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Atkins: low-carbohydrate eating plan developed by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins in the 1960s. The diet calls for a reduction or elimination of carbs, with a focus on protein consumption at every meal. Traditionally, the recommended protein allotment was typically of animal origin, but currently there are accomodations in this diet for vegetarians and vegans (1).
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Bulletproof diet: offers strategies to revert back to a wholesome, additive-free diet without calorie counting. Incorporates concepts of intermittent fasting, consuming healthy fats, and choosing organic produce and grass-fed animal products. It also advises to eliminate artificial and overprocessed ingredients, including sweets and gluten, as well as limiting fruit consumption.
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FODMAP (fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols) diet: diet low in fermentable carbohydrates recommended for the management of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These undesirable carb groups are widespread in many different foods, and can cause painful bloating, gas, reflux and bowel urgency in sensitive people. Here are examples of each:
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Oligosaccharides: found in wheat, rye, legumes, fruits and vegetables, such as the alliums (garlic and onion).
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Disaccharides: the most famous is lactose, found in milk, yogurt and soft cheese.
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Monosaccharides: the main one is fructose, found in various fruits (figs and mangoes), and sweeteners (honey and agave nectar).
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Polyols: sugar alcohols found in certain fruits and vegetables including blackberries and lychee, and low-calorie sweeteners such as xylitol (2).
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Food combining: principle of eating certain food groups together, while avoiding other combinations, based on optimal digestive conditions and transit time of each type of food. For example, since melons are the fastest food to digest, melon should be eaten by itself, away from other foods and, most importantly, not at the end of the meal. Different types of proteins (nuts, legumes, dairy, poultry, red meat, etc.) should not be combined in one meal, nor should starchy carbohydrates be combined with these. As a rule of thumb, most vegetables can be combined with one protein source or one complex carbohydrate source.
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Gluten-free: gluten is actually a naturally-occurring elastic protein which lends its stickiness to the foods it’s found in, namely grains (for more on this, see part 3 of the Ultimate Best Diet Series here). People with a particular genetic mutation in the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) family, called Celiac disease, have an autoimmune response to gluten, and therefore cannot tolerate it. Gluten-containing foods will trigger severe inflammation in their gut and may affect other organs. However, it’s becoming a health trend to avoid gluten in general. Certain people have levels of sensitivity and irritation of gut lining due to gluten, even without having full-on Celiac. One theory is that processing wheat and other grains during the industrial age has affected our tolerance and activity of certain enzymes to help break down gluten and certain fibers properly. While it’s hard to make a blanket statement that gluten is bad for everyone, having an elimination test may be helpful in determining if it’s an issue for you.
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Intermittent fasting: fasting for periods of time, ideally eating only during an 8-hour window during the day. The idea is that this allows the digestive system to rest and reset, which enhances metabolism and other cell processes for optimal weight maintenance, health and wellbeing.
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Ketogenic, or “keto” diet: predominantly high-fat, moderate-protein, and very-low carbohydrate diet, originally coined by Russel Wilder to treat epilepsy in 1921. Once the body is deprived of the primary macronutrient fuel source, by reducing daily carbohydrate intake to <50 grams, it enters a catabolic state due to decrease in insulin secretion. The primary metabolic processes gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis change the primary fuel source to ketone bodies and signal the body to stop storing fat and glucose. The body uses its own excess fat stores to convert to energy, resulting in overall weight loss and body recompositioning. The ketone bodies produced in low concentrations do not alter body pH and are considered safe, as well as efficient in fueling cells – including in the central nervous system and brain. Red blood cells and liver cells are the only ones that are unable to use ketones as a fuel source. Long term effects of the ketogenic diet have not been well documented (3).
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Mediterranean diet: most heavily studied and recognized to improve one’s cardiometabolic profile (lipid panel, oxidation, risk of cardiovascular disease and events). It’s mostly plant-based, with an emphasis on eating fruits, whole grains and healthy fats (omega-3 rich) from fish, nuts and polyunsaturated oils (e.g. olive). White and red meat are generally avoided, while small amounts of eggs and dairy may be incorporated into meals. Cooking with spices and moderate red wine consumption is also typical of this diet (4).
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Omnivore: animal whose teeth and digestive tracts have evolved to be able to consume both plant and animal products.
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Ovolactovegetarian: avoid poultry, red meat and fish, but include eggs, dairy and honey in their diet (5).
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Paleo: mimics pattern of what ancestral hunter-gatherers used to eat, mainly wild game, plants and berries, nuts and seeds. Excludes processed foods, artificial sugars and grains.
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Pescaterian: substitute fish & seafood for animal meat. Most pescaterians are ovolactovegetarians that also eat fish.
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Raw vegan: vegans who avoid processed foods and cooked foods, preferring their natural states. Foods are to be heated to no more than 104–118°F (40–48°C), to maintain the integrity of natural enzymes in food. It’s important to note that the human body provides its own enzymes to help optimize digestion and absorption of nutrients, and the stomach acid will likely denature many enzymes initially present in the food. In addition, while cooking certain food decreases the bioavailability amount of water-soluble nutrients, it may actually increase bioavailability of others (for example, antioxidants such as beta-carotene and lycopene) (6).
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SCD (Specific Carbohydrate) diet: grain-free diet low in sugar and lactose, developed by pediatrician Dr. Sidney Haas in the 1920s for Celiac disease. Since Elaine Gottschall’s book “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” published in 1987, this diet showed promising results for individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. Other conditions it can be helpful in are SIBO (Small Intestine Bowel Overgrowth), chronic diarrhea, and cystic fibrosis. The diet has strict allowances and off-limit foods, with a focus on removing polysaccharides, some oligosaccharides, disaccharides and polyols (7).
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South Beach: also called “Modified low carbohydrate diet,” it was created by cardiologist Arthur Agatson in 2003. As the name implies, it’s a weight-loss plan to get you glamorously beach-ready by “burning fat” by eating high protein, low-carb, low-sugar small, frequent meals. It consists of 3 phases, to first eliminate prohibited carbohydrate foods in the first phase, and maintain weight loss and goal weight thereafter. Lean animal protein, fiber and monounsaturated fat consumption is encouraged, while limiting alcohol, juice and grains.
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Vegan, or plant-based: strictly avoid all animal-based products, including those that don’t kill the animal they’re obtained from, such as dairy or honey (8).
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Vegetarian: abstain from eating animal meat (and fish), but may consume dairy, eggs and/or honey.
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Weight watchers: founded by Jean Nidetch in 1963, originally as a weekly weight-loss group for friends. Foods are assigned numerical values, according to calories, serving sizes and nutritional content – most recently converted to the SmartPoints system in 2015. In this way, there are no foods completely off limits, but portion control and the total points accumulated per day are the biggest rules to follow. In order to feel fuller and more satisfied, it may incline members to plan out their meals in a more balanced manner according to nutritional value. The newest program, called WW Freestyle, assigns zero points to a number of foods (eggs, lean protein, non-starchy vegetables, fruits) – allowing unlimited quantity of these in the diet. Followers of this plan can sign up to Weight Watchers and use the established point system to stick to a daily allowed intake limit. Depending on their plan, they have access to online chat assistance or personalized coaching, recipes, workout videos and support from other members in the online community (9).
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Weston Price: traditional diet with focus on quality animal-fats to provide collagen and fat-soluble vitamins to support proper bone and jaw formation, as well as dental health and immune system. Eating wild-caught fish, pasture-raised animals, organic produce and drinking filtered water is stressed. Food is well-cooked or fermented, and grains soaked prior to cooking for optimal digestion and absorption. Cookware should be cast-iron, stainless steel or glass for minimal leaching into food. Supplementing with cod liver oil and food-based supplements is encouraged. Sleep, exercise, natural light and a practice of positive thinking and forgiveness is also emphasized (10).
It’s important to recognize that there are many factors that are difficult to control and vital to consider as variables in how a particular diet will affect a particular person. First of all, there is the concept of bioindividuality, meaning that each human being will have their own unique biological makeup and genetic material that will react differently to the same conditions, including consuming a certain diet. Additionally, the geographical location of where one lives, sourcing of food and the quality of the soil, as well as travel time and time between harvest and intake, will all play a role in the vitality of the food and the biological downstream effects after consumption.
I believe that while no one diet or way of eating is superior, it’s possible to select the ideal diet for a particular individual. I recommend doing further research and consulting with a health care practitioner before committing to any of the models.
In addition to thinking about how a diet will affect you on an individual level, I also encourage you to think about how that diet is panning out on the global scale. While you may doubt the far-reaching impact of your dietary choices, what each and every one of us chooses to put on our plates DOES create a ripple effect.
We, as the consumer, can influence the quantity and quality of farming, nutrients in the soil, and presence of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and pesticides in our foods. That power lies in our wallets, and our demand for better, more local, organic produce, and limited, if any, high quality animal products. In the end, both our bodies and our planet will thank us.
