A new year signifies new beginnings and a fresh start for many people. For many, this encompasses setting new health goals, such as losing weight, following a healthier diet, and starting a new exercise routine. Diets that will be popular in 2024 are here for you.
Diets to Look-out in 2024
Plant-based Diet
Plant-based (vegetarian and vegan) plans are on the rise, with an increase in food manufacturers adding “plant-based” to their labels and packages. A plant-based diet has proven to have numerous health benefits that include reducing the risk of developing heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, weight loss, and weight management.
There are some drawbacks of this diet, as it can lead to nutrient deficiencies, particularly those associated with Vitamin B12 and Calcium. Also, protein, an essential nutrient required for healthy living, is only found in incomplete forms in most plant-based sources. These items must be combined with the correct items like grains/cereals to make them complete protein. That being said, a plant-based diet is highly recommended if it is sustainable for your health and, more importantly, if you can make the required diet modifications. This diet helps to conserve the environment as the impact caused by the livestock industry is substantial in the overall economy.
Intermittent Fasting
Instead of restricting calories, you restrict your feeding time to a certain period of the day and that’s that. Results are most favorable with the 16 to 18-hour fasting window; also consuming your high-calorie meals during the early part of the day, say by noon 3 pm makes it easier for your body to complete the digestion before sleep and rely on stored fat for the rest part of the fasting period.
One of the most significant benefits of IF is that it is easier to follow as one does not have to track one’s calories constantly. It is effective in people keen to lose weight and battle health complications like insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and even heart disease.
The biggest concern with IF is that the person needs to ensure that they do not overeat during their eating period while also eating healthy meals for this diet type to have a positive effect. Some other concerns with IF include constipation, lethargy, acidity, and headache.
Mediterranean Diet
This diet is still viewed as one of the healthiest ways of eating. It’s not intended as a weight-loss diet, but it does have good credentials for reducing and managing weight over time – the aspect where other diet regimes often fall. If you enjoy fresh, tasty food, this could well be the diet for you.
The Mediterranean diet has been linked with a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, Stroke, type 2 Diabetes, and certain types of Cancer. Being rich in plant-based foods, which are high in fibre, antioxidants, and phytonutrients this diet helps reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
Keto-based diets
This type of diet won’t be going anywhere in 2024! Keto-based diets focus on cutting carbs to send the body into a state of ‘ketosis’
, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbs. The Atkins, Banting, and Dukan diets are all variations of keto.Analysis shows that keto can be effective for weight loss but it can be a hard one to maintain. The impact on health from following this diet long-term, and that – even short term – it’s not possible to eat in a balanced way.
Flexitarian Diet
Often referred to as ‘casual vegetarianism,’ the flexitarian diet appears to be regaining popularity. A ‘flexitarian’ diet refers to a style of eating that endorses mostly plant-based foods while enjoying some meat and other animal foods in moderation.
With all these likely to stay on top of the agenda, we believe a flexitarian diet will remain one of the year’s most-followed diets. Whether or not you’ll lose weight, and how nutritious it is, will depend mostly on your individual food choices.
Summary
Flexitarian and Mediterranean diets are likely to be popular throughout 2024 as they’re adaptable to one’s tastes and lifestyle and easier to stick to. They may not be guaranteed approaches for weight loss, but the Mediterranean diet, in particular, finds favor with nutritionists, because of its many health benefits.
While we know that processed and packaged food, simple sugar, sugary beverages, etc., are the health hazards that need to be excluded, we also need to make conscious choices to choose more fresh food like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains for a healthier lifestyle.