Whether you’re trying to shed a few pounds or incorporate healthier eating habits, we’ve all tried some form of dieting.
Over the past years, the number of different dietary patterns has grown exponentially. Therefore the amount of misinformation about them has increased.
In April, the American Heart Association took a hard look at some of the most popular diets.
“The new scientific statement is the first to analyze how closely popular dietary patterns adhere to those features, and the guidance is focused on being adaptable to individual budgets as well as personal and cultural preferences.”
The Diets that were reviewed:
- DASH-style: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; a diet focusing on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, low-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry, along with fish and non-tropical oils. Examples: The Nordic and Baltic Diets
- Mediterranean-style: Limits dairy; emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, and extra virgin olive
- Vegetarian/Pescatarian: Plant based and includes fish
- Vegetarian/Ovo/Lacto: Plant based eating patterns that includes eggs, dairy products, or both
- Low-fat: Limits fat intake to less than 30% of total calories
- Very Low Fat: Limits fat intake to less than 10% of calories
- Low-carbohydrate: Limits carbohydrates to 30-40% of total calorie intake
- Paleolithic (Paleo): Excludes whole and refined grains, oils, and dairy
- Very low carbohydrate/ketogenic: Limits carbohydrate intake to less than 10% of daily calories. Examples – Atkins and Keto
Each diet was scored on how well each feature adhered to the American Heart Association’s –
(The only requirement for every diet was “minimize the intake of foods and beverages with added sugars”)
- Tier 1:Highest-rated eating plans (Scores higher than 85)
DASH-style [received a perfect score] and Mediterranean-style
- Tier 2: Vegan & Low-Fat Diets (Scores 78-85)
- Tier 3: Very low-fat and low-carb (Scores 55-74)
- Tier 4: Paleolithic and Very low-carb/Ketogenic Diets (Scores less than 55)
The top-scoring diets have an emphasis on whole grains which “not only reduce cardiovascular risk but also cancer risk but also cancer risk and other ailments, like diabetes.”
Some other tips:
If following a keto or paleo-style diet, eating more unsaturated fats could help.
If eating red meat, then it should be lean.
Make sure to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, choose healthy sources of protein, and minimize processed foods.