The quest for a diet that will solve all of our woes never ends and 2024 has its own share of diet trends, whether vetted by experts or touted by social media influencers and celebrities. While not all of the best dietary advice necessarily comes from your doctor, it’s important to be cautious about what’s trending.
After all, it’s become all too common for health trends to
cause considerable harm to people, even causing loss of life in cases. If you
follow diet trends and are looking to adopt one to meet your health goals,
you’ve probably heard of the MIND, DASH, Plantstrong, Ornish, Mediterranean,
Keto, Paleo, Dukan, and Atkins diets, among countless others. Before you make a
pick, keep these things in mind.
8 Things To Know When Choosing A Diet
For Better Health
1. Don’t
Overlook Gut Health
Did you know that your gut
health – the composition of bacteria in your gut microbiome, influences not
just your digestive function, but also your physical and mental health? The
extent to which gut health affects our overall health has only come to be understood
in recent years, but it’s clear that some restrictive diets can dramatically
alter gut bacteria balance, with repercussions that last for years.
Try to focus on diets that
include gut-friendly prebiotic sources with a variety of fresh fruits and
veggies. If weight is a concern for you, you can also consider taking probiotic supplements that support weight loss.
2. Focus
On Expert-Rated Best Diets
When it comes to diets, it’s
best to get your advice from a trusted and licensed dietitian or physician.
They have the qualifications and experience to guide patients, including those
with complex problems requiring specialized diets.
Getting such advice doesn’t
necessarily mean that you have to pay for a consultation. You can also check
out diet ratings from U.S. News that are published each year with insights from a panel of
nutritionists, dietary consultants, and physicians.
3. If
It Sounds Too Good To Be True It Probably Is
Chronic health conditions,
especially chronic pain disorders, are incredibly difficult to live with and
they can make us desperate to find solutions. Many of us turn to dieting
because of the limited relief from conventional treatments.
Unfortunately, most diets
although potentially therapeutic, are not miracle cures and will not offer
complete relief or a cure for any of these diseases. Claims that a diet will
instantly transform your life should be a big red flag.
4. Beware
of Diets From Unreliable Sources
Experts on social media
platforms are a dime a dozen and they’re not all there to help you. Many of
them put out videos crafted to reel in viewers and entice them as their revenue
depends on getting views, not on actually helping people. A recent report found
that just 2 percent of all nutrition info published on TikTok is reliable,
although relied on by nearly half of all viewers!
5. Do
Your Own Research
For reasons that we’ve already
discussed, it’s good to be a little skeptical about diet trends that you see
online. The solution, however, is not to ignore all diet trends; instead, you
should look at the best diets or diets that appeal to you and then do your
research to make sure it’s healthy. This doesn’t mean you have to run lab tests
or conduct your own studies. You simply need to look for evidence from
peer-reviewed journals and other authoritative sources.
6. Make
Sure It’s Right For You
Just because a particular diet
or lifestyle works for one person it doesn’t mean that it will work for
everyone else. Various factors influence our health and disease outcomes
including age, gender, BMI, comorbidities, genes, environmental factors such as
air and water quality, sleep patterns, stress, and so on.
More importantly, some diets
like the Keto diet may be great for patients with epilepsy but can be dangerous
for those with diabetes or hypertension.
7. It
Should Be Defined By Balance And Moderation
If you notice that a diet plan is defined by
its restrictive nature or exclusivity, take that as a warning sign that it’s
probably not healthy. As any expert will tell you, the best way to nourish your
body with a healthy diet is through balance and moderation, focusing primarily
on a range of fresh foods while limiting any intake of processed foods.
8. Consider
Long-Term Sustainability For You
Balance and moderation in a
diet are also essential for sustainability as it’s tougher to stick with a diet
if you’re constantly depriving yourself of foods that you love. A sustainable
diet typically offers some amount of flexibility and it also won’t call for
elaborate meal preparations that can hinder long-term adherence.
A diet with nutritionally
dense foods and slow digesting foods that keep you satiated for longer will
also make it easier to sustain the diet for months if not years.
