Your diet consists of the foods and beverages you eat and drink. Your dietary needs may differ depending on factors such as age, health, weight, religion and value system. Low-fat diets rose to popularity during the 1990s to help shed unwanted pounds and prevent heart disease. However, scientific evidence provided by the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial shows no benefits for a low-fat diet.
Vegetarian
People become vegetarians for a variety of reasons, including opposition to animal cruelty, reducing their risk of contracting a chronic disease and becoming obese. The American Dietetic Association reports a vegetarian diet may reduce your chances of becoming hypertensive and diabetic. A well-balanced vegetarian diet supplies an adequate amount of the protein, vitamins and minerals your body needs. Protein in a vegetarian diet comes chiefly from beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, eggs and dairy products.
Several types of vegetarian diets accommodate the dietary needs and wants of different people. The most well-known form of vegetarianism is a lacto-ovo vegetarian. You simply cut meat out of your diet and eat all other foods. A vegan eats plant foods only and eliminates other animal products, including milk, eggs and honey. Semi-vegetarians eliminate some meats, like beef, or only eat meat occasionally.
Lactose-Free
People with insufficient ability to digest lactose eat a lactose-free diet. Lactose is a sugar found in milk and milk products produced by the cells lining the wall of your small intestine.
Adults and older Americans are the most likely to have a lactose-intolerance, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians and Asian Americans are the most likely to suffer from lactose-intolerance, and Americans of northern European descent are the least likely.
Many people on a lactose-free diet do not have to avoid all milk products all the time. Lactose-free milk contains lactase enzymes that pre-digest the lactose contained in the milk.
Reduced-Calorie
Weight loss happens only when you burn more calories than you consume. A reduced-calorie diet facilitates weight loss and helps overweight and obese adults maintain that weight loss, according to a study paid for by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The results published in the Feb. 26, 2009, issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine" found that by eating high-fiber foods and reducing calorie intake, participants lost an average of 13 pounds in six months.
Simple ways to reduce calories include switching-to low fat dairy products, reducing portion sizes, eating lean proteins, and avoiding foods and beverages with added sugars.
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