HEALTHY BODY ยท JANUARY 2019
TOP
HEALTHIEST
LIFESTYLE DIETS
ad diets come and go, but the diets with staying power are those that are
simple. Dieters no longer want to weigh and measure or buy expensive food
and ingredients to look and feel healthier.
1. Mediterranean Diet 2. Pritikin Diet
The Mediterranean diet is the number one
healthy lifestyle diet that delivers on all things
healthy. It's based on the traditional ways
people in countries like Greece and Italy used
to eat.
Compared to the way people in America eat,
this diet proves to be exceptionally healthy.
People who follow this diet all their lives have a
lower risk of developing lifestyle diseases.
The Pritikin diet is a low-fat, high-fiber diet
created by Nathan Pritikin in the late 1970s. It
focuses on eating fresh whole foods such as
vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fruits. It
is significantly less expensive to eat this way
because meats and processed foods tend to be
far more expensive.
This diet has been tweaked by Robert Pritikin,
Nathan's son, since its inception. It still focuses
on plant-based foods and adheres to the very
Many studies have found that following the
low-in-fat original concept, but in addition to
Mediterranean diet will result in weight loss
those concepts, it also calls for a calorie density
and may even help prevent heart attack, stroke, solution.
type 2 diabetes, and premature death. The best
part? There is no right way to follow this diet.
According to Robert, the main concern isn't
At its most basic, you should:
the number of calories, rather how dense they
are in any given food. The overall idea
- Eat vegetables, seeds, whole grains,
is to avoid calorie dense foods,
bread, nuts, potatoes, legumes, seafood,
meaning they should
and extra virgin olive oil
have fewer calories per
- Eat red meat only rarely
pound.
- Eat cheese, yogurt, and poultry in
Like his father, he
moderation (no more than twice per week) has compiled a list of
- Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages,
"go" foods (foods you
processed meats, highly processed foods,
should eat), "caution"
refined oils, refined grains, and trans fats
foods (foods you should
Drink
eat in moderation), and
- water, red wine, and unsweetened coffee "stop" foods (foods and
and tea
ingredients you should avoid).
3. The Flexitarian Diet
The Flexitarian Diet is a mostly plant-based
diet but allows room for some meat and other
animal products, if eaten in moderation.
Created by dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner, this
diet was designed to help people reap all the
benefits of vegetarian eating without having to
sacrifice the foods they love; hence, the name
flexitarian. It allows for some flexibility for
those who may not want to give up meat and
dairy products.
There are no clear-cut rules for the Flexitarian
Diet. You don't have to worry about watching
or calculating the number of calories or
macronutrients you consume. This is more of a
lifestyle change than a diet.
The Flexitarian Diet is based
on these principles:
- Eat mostly fruit,
vegetables, whole
grains and legumes.
- Focus on protein
from plants, not
animals.
- Remain flexible. Incorporate
animal and meat products in
moderation.
- Limit the amount of processed foods
you eat. Try instead to eat foods in their
This diet is recommended by physicians and
most natural form.
dieticians worldwide because it focuses on
healthy, natural foods that are easily accessible - Limit sweets and added sugars.
and can help people lose weight in a sensible
way.
By Eilleen Smith
18 HEALTHY
HEALTHY MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
18