Do you want to lose weight but are having a little trouble finding your way among all the existing types of diets? This is normal: they are very numerous and all have different characteristics. Here is a small summary to better understand each plan and perhaps find the one that suits you. Follow the links to find out more about each of them!
The paleo or paleolithic diet
The paleo diet, or Paleolithic diet, is inspired by our genetic profile. It consists of taking up an ancestral diet: that of hunter-gatherers. Beneficial for weight loss and fitness, it acts on our satiety with great efficiency. Better still, it has real benefits for health, with a reduced risk of the appearance of cardiovascular disorders or cancer. This diet recommends the consumption of lean meats (poultry, turkey and veal) and fish. Fruits (rich in antioxidants and low in sugar) and vegetables are a big part of this diet. A paleo plate is 50% vegetables.
The ketogenic diet among the leading diets of the moment
The ketogenic diet is based on a limited consumption of carbohydrates and proteins, and very high in good fats . This very restrictive diet is generally followed with medical or nutritional support. It promotes weight loss and has a positive effect on health, especially in the event of cancer or cognitive disorders (in prevention or treatment). Under this diet, the effects of fasting are reproduced, as the level of glucose in the blood drops sharply. It is estimated that it involves consuming 90% fat, 8% protein and only 2% carbohydrates.
The Dukan diet among the various diets
The Dukan diet is a high protein and low calorie diet, which is divided into four phases. An attack phrase that induces rapid weight loss, cruise phase, consolidation and stabilization. The sole objective of this diet is to induce rapid and considerable weight loss, despite the health risks that this represents. Its aggressive effects on the organs and mechanisms of the body make it a dangerous diet, contraindicated for many people. The Dukan diet is also often considered too restrictive and too acidic for the body. In addition, it causes a considerable yoyo effect for many.
The Okinawa diet
The Okinawa diet is based on the diet of Okinawans, who are the inhabitants of a Japanese island called Okinawa. This island is known to be the place where the most centenarians in the world are concentrated! It relies on the calorie restriction involved in stopping eating before reaching satiety . This diet also consists of developing meals based on the energy density of foods (ED). It is then necessary to favor foods with low energy density and limit or avoid those with a high DE. This is how the calorie restriction that makes the success of this diet on the longevity and health of the inhabitants of the island of Okinawa operates.
The Mediterranean diet
As its name suggests, this diet includes only dishes from Mediterranean cuisine and local products such as olive oil and fish. It aims to extend the life expectancy of people who follow it and who suffer from cardiovascular disorders. The Mediterranean diet then promotes the consumption of plants (fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, etc.), quality fats (vegetable oils, avocado, etc.) and whole/integral cereals. Sugar, industrial products and meat have a restricted place. In this diet, weight loss is not a priority: it is the beneficial aspect for health that is sought.
The gluten-free diet
The gluten-free diet involves avoiding all products containing gluten. It is a mixture of products (glutamine, gliadin) present in some general foods such as wheat, spelled, rye and barley. Many industrial products also contain gluten, which is used as a binder. Some people are sensitive, intolerant or even allergic to gluten. Therefore, they must remove it from their diet. Overall, the gluten-free diet seems to be beneficial for everyone, especially when it comes to intestinal well-being. Without knowing it, many people have an intolerance to this substance and it is beneficial for them to avoid it.
The different diets: the vegetarian diet
The vegetarian diet consists in banishing the consumption of animal flesh: meat, fish, shellfish. On the other hand, it tolerates the consumption of honey, eggs and dairy products. This diet is most often followed for ethical reasons (animal welfare, ecology), and not for the sake of weight loss or health. To follow it, it is necessary to draw its proteins from eggs, dairy products as well as vegetable proteins. As in the context of an omnivorous diet, the balance of meals must be preserved with a share of proteins, one of carbohydrates and of course, one of lipids! If a person does not eat meat, but fish and shellfish, he is a pesca-vegetarian.
The vegan or vegan diet
The vegan diet bans all products and foods that come directly from animals or their exploitation. This includes meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, dairy products, eggs and honey. A vegan is vegan if he applies the same guidelines when buying his cosmetics, textiles and other products. It is above all a way of life, which takes into consideration animal welfare and the ethical question raised by the exploitation of living beings. It can also be a choice of ecological and sustainable conviction. Vitamin B12 supplementation should be considered as soon as animal products are stopped.
The flexitarian diet
The flexitarian diet is a mode of food consumption that combines vegetarianism with the classic diet (omnivorism). Clearly, flexitarians do not exclude any product from their diet, but they limit their consumption of animal flesh to the strict minimum. This is also a way of life and a choice that makes it possible to respect certain ethical and/or ecological values. You don’t become a flexitarian to lose weight. However, it can help limit cardiovascular risk if you follow a healthy and balanced diet.
The low calorie diet
A low calorie diet is a diet aimed at losing weight. To lose weight sustainably and healthily, it is not enough to operate a calorie restriction. We must continue to provide the body with all the nutrients that are essential for it to function properly. The low-calorie diet therefore consists of inducing a calorie restriction and carrying out a substantial weight loss, while preserving the nutrients essential to the body. He opposes, for example, the Dukan diet which does not take into account the nutritional needs of the body and involves too rapid weight loss.
The chrononutrition diet
Chrononutrition is a dietary program aimed at losing weight. It is mainly aimed at those who wish to get back into shape and good eating habits over the long term. On the menu, there are portions developed according to the size and morphotype of each. Meal times are just as important as their content and must be respected. If this slimming diet is very permissive, it nevertheless implies a great rigor in the schedules. In addition, it is not a temporary diet: it therefore involves maintaining the same eating habits throughout life.
Diets: the Atkins diet
The Atkins diet is based on the book “Dr Atkins Diet Revolution” published in the 1970s by Dr. Atkins. According to him, you have to remove carbohydrates from your diet to force the body to draw on its energy resources: the fat accumulated in the body. This promotes the production of ketone bodies, as the ketogenic diet does. However, the Atkins diet is distinguished by its highly restrictive nature. It directly impacts the pleasure of eating and causes a decrease in interest in food, which obviously involves significant weight loss. It is quite a controversial diet.
The Seignalet diet
Developed by Jean Seignalet, the Seignalet diet is a hypotoxic diet. It consists in regulating the pathological processes of the organism thanks to an ancestral diet. All this by promoting the regeneration of the intestinal wall. The primary goal of this diet is not to induce weight loss, but to relieve the symptoms of incurable diseases such as autoimmune diseases. This diet involves the exclusion of modern cereals, milk of animal origin or even products cooked at more than 110 degrees. It also requires favoring foods from organic farming. Rest assured: this diet is not as restrictive as you might think.
Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting aims to revitalize the body through detoxification and purification. It is based on resting the entire digestive system and significant caloric restriction. Very fashionable, it has been a real success lately. Intermittent fasting therefore requires alternating meals and periods of fasting. Weight loss is a direct effect of this specific diet. The ideal is to have you followed by a health professional to set up the program that suits you best: intermittent fasting 5/2, intermittent fasting eat-stop-eat, intermittent fasting one out of two…
