A Comprehensive Guide to Diet Plans

Have you ever heard of a Ketogenic diet?

Well, the only ‘genic’ I was familiar with was photogenic. Until one day, a very dear friend decided to introduce me to this second ‘genic’. To be honest, the name ketogenic sounded a bit scary to me. Anyhow, that is not the point. The point was that I did not understand my friend’s need to opt for a diet plan to lose the extra layers of fat. I thought she looked cute. But unfortunately, this world told her otherwise. Listening to her stories about being bullied and laughed at by people made me question people’s decency. Honestly, don’t people have the brains to understand the harm they cause to others with their inappropriate comments? This friend of mine was not the first victim of people’s ruthless comments that I had ever come across. And I am sure many of you have friends and loved ones who are experiencing something similar, if not the same.

Schools are now creating awareness amongst children on the harmful effects of obesity as well as bullying. The other weekend I was enjoying my Sunday afternoon, lazing around when my sister came to me and asked me to help her with her school project. Her instructor had assigned the students to carry out research on the topic to create awareness about obesity. Using my subscription from Spectrum Internet provider, I searched various facts and diet plans for her to share with her classmates. While doing so, I came across a couple of diet plans that I would like to share with you all as well.

Ketogenic Diet

A ketogenic diet, more famously dubbed as keto diet, is a low-carb and high-fat diet. Feeding little amount of carbs to your body (as is the case in keto diet) turns it into a fat burning machine. Studies have revealed that this diet helps to reduce weight without compromising on the health of the individual. In fact, it is believed that the keto diet may have benefits against epilepsy, diabetes and cancer and shares many similarities with Atkins diet. The mechanism of a keto diet is such that the person limits the intake of carbohydrates and replaces it with fats. The reduced intake of carbs puts the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis. During ketosis, the body becomes efficient at burning fat and consuming energy from there. The fats are also converted into ketones by the body during the process that is stored by the liver to provide energy to the brain. There are various sub-types of ketogenic diet including standard ketogenic diet, cyclical ketogenic diet, targeted ketogenic diet, and high-protein ketogenic diet. The four variants differ in the ratios of proteins, carbs, and fats in each. However, cyclical and targeted keto diets are advanced levels of diet that are used by bodybuilders and athletes.

Clean Eating Diet

As the name suggests, clean eating involves consuming real or whole foods while eliminating processed foods from your diet. But it’s easier said than done. It is difficult to eliminate processed food from your diet completely as modern food production is rather sophisticated. However, you can make a conscious attempt to add fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats to your diet if you opt for a clean eating diet. Having said that you will have to reduce the intake of refined grains, alcohol, salt, and added sugars apart from processed food. If you successfully eliminate these bad guys from your diet, you have embarked on a journey to clean eating.

5:2 Diet

This diet’s for people who want to diet but find it hard to diet at the same time. According to this diet, you are supposed to fast for 2 days and eat like a normal person for the other five days. The key here would be to not eat more than you actually would on your normal eating days. As far as the fasting days are concerned (2 in number), you will have to rely on a very low-calorie diet consisting of vegetables, fish, and fruit. There will be no room for fats or processed food during these 2 days. Although, it is recommended to avoid junk food and sweets on the other five days as well. But if you wish to consume them, do so in a reasonable amount.

I happened to try this diet as I wanted to experience what it felt like to ‘fast’. I will be honest with you it was not easy. I do not want to demotivate you but I am stating nothing but the truth. For me, good food is also a way to shoo away the boredom (I know it sounds strange). But good food translates into a good company for me. I have never come across a better company than food. And while I fasted for two days, I resorted to something quite stupid. In my defense, it was a very weak moment – being hungry not to mention bored out of my skin. I would call Charter Spectrum customer service! You must be wondering why them. Well, I called them in the hope that a representative would be kind enough to entertain me and keep my mind off food. Turned out, entertaining people through boring times was not a service they offered. Who knew!

Anyhow, moving on to the next one…

Classic Dieting

Classic dieting refers to a balanced diet plan that means consuming reduced calories along with whole foods. Putting it another way, you need to reduce the portion of your meals and rely more on whole foods as a source of energy. Apart from that, you will also need to cut back on the amount of sugar, bad fats and refined carbs that are consumed on daily basis. As such, there is no specific food or class of food that should be consumed during classic dieting, but maintaining a balance in your diet is the key.

If I had to opt for any of these diet plans, I would have gone for 5:2 diet. According to researches, fasting helps to cleanse your body without affecting the health of an individual. I have come across many benefits of fasting on the internet. Apart from that, my subscription to Spectrum cable services also gives me access to many good documentaries about diets, and healthy lifestyle. I have now become very health conscious. Just last week I tried fasting for 2-3 days and felt the difference. So, I’m all for watching your diet, yoga, and meditation!