Top 5 Diet Plans That Promote Good Eating Habits

Let's face it!

Whether you're vegan or you like your steak well done like me, your love for food is eternal. Not only is it essential to survive, but the satisfaction one gets from a delicious & hard earned meal after a long day's work isn't easy to beat.

However, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. And that sadly goes for food as well. Problems like morbid obesity, cardiovascular & diabetic disorders can all be caused due to a poor diet.

So to make sure you all have a healthy and prosperous life, I'll be covering 5 of the best medically recommended diets in the world.

Let's start off with a modern take on an old classic.

The Flexitarian Diet is a spin on the Vegetarian Diet. You see, the traditional diet had you totally skipping out on any sort of meats. However, with this diet, you're still allowed to consume a certain type of proteins as long you maximize your vegetable uptake.

a. Basic Plan

• The Flexitarian Diet is generally a 5 week plan. You can have breakfast, lunch, dinner & a snack, and you can't exceed over 1500 calories a day.
• For this diet, you'll have to consider 5 essential food groups; Non-meat proteins like eggs & beans, fruits & vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and carbs

b. Benefits

• You allowed to eat out and drink alcohol.
• It's recipes are easy to follow
• You can find detailed meal & grocery lists for this diet.
• It has a lot of variety to it. You can have anything from a tomato sandwich to a grilled cheese sandwich.

c. Who Should Follow It?

• It's good for weight loss, since it helps you shed off those extra pounds without actually starving you.
• Anyone suffering from cardiovascular or diabetic disorders should definitely consider this diet.

This diet was originally designed by The National Institute of Health (NIH) in 1985 as part of their National Cholesterol Education Program. So, there's no denying its authenticity.

a. Basic Plan

• For this diet plan to work, you can't have more than 5 ounces of meat a day, and your options are turkey, fish & skinless chicken.
• You're allowed 2-3 servings of low-fat or non-fat dairy.
• Fruits & vegetables are a crucial part of this diet. You can have up to 4 servings of fruits and 5 servings of vegetables a day.
• 2500 calories a day for men and 1800 a day for women are recommended by NIH

b. Benefits

• You can find several books that help you follow this diet plan.
• You're allowed to go out to restaurants and have high carb foods like french fries from time to time.
• This diet is high in fiber and proteins. So, it's safe to say you won't feel hungry anytime soon.

c. Who Should Follow It?

• Anyone who suffers from high blood cholesterol or heart related issues should definitely follow this diet plan.

Keeping up on our trend of medically approved diet plans, this one comes directly from The Mayo Clinic & it aims to kill two birds with one stone; weight loss & safe blood sugar levels.

What this diet does best is that it replaces all your unhealthy eating habits with healthy ones. You basically eat more but consume less calories than before.

a. Basic Plan

According to The Mayo Clinic's Diet Guide, it has two parts; "Lose It" & "Live It".

• In Lose It, the main focus goes towards your breakfast. You only get to eat fruits, veggies, whole grains & healthy fats. You also need to add 30 minutes of exercise & snacks aren't allowed. You have to follow this part for 2 weeks.
• Live It then follows up on the first part by helping you make a well detailed diet plan according to your preference. So, let's say you want 1400 calories a day, then you'll be allowed 4 servings of fruits & veggies, 5 of carbs, 4 of proteins & 3 of fats

b. Benefits

• As long as you follow Mayo Clinic's food pyramid, you're good to eat out.
• Mayo Clinic has a cookbook & a basic guide for this diet plan available on their website.
• This plan heavily favors fruits & veggies. So, you won't go hungry & you'll stay in great shape.

c. Who Should Follow It?

• If you're looking for a good weight loss program, then you should strictly follow this diet.
• I'd highly recommend this plan for diabetics since it's pretty effective in lowering blood sugar levels.

You can already tell from its name what this diet plan is for. DASH has been hailed by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for combating hypertension.

DASH keeps you away from foods high in saturated fats and focuses on the most basic food groups. In short, its simple, easy to follow, and extremely effective against high blood pressure

a. Basic Plan

• DASH focuses on fruits & veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low fat dairy.
• Unlike most diet plans, DASH takes a slow & steady approach. It makes you add 1 serving of fruits or veggies to your diet & eliminate 1 serving of meats per week.
• It replaces chips with nuts & dry fruits, and white flour with whole wheat flour
• It also encourages a 15 min walk after lunch & dinner.

b. Benefits

• There's a ton of recipes available for DASH.
• It's one of the simplest & easiest diets to follow.
• It's high fiber & lean protein setup ensures you won't feel hungry after a meal.

c. Who Should Follow It?

• It's obvious that DASH was created with an intended purpose in mind. My advice is anyone with high blood pressure should really consider this diet.

Our top entry is based off a handful of local diets from countries bordering The Mediterranean Sea.

The reason? Natives from that region have a longer & healthier lifestyle than most countries with much less chances of developing cancer or cardiovascular disorders.

a. Basic Plan

• Unlike our other entries, this isn't a structure diet. Yes, there are defined food groups. But how many calories you take or how much weight you lose depends solely on your preferences.
• The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid covers a lot of food groups such as;

1. Fruits & veggies.
2. Whole grains, beans, nuts & olives.
3. Flavorful herbs & spices.
4. Fish & seafood at least twice a week.
5. Poultry, eggs, cheese & yogurt in moderation.
6. Sweets & red meat for special occasions.
7. 1-2 glasses of Red wine a day (only if you want to).

b. Benefits

• It's very convenient to follow.
• You'll find many guides & recipes on this diet.
• It is effective against a number of diseases, disorders and for weight loss.
• With its massive range & variety, it's a safe bet you won't complain about feeling hungry.

c. Who Should Follow It

• People looking to lose weight
• Anyone suffering from hypertension, cardiovascular disorders or diabetes.
• People who have been diagnosed with cancer should also consider this diet, as it's believed to be effective against treating cancer-related symptoms.