In general, the take home point is this; eating fewer calories will result in weight loss. However, we should realize that weight loss and being healthy (alive) are two different things. You can lose weight in an unhealthy way and end up with chronic diseases or worse. The best approach to losing weight the healthy way is to reduce our portions, eat more fruits and vegetables and eliminate junk food and empty calories. The best weight loss diet that works is the type that you can stick to for the long term. Weight loss should not be done as a fashion statement or a trend; it should be done as a healthy lifestyle change that lasts for a lifetime.
Welcome to the world of the latest diet trends with each diet promising miraculous results. While some diets have been proven scientifically to be healthy and even preferred to the standard modern diet, some other diets are controversial and may carry some additional health risks. We will look at some of these diets and discuss the advantages versus disadvantages of these latest diets.
Egg Diet: This type of diet is a low carbohydrate, low calorie by high protein diet. It involves consuming mostly eggs as the main protein source with the addition of green leafy vegetables, mushrooms and grapefruit. You eliminate all carbohydrate meals including fruits and grains, and you drink only water or zero calorie drinks. This diet is geared at helping you achieve ketosis a metabolic process which involves your body burning fat as opposed to burning carbohydrates. While this diet will obviously achieve weight loss, there might be some side effects to worry about. This includes an initial lack of energy due to the drastic reduction in carbs, indigestion due to shifting to a very high protein diet, and bad breath from the ketosis. The other very bad side effect to note from eating too many eggs is high cholesterol. People who consume more than 6 eggs a week have a 30% higher chance of developing heart attacks and stroke.
Liquid Diet: a liquid diet involves drinking only low calorie liquids as the only source of nutrition. This can include drinking only juice, teas, meal replacement drinks, pepper soup without the meat or vegetables, and of course water. While such strict caloric restrictions, the dieter is bound to lose weight however, such dietary shortage done over long term can cause health problems due to malnutrition. This can include hair loss, gallstones, kidney problems and even heart disease.
Keto Diet- The ketogenic diet involves a very low carbohydrate, high fat, moderate protein diet with the aim of getting your body to metabolize fat instead of carbs. In so doing, your body produces ketones as a fuel source. Just like the egg diet, your body goes into ketosis and you start losing weight. The diet has been the latest in town as it’s almost guaranteed to help you lose weight if done as instructed. However, it does come with a few risks that the dieter has to take note. Developing too much ketones in the body can cause very deadly side effects especially for diabetics, people with high blood pressure, and those who are breastfeeding. Ketosis may also cause frequent urination, which may lead to heart palpitation and kidney damage due to dehydration and loss of electrolytes.
