With so much information out there about dieting for weight loss and new diets being introduced all the time, finding the best option for you can be more than a little confusing. Everyone is different and what works for one person may not necessarily work for you. Even if a diet works for you, it’s often difficult to stick with it. It’s best to eat healthily overall, all the time.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most popular diets of the moment and the benefits of each one.
If you are underweight, dieting is not suitable for you. If you have a BMI of less than 18.5, or over 40, please contact your GP for advice.
The 5/2 Diet
The 5/2 diet is a form of intermittent fasting. You eat how you usually would for five days of the week and restrict your calories to 500 for two days of the week. This diet significantly reduces your calorie intake over the course of the week and as a result, it aids weight loss. There are no strict rules on what you can and can’t eat but for the best results, make healthy dining choices. Fasting may have many advantages, including potential to promote weight loss, improve cardiovascular health and reduce blood sugar.
The 16/8 Diet
Similar to the popular 5/2 diet, the 16/8 diet involves fasting for 16 hours per day. Rather than reducing calories, you simply eat your daily calories within an 8-hour window. The diet works by restricting the number of hours that you consume food and there are no forbidden food groups, however, for the best results, it is advised to stick to healthy options.
The Dash Diet
Dash stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This type of diet is designed to lower blood pressure and it also has a positive effect on heart health. It includes protein-rich foods, cutting out refined sugars to aid weight loss, while keeping blood sugar levels on an even keel. Rather than restricting calories or eating at certain times of the day, The Dash Diet works on the principles of opting for healthier food choices and cutting out the empty calories found in processed food.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet focuses on healthy food inspired by traditional Mediterranean cuisine and is mostly plant-based. Food options include fish, vegetables, fruit, olive oil, nuts and grains. This style of diet is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. There are no strict rules on portion size or calorie intake but it does have an emphasis on healthy fats and is designed to be implemented alongside a regular exercise regimen.
Understand more about your nutrition needs
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Download the app below and take the Nutrition Check to see how healthy your diet is.
- Barnosky, Adrienne, Kristin K. Hoddy, Terry G. Unterman, Krista A. Varady, (2014) “Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes prevention: a review of human findings”,
Translational Research, Volume 164, Issue 4, Pages 302-311, ISSN 1931-5244. - Malinowski, Bartosz, Klaudia Zalewska, Anna Węsierska, Maya M. Sokołowska, Maciej Socha, Grzegorz Liczner, Katarzyna Pawlak-Osińska, and Michał Wiciński. (2019) “Intermittent Fasting in Cardiovascular Disorders—An Overview” Nutrients 11, no. 3: 673.
- Yuan, X., Wang, J., Yang, S., Gao, M., Cao, L., Li, X., Hong, D., Tian, S., & Sun, C. (2022). Effect of Intermittent Fasting Diet on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Impaired Glucose and Lipid Metabolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International journal of endocrinology, 2022, 6999907.
