The Top 10 Popular Diets Of 2018

Fad diets are a trend these days and extremely popular for losing weight. The primary goal of these diets is quick weight loss and several other health benefits. These diets involve eliminating certain foods that contain some essential nutrients. Some fad diets even cut the entire food groups. For instance, fad diets may include foods that are fat-free, low in carbohydrates or high in protein. Some fad diets even focus on a particular food, such as meat, grapefruit or cabbage. Some diets allow you to eliminate certain foods at particular times of the day. Other diets allow you to eat certain foods, as long as you eat them in combination with certain other foods. Some of the common fad diets which people follow if they are on a weight loss program are ketogenic diet, low-carb diet, vegan diet, plant-based diet, Mediterranean diet, Atkins diet, paleo diet and many more.

Fad diets are a trend these days and extremely popular for losing weight.
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: Common Sense Lifestyle Eating Plan: Why Lifestyle Coach Luke Coutinho Feels That It Will Replace All Fad Diets

According to nutritionist Monisha, a Delhi-based Nutritionist, "These diets are meant to give a shock to your body by making it follow a pattern that's very different from the usual pattern. Thus if used it should be used for a short duration only!"

Delhi based nutritionist Nmami Agarwal said, "Who knew diets too will be trending along with fashion? And now if it's trending, are we all following a trend favouring our body environment. Well, an answer to it still remains in the loop hole. So, let's try and get the answer to the same and know if the top two trending diets- “Ketogenic diet” and “Paleo diet” are good to be followed or not? Let's get started by talking about Ketogenic diet and why know not to be followed and later ending up with Paleo diet."

Let us have a look at the 10 popular diets of 2018:

1. Raw food diet:

The raw food diet, which is also called raw foodism or raw veganism, mostly focuses on raw and unprocessed foods. These foods should not undergo processing, not be refined, pasteurized, or treated with pesticides. Instead, the diet allows several other alternative preparation methods, such as juicing, blending, dehydrating, soaking and sprouting. So basically, this diet includes lots and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The nutritionist adds, "The raw food diet that comprises mainly unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds also has its own pros and cons. Raw fruits and vegetables have a high fiber and mineral content which has positive benefits on health. The diet aids weight loss and limits intake of processed and junk food that are the main cause of diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. However cooking makes digestion easier and if too much uncooked food it consumed it can cause bloating and gas. Further it helps to destroy pathogens present in the food thus cooking prevents us from having various food borne diseases."

2. Ketogenic diet:

The most common fad diet, keto diet is a low-carb, high in fats and moderate in protein diet. This diet helps in getting your body to a process of ketosis. Ketosis is a state where your body has no sugar fuel to burn so it burns fat instead, thus helps in quick weight loss. Some of the healthy fats to include in the diet are avocado, starchy vegetables, chicken, Greek yogurt, full-fat milk and many more. Delhi based nutritionist goes on to say, Keto diet is the new FAD Diet that everyone wants to follow. Even though the diet helps in tremendous weight loss, not meant for everyone. A high fat diet uses ketosis to fuel your body for energy. Ketones are a by product of fat metabolism and excess of ketones in the body have harmful effects. It can cause dizziness, flu and fever. The diet eliminates fiber which is essential for the body. Fiber helps to prevent cancer of the colon, cardiovascular diseases and keeps you full. Thus the diet needs to be followed with utmost caution.

On the other hand, Nmami Agarwal said "Keto diet can promise fast weight loss but at the cost on one's health. It can lead to hypoglycemia which has very low levels of carbs that can cause fatigue, tiredness and palpations. It can also raise the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the body and such diet can lead to fatty liver and constipation in the long run."

The most common fad diet, keto diet is a low-carb, high in fats and moderate in protein diet.
Photo Credit: iStock

3. Plant-based diet:

As the name suggests, plant-based diet focuses on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also healthy nuts and seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans.

4. Mediterranean diet:

The Mediterranean diet apart from weight loss is most famous for its benefit to heart health, decreasing the risk of heart disease and lowers the cholesterol level. The diet also reduces the risk of certain cancers, like breast cancer, as well as some mental conditions like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Also read: Is Keto Worth It? Know The Health Benefits And Risks Before Going On A Keto Diet

5. Atkins diet:

Atkins again is one of the most famous diets. As a general thumb rule it is a low-carb diet which helps in burning fat instead of the fuel provided by carbs.

6. Noom diet:

The Noom app is a fitness and weight-loss app that guides the users through the mental challenge of losing weight as well as the physical challenge. The app not only tells you about what you should eat, what you should avoid and how much you should exercise, but it also gives proper information and the reason behind these healthy practices. The primary goal of the diet is to inculcate healthy eating habits.

7. Dubrow diet:

This diet sticks to time-restricted fasting which means you eat only during a certain time of the day and fast during rest of the time. The diet also focuses on how long you should fast and what you should eat.

8. Carnivore diet:

The carnivore includes only meat. No carbs, no fruit or vegetables. As it focuses on one food group it can lead to nutritional deficiencies. A diet devoid of certain nutrients can be harmful for your overall health.

9. Fast diet:

Intermittent fasting is another die plan that was trending this year. The idea behind this diet is to cycle between periods of regular eating and fasting, during which you eliminate all the calories or do not consume any food at all. Some people fast for a few hours, while some may fast for a longer time, even a day. The benefits of this fasting might just go beyond weight loss. It helps in better metabolism and stable blood sugar levels. The Delhi based nutritionist further talks about "intermittent fasting in which we have a window of 8 hours to eat and a fast of 24 hours. The benefits of the diet are that it helps in weight loss, insulin resistance and in inflammation. However the diet does not specify what needs to be eaten. If you consume a well balanced diet that is rich protein  in vitamins and minerals this diet could be beneficial for you. However an excess of junk, fat and processed food will show its side effects on your overall health. The main drawback of this is that it can cause excessive acidity who are already prone to it."

10: Paleo diet:

Another popular diet of the year is Paleo diet. The paleo diet includes only whole foods and avoids all the processed foods. As it avoids all the processed foods, it is extremely beneficial for shedding those extra kilos. "Paleo is a diet in which we generally premise ourselves to eat only what was available to Neanderthals from Paleolithic era. Which means completely eliminating processed foods, such as bread and sugar and food like dairy, legumes and grains. Paleo diet has the macros breakdown as high protein, low car and low fat. There's no calorie counting with the diet and basically, we eat all the food items that were available before the farming era came in," said Nmami Agarwal. She further added, "High protein and low carb diet can lead to hypoglycemia, lack of energy due to a restriction of carb. There's also an increased risk of uric acid and gout because of protein dependency in the diet. Nonetheless, it can also lead to an increased risk of diabetes and Kidney damage."

Also read: Fad Diets - Are They Healthy? 10 Simple Tips That Can Help You Lose Weight But Not Health

To conclude nutritionist Nmami Agarwal said, "Every individual has variant body environment within and needs a different yet sustainable diet which offers all the bodily required nutrition including macronutrients and micronutrients while fulfilling daily nutrition value. So, instead of relying on such trending diets opt for well-balanced diet that is sustainable and full filling. And at the end, hence proved, “trending fad diets are really not the fab diets!”

(Monisha Ashokan is a clinical nutritionist at Nourish Me, Delhi)

(Nmami Agarwal is a celebrity nutritionist)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.