People eat various diets intended to increase longevity, prevent a particular disease, lose weight or manage a medical condition. Whatever reason you may have for following a specific diet plan, each has its pros and cons. The key to a healthy diet is to adhere to its guidelines, consume nutrient-dense foods and balance your calorie intake from foods with calorie expenditure from physical activity. Consult your doctor or nutritionist about your health and diet.
Mediterranean Diet
Scientific evidence demonstrates that the various Mediterranean diets can extend your longevity. And the traditional diet eaten by the Greeks from Crete prior to 1960 may be the healthiest of these, according to research by scientists at The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health in Washington, DC and published in the "Journal of Nutrition" in 2001. These foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, low-fat yogurt and cheese and fish with small amounts of poultry and red meat. Research by scientists at the University of Athens Medical School in Greece and published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in 2003 reports that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduction in death from coronary artery disease, cancer and other causes. The cons of the Mediterranean diet may be the difficulty adhering to a primarily plant-based diet if you are used to eating meat and potatoes and obtaining fresh, whole foods if you live in remote locations.
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet can reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. The diet limits your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, factors which can increase LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol. Lowering your LDL cholesterol levels can slow, stop or reverse the buildup of plaque, which blocks oxygenated blood from reaching your heart and may cause a heart attack or stroke. Saturated fat and cholesterol are found only in animal products, such as meat, egg yolks, whole milk and dairy. Trans fat is added to processed and fried foods. This diet stresses eating healthy fats, such as polyunsaturated fats from fish, nuts and vegetables and soluble fiber from plant-based foods. The cons of the diet are that you must shy away from eating some of the foods you enjoy that contain unhealthy fats, which may be easier said than done.
Weight Loss Diet
The pros of weight loss diets are that they enable you to lose excess fat and weight in the short-run, but the cons are that often they are associated with weight regain over the long term. Research by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in 2009 evaluated the effects of four diets on weight loss. They demonstrated that reduced-calories diets result in an average 7 percent weight loss during the first 6 months, regardless of the ratio of fat, carbohydrates and protein. The research also reports weight regain after 12 months.
Low Glycemic Diet
A low glycemic diet can help you manage your blood sugar, which is critical if you have diabetes. Low glycemic foods contain carbohydrates that your body absorbs slowly into your bloodstream and that your cells are able to readily convert into energy rather than store as fat. The cons of a low glycemic diet are determining which foods are low glycemic and creating a diet plan for each day to manage the total amount of carbohydrates you can consume.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010; 2010
- "Journal of Nutrition"; The Mediterranean Diets: What Is So Special About the Diet of Greece? The Scientific Evidence; A.P. Simopoulos; November 2001
- "New England Journal of Medicine"; Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Survival in a Greek Population; Antonia Trichopoulou et al.; June 26 2003
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC; 2005
- "New England Journal of Medicine"; Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates; Frank Sacks et al.; February 26 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load; 2010
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