The 5 Most Popular Diets Of 2015

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Best Diets of 2015

With so many diets out there nowadays, it can be difficult to find one which suits you. That?s why we?ve put together the pros and cons of five diets to help you choose the best weight loss plan:

1. The 5:2 Diet

Based on the principle of intermittent fasting (IF), this diet requires you to eat for five days and fast on the other two. Supporters claim that not only can you lose weight using the 5:2 diet, but also improve lifespan, brain function and prevent the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer?s.

Pros: Sticking to a meal plan for two days a week is a lot more achievable than seven days, so you?re likelier to maintain this way of eating.

Cons: The non-restricted days do not mean you can whatever you want. You still need to make healthy food choices whilst staying active. Skipping meals could lead to dizziness, loss of energy and poor concentration levels.

2. Paleo Diet

Also known as the caveman diet, this weight loss plan was Google?s most searched for diet in 2013. It involves eating food which was historically hunted (meat and seafood) and gathered (nuts, seeds, and fruits).

Pros: It encourages you to eat less processed foods whilst also increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables. Lowering your consumption of high-calorie foods will, in turn, help you lose weight.

Cons: There isn?t any solid evidence of the diet of our Stone Age ancestors, meaning the paleo diet is largely based on educated guesswork. In addition, like many high-protein diets, it can be expensive to buy for.

3. Alkaline Diet

This diet is based off the idea that our bodies produce too much acid. Supporters believe that the excess acid turns into fat, leading to weight gain. Therefore, you are required to cut back on acid-producing foods such as caffeine, dairy products and refined sugars.

Pros: There are a lot of healthy food choices in there, like restricting your amount of meat intake, avoiding alcohol and processed foods. The diet also promotes the consumption of fruit, veg and seeds.

Cons: When cutting back on dairy products such as cheese, milk and yoghurt, you need to find a calcium substitute as it?s never healthy to cut out an entire food group. Also, getting to grips with what you can and can?t eat can be time consuming, especially when you?re starting out.

4. Slimming World Diet

Slimming World encourages you to swap high-fat foods for low-fat foods that are naturally filling. It allows you to choose from a list of ?Free Foods? like pasta, fruit and lean meat, which you can eat in unlimited amounts.

Pros: No foods are banned so there is a good deal of variety and balance to each meal. The ?Body Magic? booklet that?s provided also contains some great ideas on how to increase your activity levels.

Cons: Slimming World doesn?t teach you the importance of calories. Without understanding this and portion sizes, you could struggle to keep the weight off over a long period of time.

5. Dukan Diet

This is a low-carb, high-protein diet, with no limit to how much you can eat during its four phases. Each phase is geared towards creating a gradual weight loss of 2lbs a week to maintain long-term weight management.

Pros: You can lose weight pretty quickly, which is great for motivation. Also, you don?t need to weigh food or count calories and it?s easy to follow.

Cons: Initially you may suffer from side-effects like tiredness, bad breath and insomnia from cutting out carbs. The lack of wholegrains and fruit and veg in the diet may cause problems such as constipation.