Achieve a Healthy Body: Here are the Most Popular Diets this Year

Fad diets come and go, but just because a diet is relatively new doesn’t mean you should write it off. As more and more research into the human body’s complex metabolism gets released, we know an increasing amount about how we work and how we can optimize our eating habits to make dieting easier and/or more effective. Some diets this year have helped people worldwide achieve a healthy body weight, so if you are looking for dieting tips, give these popular new diets a try!

The DASH Diet

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and as the name suggests, the focus of this diet is to reduce the risks of high blood pressure. The purpose of this diet goes beyond short-term weight loss, as it is designed to improve your overall health long term. The main focus of this diet is to cut back on the amount of sodium you are consuming, as sodium is one of the major causes of high blood pressure.

Those following the DASH diet will look to increase the number of fruits, vegetables, and dairy in their diets. You must be particularly aware of the dairy you are eating as some dairy products have very high levels of salt. Sticking to the DASH diet does not mean that you have to cut out salt altogether; after all, a certain amount of salt is good for the body. While you don’t need to stop eating sodium completely, you are looking to have a big cut back on the amount of salt in your diet.

The Mediterranean Diet

It probably comes as no surprise that the Mediterranean diet is inspired by the foods that are typically eaten by the communities that live close to the Mediterranean Sea. There is some controversy over which foods specifically should be included in this diet. This is because this diet is inspired by a number of countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, and the cuisine does differ a little depending on location.

The Mediterranean diet is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. The diet is relatively low in animal products, including meat and milk, although cheeses are allowed. Those following the Mediterranean diet are encouraged to eat fish or seafood a few times a week.

The Mediterranean diet is not so much about following a strict regime, but rather it is there to act as a source of inspiration. While this diet is one of the most popular this year, it has been around for centuries. This is because the diet is simply the foods that are most easily accessible to the communities living around the Mediterranean Sea.

The PALEO Diet

The PALEO diet is another hugely popular diet that has sprung up this year. This diet is inspired by the foods that would have been eaten by people who were living in the Palaeolithic era, about 10,00 years ago.

The diet focuses mainly on lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. Namely, foods that the hunter-gathers could access. However, the diet has been somewhat modified to suit the modern-day. As nutritionists have found that you can create an alluring paleo diet by using seed butter on it.

The Flexitarian Diet

The flexitarian diet has become hugely popular, due in part to its health benefits and also to its environmental impact. As people are learning more about the effects animal and fish consumption has on the planet; the flexitarian diet is becoming more popular. The advantage of this diet is that you do not need to cut out animal products altogether completely. This diet, otherwise known as semi-vegetarianism, encourages you to focus on fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins when you have the chance.