THE 5 MOST POPULAR DIETS

There are literally hundreds of thousands of diets in the world. Some are for losing weight, others for weight gain, living a long and healthy life, etc. The word diet comes from Old French diete and Medieval Latin dieta meaning "a daily food allowance". The Latin word diaeta and Greek word diaita mean "a way of life, a regimen". A diet can be described as a set course of eating and drinking in which the kind and amount of food one should eat is been planned out in order to achieve weight loss or follow a certain lifestyle. Below is the list of 5 Most Popular Diets that are known worldwide:

ATKINS DIET

The Atkins Diet is a low-carb diet developed by Robert Atkins. He used the study to resolve his own overweight condition. He later spreas the method in a series of books. The Atkins Diet involves limited consumption of carbohydrates to switch the body’s metabolism from metabolizing glucose as energy over to converting stored body fat to energy. The Atkins Diet, also known as Atkins Nutritional Approach, focuses on regulating the levels of insulin in our bodies through diet. If we consume generous amount of refined carbs, our insulin levels will rise briskly and then fall immediately. Most people on the Atkins Diet consume a higher proportion of proteins than they normally do.

ZONE DIET

The Zone diet is a diet developed by Biochemist Barry Sears. It advocates consuming calories from carbohydrates and protein in a balance ratio. The Zone Diet aims for a nutritional balance of 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% protein each time we eat. It boosts the consumption of good quality carbohydrates that is unrefined, and fats such as olive oil, avocado and nuts.

VEGAN DIET

Vegan is a type of diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat food that is processed using animal products and products tested on animals. Vegans do not generally adopt veganism just for health reasons but also for environmental and ethical reasons as well. A vegan diet includes all grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits. There are also many Vegan versions of familiar foods in the market such as vegan hotdogs, ice cream, cheese, etc. Usually, people who decide to go vegan, choose to go vegetarian first and then slowly omit eggs and dairy.

SOUTH BEACH DIET

The South Beach Diet plan is developed by Cardiologist Arthur Agatston and Nutritionist Marie Almon. Its primary function was to prevent heart disease,  but in the early 2000s, it quickly gained popularity as means to lose weight. The South Beach Diet is relatively simple in principle. It replaces "bad carbs" and "bad fats" with "good carbs" and "good fats." Agatston categorized the South Beach Diet into three phases, each progressively becoming more liberal. "Phase 1" lasts for the first two weeks of the diet. It eliminates all sugars, processed carbohydrates, fruits, and some higher-glycemic vegetables as well. Its main purpose is to get rid of the hunger cycle. "Phase 2" continues as long as the dieter wishes to lose weight. It re-introduces most fruits and vegetables and some whole grains as well. "Phase 3" is the maintenance phase and lasts for life. There is no specific list of permitted and prohibited foods. People who follow the South Beach Diet is expected to take what they have learned and apply it to their life without any guidance. 

RAW FOOD DIET

The Raw Food Diet or Raw Foodism is a practice of eating only uncooked, unprocessed and often organic foods or wild foods. Raw foodists generally say that at least three-quarters of food intake should consist of uncooked food. A significant number of raw foodists are also vegans – they do not eat or drink anything which is animal based. There are four main types of raw foodists: raw vegetarians, raw vegans, raw omnivores and raw carnivores.