The Bodycare Journal: Which diet are you?

If you’re a loyal reader here, you know we’re on a healthy living journey. From our outer bodies to within, Body Care always comes first. Putting my body first has opened a new way of thinking. I find that it’s easy for me to try new things because of it. 

Lately, food health has been a top priority. I eventually want to always choose healthy eating. However, as of now, there are still pizza nights, pints of ice cream, or cookies. Trying new diets has evolved my meal preps and the types of cuisines I cook. That has become fun for me because I’m a true foodie at heart. 

I started to realize that I was becoming out of shape and it started bothering me mentally. This was something so new to me because I never had that feeling. Overly analyzing my weight, my skin, and working out. I quickly realized that yes, I’m aging and this can all be fixed by eating better and working out more. 

I’ve tried a few diets and lifestyle changes. Trying to include new and more healthy ingredients into my eating habits. Right now, I’m doing the Keto Diet. Surprisingly it’s not too bad as far as staying on track! I chose this diet because it fits my body’s goals at this time in life. 

“Your body is the direct result of what you eat as well as what you don’t eat” 

—Gloria Swanson

Here are a few popular diets along with brief descriptions of each:

1. Mediterranean Diet: This diet is based on the traditional eating habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and fish, with moderate dairy consumption and limited intake of red meat and sweets.

1. Keto Diet: The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet designed to shift the body’s metabolism from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. This leads to the production of ketones, which are used as an alternative energy source. The diet includes high-fat foods like avocados, nuts, and oils, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrates.

1. Paleo Diet: Also known as the caveman diet, the paleo diet focuses on consuming foods that were likely available to humans during the Paleolithic era. This includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds while excluding processed foods, grains, legumes, and dairy products.

1. Vegan Diet: A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. It focuses on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Vegans also avoid animal-derived products in other aspects of their lives, such as clothing and cosmetics.

1. Vegetarian Diet: Vegetarians avoid meat, fish, and poultry but may consume dairy products and eggs. There are different types of vegetarianism, including lacto-vegetarian (includes dairy), ovo-vegetarian (includes eggs), and lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes both dairy and eggs).

1. Whole30 Diet: The Whole30 diet is a 30-day program that eliminates sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy from the diet. It focuses on whole foods such as meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. The goal is to reset the body’s metabolism and eliminate cravings for unhealthy foods.

1. Intermittent Fasting: This diet involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. Common methods include the 16/8 method (fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window) and the 5:2 method (eating normally for five days and consuming very few calories on two non-consecutive days).

1. DASH Diet: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is designed to help lower blood pressure. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy while limiting sodium, red meat, and sweets.

Each of these diets has its own principles and guidelines, and the best choice depends on individual health goals, preferences, and nutritional needs.

Would you try a diet? If so which one? …

By Jazmine Jamal

Founder of @521wellness

You Start Dying When You Stop Dreaming