoids vegetables and especially fat. In the other three phases following the first, fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates are gradually added to meals. The aim is gradual weight loss of 1 kilo per week and long-term weight control. The final phase has no time limit. In this phase, a protein-only diet is followed one day a week and supplemented with regular exercise.

• Advantages: Rapid weight loss with this diet may be motivating. It is also easy to follow because there is no calorie counting or food weighing. Alongside low fat intake, low-salt and high-protein foods are unrestricted during the first two weeks.
• Disadvantages: At the start, carbohydrate restriction may cause bad breath, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia and nausea. Restricting grains, fruit and vegetables may cause constipation.
• Comment: Rapid weight loss may be motivating, but sustainability is difficult. Furthermore, because heavy consumption continues, it does not help with the main problem, food addiction . The Dukan diet is not balanced in vitamins and fiber. In this respect, failure to follow the rules poses long-term health risks. Attention to the phases is important for long-term health. The extreme restrictions in the first phase can also cause difficulty.

3) The Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet is also known as the Stone Age diet or caveman diet. It includes hunted and gathered foods such as meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, fruit, vegetables, greens and spices. It includes foods available through hunting and gathering in the Stone Age approximately 10000 years ago, while excluding agricultural foods such as grains, wheat, refined sugar, potatoes and salt. Paleo is also among low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets.

Its advocates claim that, along with long-term weight loss, it reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These effects have not yet been supported by large studies. One study found the same weight-loss effects as low-fat diets. Participants also showed improved triglyceride levels and reduced heart disease risk.

• Advantages: By avoiding high-calorie foods, the Paleo diet helps with weight loss through calorie restriction. The absence of calorie counting is advantageous for adherence. This diet also has an 80/20 rule . This rule says that if you follow the diet %80 of the time, you obtain %99 of the benefit. This flexibility increases success rates.
• Disadvantages: There is no conclusive evidence that Stone Age people ate this way; it is based on scientific estimates. Because it relies heavily on meat, it can be expensive like other protein-rich diets and difficult for vegetarians.
• Comment: Because Paleo excludes many food groups, it can cause nutritional deficiencies unless choices are made carefully. It also has positive aspects. Its adapted version bans no food group and may therefore be a good choice. The many restrictions and difficulties of the original diet may lead people to abandon it quickly.

4) The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet aims to turn our body into a fat-burning machine. The aim is to deprive ourselves of carbohydrates so that the body begins burning fat for energy. In the first phase, high protein, 20-25 g fat and low carbohydrate intake aim to produce rapid weight loss.

During the other three phases, weight loss is more controlled and supported by exercise. Adjusting carbohydrates according to exercise intensity is important for health. The first phase aims for a loss of 7-7.5 kilos in two weeks, falling to 1-1.5 kilos per week in the second phase.

• Advantages: Rapid weight loss is important for motivation. The Atkins diet also eliminates carbohydrate and alcohol consumption. Men prefer it because it includes foods such as red meat, butter, cheese and mayonnaise.
• Disadvantages: Restriction of carbohydrates and fibrous foods may cause bad breath, dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, nausea and constipation. High saturated fat intake also increases heart disease risk, while the salt recommendations add to concerns.
• Comment: The recommended amounts of processed meat, red meat, fat and salt conflict with healthy living recommendations. However, the rapid initial weight loss may motivate some individuals.

5) The Alkaline Diet

The alkaline diet is based on the hypothesis that foods consumed in a normal diet produce excessive acid, which then turns into fat and causes weight gain.

Instead of meat, wheat, grains, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and processed foods that increase acid production during digestion, alkaline foods that lower body acid levels are preferred. Plenty of fruit and vegetables are recommended as alkaline foods. The aim is to reduce body acid levels. Several versions exist. The popular 80/20 rule consists of %80 fruit and vegetables and %20 grains and protein.

This diet was actually designed to lower urine acidity and prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections. Weight loss results from healthy eating recommendations: replacing sugar, processed foods and alcohol removed from meals with fruit and vegetables.

• Advantages: Removing certain foods from meals and replacing them with fruit- and vegetable-based meals also shows that choosing healthy foods results in calorie restriction.
• Disadvantages: Our body regulates acid-base balance. When foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt are restricted, the body becomes deficient in calcium. Restricting entire food groups is not appropriate either.
• Comment: The alkaline diet aims to regulate body acid levels through dietary changes, but our body already maintains this balance independently of diet. It should be avoided because of insufficient evidence and the restriction of entire food groups in some versions. If an alkaline diet is chosen, select a more balanced version incorporating all food groups.

- Related topic: What Is the Alkaline Diet? Does It Benefit Cancer? 

6) The South Beach Diet

This diet is based on consuming low-glycemic-index foods . It was originally intended for people with heart disease. There is no calorie counting or portion restriction. A program of 3 meals, 2 snacks and exercise is followed. People wishing to lose more than 5 kilos must begin at phase 1. Phase 1 aims for rapid weight loss over 2 weeks by consuming lean protein from foods such as meat, fish and chicken, low-glycemic-index vegetables and unsaturated fat. Low-glycemic-index carbohydrates are added in phases 2 and 3, enabling gradual, lasting weight loss.

• Advantages: Starting at phase 2 involves fewer food restrictions than other popular diets. After phase 2, general healthy eating rules apply. Fruit, vegetables and low-glycemic-index carbohydrates are recommended without restricting important food groups.
• Disadvantages: Restrictions in phase 1 may cause fatigue. Bad breath, dry mouth, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, nausea and constipation may occur.
• Comment: Phase 1 can be very demanding, and within 2 weeks, losing 6.5 kilos can be concerning. Not all weight lost is fat; water and carbohydrates are also lost. Lost weight can easily return with normal meals. After phase 1, the aim is to remain healthy through the basic principles of healthy eating.

Conclusion

As you can see, the secret is not eating, but not eating. Unfortunately, we struggle to accept this reality and pursue diets that are mostly unhealthy and unsustainable in the long term. Whichever diet you follow, increasing fruit and vegetables and reducing the total energy obtained from food, called “calorie restriction,” is the shared principle. Do not despair; learningthat it is possible to live by eating less will be the most valuable step toward overcoming food addiction.