05 Diet Plans That Are Good For Your Health

Good diet plans are not only necessary for your health. All of us can follow healthy diet plans from today to reap benefits beyond weight loss that are also necessary for everyone.

1. The Mediterranean diet

For its nutritiousness and benefits in countering multiple dangerous diseases, the Mediterranean diet has long been considered the top choice in healthy diet plan.

Formula:

The Mediterranean diet uses large amounts of traditional ingredients from people in this region (mostly Italians & Greeks). These ingredients include:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Nuts & seeds
• Olive oil

It should be noted that poultry, eggs, and dairy products are recommended to be eaten moderately. While red meats are recommended to consumed with limits.

This diet plans also recommend to restrict as much as possible processed foods, added sugar, and refined.

Health benefits:

Using with limits processed foods has been associated with lowering the chance of having chronic diseases or cancers. (1)

According to a 12-month survey of 500 adults, The Mediterranean diet not only helps in weight loss but also in keeping the ideal weight. (2)

The Mediterranean diet is also rich in antioxidants, which helps combat inflammation and oxidative stress. (3)

Notes:

There is not much recommendation to use dairy products daily in the Mediterranean diet. You should proactively consume sufficiently these products in order to have enough calcium & vitamin D.

2. The DASH diet

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a diet plan specially designed to combat high blood pressure.

The DASH diet emphasizes on consuming in excess vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and low fat meat. While limiting the consumption of sugar, salt, red meats, and fats.

Formula:

The recommended DASH diet for a standard adult:

• 05 portion of vegetables
• 05 portion of fruits
• 07 portion of healthy card foods (whole grains)
• 02 portion of low fat dairy products
• Maximum of 02 portion of low fat meats

Health benefits:

Many studies confirm the effectiveness in preventing high blood pressure and other factors causing heart diseases, as well as breast and colorectal cancers, of the DASH diet. (4) (5)

The DASH diet is also very effective in directly lowering the fat amount in body while increasing the muscle mass. (6)

Surprisingly, the DASH diet may also in some cases lower signs of depression. (7)

Notes:

Despite not expressly confirmed by scientific researches, diets that are too low in sugars consumed may result in high blood pressure also.

Therefore, the DASH diet is only certainly effective for those having high blood pressure and have to lower in salt consumption.

3. The flexitarian diet

Besides the 02 famous plant-based diets of vegetarianism and veganism, the flexitarian diet is the perfect choice for those want to reap benefits of a mainly plant-based diets while still consuming in moderation products from animals.

Formula:

There is no fixed rules on recommended intake of nutrients for the flexitarian diet. This diet plan is more of a lifestyle than a diet:

• Consume protein from plants rather than from animals;
• Consume mainly fruits, plans, nuts & seeds, and whole grains;
• Avoid processed foods, choose only freshly-cooked foods with natural ingredients
• Avoid sugar & added-sugars

You are still allowed to use animal-based products whenever you feel like to.

Health benefits:

Multiple studies confirm the flexitarian diet’s benefits in preventing chronic diseases, increase metabolism, lower blood pressure as well as the chance to get type-2 diabetes.

Weight loss is also another benefit of this diet plan. (8)

Notes:

Although animal-based products are allowed in this diet, you are advised to follow fundamental rules of the diet plan and avoid as much as possible animal-based products to reap benefits of the plan-based nature of a vegetarian diet.

4. The MIND diet

The MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a combination of Mediterranean and the DASH diets, specially designed for our brain health.

Formula:

The MIND diet does not focus specifically in any guidelines of food choices or recommended nutrition intakes. Rather, it advises us to eat mainly from 10 types of food.

Here is a weekly recommended food portion according to the MIND diet:

• Minimum of 06 portions of green leaf vegetables;
• 01 portion of non-carb vegetables;
• Minimum of 05 portions of nuts & seeds.

Foods that are advised to be eaten in excess during week include: berries, beans, olive oil, poultry, fish, beans.

Health benefits:T

This diet plan has been scientifically proven to lower effects of Alzheimer disease (9). It also helps maintain neuro health and brain function of older adults. (10)

Besides, the MIND diet can also help prevent the worsening of Parkinson disease. (11)

Notes:

You are not required to consume only foods from the 10 mentioned food groups. While you can eat a variety of different foods, you should resort to foods from the mentioned groups only for best health benefits.

One drawback of the MIND diet is that it does not emphasize much on weight loss.

5. The Mayo Clinic diet

This is diet plan recommended by the world-renowned health organization Mayo Clinic.

Formula:

The Mayo Clinic can be considered as a guide in consumption as well as healthy habits. Regarding nutrition, the Mayo Clinic guideline illustrates its recommendation via an informative pyramid.

While fruits, vegetables, and exercising comprise the lowest level of the pyramid. The next level is carb. The up next level includes protein and dairy products as well as fats. The upper-most level consists of sugar and sugary products.

Frequency and amount of our consumption should based on the decreasing order and food types from the bottom to the top of this pyramid.

TRegarding healthy habits, the Mayo Clinic diet consists of 02 phases. In the first phase, you have 02 weeks to discard 05 unhealthy habits and take on 05 healthy ones.

In the next phase is the maintaining of good, healthy habits. For nutrition side, you have to understand clearly and follow benefits of an adequate (in terms of frequency & amount) consumption plan.

Health benefits:

Overall, besides the benefits regarding weight loss, the Mayo Clinic diet bring general health benefits.

Besides nutritious benefits, the Mayo Clinic encourages a change in lifestyle including multiple good habits.

Notes:

General health benefits of the Mayo Clinic are certain. Yet more scientific studies are needed to confirm specific health benefits of this diet plan.