The best diet for health and weight loss

Most of us will want to go on a diet at some stage. Trouble is, these days there are so many different types. Keto, paleo, fasting, detox, carb-cycling, gluten-free, blood type, Dukan, Atkins, Zone, DASH, South Beach… It can be about as hard to pick a diet as it is to stick to one. So which one is the best diet for health and weight loss?

In the age of social media, it’s become even more confusing. Influencers of all shapes and sizes claim their diet philosophy is the best thing ever, and can do everything from getting you back into your skinny jeans to bringing about world peace.

Well, what does science have to say about it? First off, research in the medical journal BMJ has revealed that most diets will lead to “modest” weight loss and lower blood pressure. However, these effects usually disappear after a year.

But there was one diet that continued to deliver health benefits. The study found that those on the Mediterranean diet saw continued improvement in “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.

Another study from the University of Otago, New Zealand, found that among overweight adults who followed the Mediterranean, intermittent fasting (IF) and paleo diets for a period of 12 months, there were some weight loss and health benefits. However, adherence to the diets dropped off “considerably” during the course of the year.

Med, IF, paleo: what’s the difference?

The paleo diet consists of mostly less-processed foods with an emphasis on eating fruit and veg, animal proteins, nuts, coconut products, and extra virgin olive oil.

With intermittent fasting, it varies. Some people limit their energy intake to about 25 percent of their usual diet on just two days per week. That’s an average of only 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men. This is known as 5:2intermittent fasting. Others reduce their eating time to only a six-to-eight-hour window every day.

The Mediterranean diet encourages the consumption of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain bread and cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, and olive oil with moderate amounts of fish, chicken, eggs and dairy. Red meat is eaten once a week or less.

During the study, while there was more reported weight loss with IF dieting, this loss was still “modest”. The Mediterranean diet, on the other hand, not only led to weight loss, it also improved blood sugar levels and blood pressure. After the year-long study, more people on the Mediterranean diet had also stuck with their program. So if you consider these results, the Med diet appears to be the best diet for health and weight loss.

“If you want to try a diet, you want it to be a tasty one,” says nutritionist Rick Hay. “The Mediterranean diet is definitely tasty, and it’s also quite a colourful diet. The more colour that you can get from your fruits and veg, the bigger the antioxidant boost.”

All the good stuff

The Mediterranean diet also includes a moderate amount of red wine, which is not just good for helping you relax at the end of a long day. It’s also a source of a compound called resveratrol, which has been found to prolong lifespan.

“The only downside here is that you would need a lot more than just a glass of red to get a therapeutic dose,” Hay says. “However, you are getting a lot of synergistic phytonutrients together with the resveratrol in the wine, so there are lots of benefits to be had from it.”

Hay’s top tip to lose weight? Just do a couple of vegetarian or vegan days each week.

“It’s easy and you’re getting all the good stuff from the Mediterranean diet,” he says. “All the fruit, vegies and legumes. Plus, you’ll get more fibre, which helps you to feel full.

“Just make sure to avoid processed vegan foods or too much cheese if you’re doing vegetarian. If you do that a few days a week, I think you can lose a lot of weight.”

Some of the many (many) benefits of a Mediterranean diet