Diets

Hey Guys! Welcome to another edition of Caribbean Fit and this week we will be discussing dieting. Over recent years within the Caribbean and the world over new diet trends have been emerging rapidly. I am sure this has been very confusing for persons all over the world not knowing which diet is right for them. So, with all that in mind we will discuss different diets that are trending and how to choose the right one for your needs.

Firstly, we need to define what a diet really is. A diet is what a person eats or consumes on a daily basis, in other words it is the eating habits of an individual. Therefore, we can say that everyone who eats is on a diet. However, when we talk about the different diets that are emerging such as the gluten free or paleo diet, they are referred to as specialized diets. Persons often adopt a specialized diet to gain some kind of benefit like weight management or to combat a particular health issue. We will discuss the Paleo, Macrobiotic, Gluten Free and Ketogenic diets and how to choose a diet that is right for you.

Paleo Diet: this diet also known as the Caveman diet takes into consideration the eating habits of cavemen who only ate food that they hunted or gathered. This diet includes meat, fish, nuts and seeds (except peanuts), vegetables and fruits and excludes dairy. This diet is high in protein and low in carbohydrates and saturated fats.

Paleo Diet

Macrobiotic Diet: This diet is based on balance (yin and yang). It involves lots of organic whole grains, vegetables, fruits, bean and bean products and occasional fish. The consumption of meat and poultry, processed foods and refined sugars are excluded from this diet type. This diet is high in fibre, low in fat and contains lots of prebiotics for digestive health.

Gluten Free Diet: Gluten refers to a particular protein which is found in wheat, rye and barley products. Some persons are not able to digest this gluten found in the above products due to Celiac disease and /or a gluten sensitivity which has adverse effects on the body. Therefore, the gluten free diet was created for them. This diet prohibits the consumption any food products which contain the protein gluten within it.

Ketogenic Diet: This diet is low on carbs and high in fat. In my previous post on carbs I told you that carbohydrates are the main fuel source of the body. Fats as mentioned in previous post is a secondary fuel source and is therefore only used when there is a lack of carbohydrates. Due to the low carb nature of the ketogenic diet, and high fat content forces the body to use fat as its fuel source, in the form of Ketone bodies which is the form of fat produced by the liver when it is broken down and used as a fuel source. Hence the name ketogenic diet.

ketogenic diet 

Now that we have looked at some diets in depth we can see that every diet has its purpose and it all depends on a persons needs or interest. From previous post on the 3 macro-nutrients as well as the balanced diet post we can see the dangers and or short falls of these specialized diets. I have always said to people that the best diet you can ever have is a balanced diet(refer to balanced diet post). A diet that is not lob-sided and involves a variety of foods from a variety of food groups. Unless you have a health issue, a diet should not be restrictive (except refined sugars and processed foods), what should be of importance is portion control and nutritive benefits. Chances are when you are leaving out a particular macro-nutrient from your diet, you are omitting a vitamin, nutrient or mineral which is of particular importance to the body. So don't try every diet you see, know what's best for you, do your research and move accordingly.
*All Images courtesy Google

Until next time, take care of yourselves.😘😘