It’s inevitable. One day, we will get old and probably need hospice care. That’s just part of living and there’s no fountain of life to prevent it from happening. But while we’re still relatively young and sprightly, we must enjoy our time. Moreover, we must take pride in the beauty of youth, guard it the best we can.
One way to do that is by staying in shape. Sure, you probably let yourself go a little during the past year. After all, a pandemic caught you by surprise. And since then you’ve perhaps spent more time in the kitchen and dining room. There’s no shame in it. We’ve all been there. We’ve all done that.
But now it’s time to get things back in order. And by things, we mean your waistline. Here are diets you must try in time for herd immunity where we’ll run out of an excuse for carrying surplus calories on our arms and thighs.
Intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is not a diet per se. It’s more of a philosophy. Basically, it advances the wisdom that you know your body best and therefore know what’s best for it. You eat because you are hungry and you stop intuitively when you are full.
With the former, you need to differentiate between physical and emotional hunger. Physical hunger cues you to provide your body its needed sustenance. Emotional hunger is a band-aid solution for whatever crisis you’re feeling. It’s usually the culprit for why people overeat. To fight overeating, you must learn to intuitively know when you’re full.
Volumetrics diet
If you want to lose weight fast, and lots of it too, the volumetrics diet is your best bet. True to its name, this diet focuses on the volume of consumed food. While you’re not restricted to eat your favorites, you’re advised to volumize meals with fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based items.
Sure you can have a bite of a burger. But it should not be the highlight of your meal. Still, ideally, you skip that burger altogether. Instead, you can have more servings of salad. Yes, think of this diet as some kind of bargain eating.
Mediterranean diet
This is a lifestyle-based diet. It’s inspired by the healthy communities alongside the Mediterranean, which covers several countries including Spain, Italy, France, and Greece. With this diet, you do not count calories.
Instead, what you count is how many fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and other health-boosting staple ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine you can pack into your daily diet. Although this diet does not promise dramatic and quick weight loss, it can surely improve your overall well-being and trigger a healthy but gradual shedding of excess pounds.
DASH diet
DASH stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. This diet came to be back in the 90s, specifically designed to lower hypertension cases. It zeroes in on the reduction of saturated fats and sodium from people’s meal plans. Those doing the DASH diet are advised to cut down on alcohol and red meat consumption as well.
This diet promises weight loss, especially if your meal plans get rid of high-calorie processed foods. It’s also effective in keeping your heart healthy.
Flexitarian diet
True to its name, with this diet you can be flexible. Although its end goal is to ultimately get rid of meat and dairy products from your meals, you’re free to follow your own pace with your journey toward an entirely plant-based diet.
This diet is best for people who want to lose weight while also feeling like they are doing Mother Nature a favor. It is a known fact that animal agriculture for human consumption is a big contributor to climate change. Reducing meat consumption is as good as walking or biking to get to your destination when it comes to curbing your carbon footprint.
Before you follow any of these diet recommendations, make sure you consult with your doctor first. Keep in mind that not all diets are safe for everyone. Your body’s composition and metabolic process are unique and a particular type of diet might prove more harmful than beneficial to you.
Once your doctor approves a diet for you to follow, commit to it fully. And do it alongside other health-boosting lifestyle changes such as finally staying active and cutting on vices such as too much drinking and smoking.
Yes, while you’re young, looking good and feeling healthy should be on the top of your priorities. There’ll be enough time in the future for the opposite of those.
