Every few years there seems to be a new diet that claims to be the miracle diet people have been searching for. A diet so easy to follow and so effective anyone can do it and see the results right away. Here are the best diets for 2023.
Launched in 2016, the Sirtfood diet remains a hot topic and involves a diet rich in “sirtfoods.” According to the diet’s founders, these special foods work by activating specific proteins in the body called sirtuins. Sirtuins are believed to protect cells in the body from dying when they are under stress and are thought to regulate inflammation, metabolism and the aging process. It’s thought that sirtuins influence the body’s ability to burn fat and boost metabolism, resulting in a seven pound weight loss a week while maintaining muscle.
The 10 most common sirtfoods are: Green tea, dark chocolate (at least 85 percent cocoa), apples, citrus fruits, parsley, turmeric, kale, blueberries, capers and red wine.
The Sirtfood Diet has two phases that last a total of three weeks. After that, you can continue “sirtifying” your diet by including as many sirtfoods as possible in your meals. The specific recipes for the two phases are found in “The Sirtfood Diet” book.
A big part of the diet is green juice, which you will need to make yourself between one and three times daily. You will need a juicer. The recipe is: 75 grams kale, 30 grams arugula, 5 grams parsley, 2 celery sticks, 1 cm ginger, half a green apple, half a lemon and half a teaspoon matcha green tea. Juice all the ingredients – except for the green tea powder and lemon – together and pour them into a glass. Juice the lemon by hand, then stir both the lemon juice and green tea powder into your juice.
The first phase lasts seven days and involves calorie restriction and lots of green juice. The second phase lasts two weeks and is a maintenance phase. You may repeat these two phases as often as designed for further weight loss. You are encouraged to continue drinking the green juice every day and incorporating sirtfoods regularly into your meals.
The Sirtfood Diet consists heavily of plant-based foods that are rich in nutrients, antioxidants and sirtuins, which may yield health benefits. The pros of this diet include: It may result in weight loss; sirtuins may have anti-aging properties; and is rich in antioxidants. Cons of this diet include: Low calories may cause health concerns; not sustainable; and may cause nutrient deficiencies.
Another diet is the 16:8 Intermittent, which is a form of time-restricted fasting. It involves consuming foods during an 8-hour window and avoiding food or fasting for the remaining 16 hours each day. There are no restrictions on the types or amounts of food that a person can eat during the 8-hour window.
The benefit for anyone who fasts is giving your gastrointestinal system a break. Those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) benefit if the gut needs a break, lessening symptoms of both disorders. Fasting may help to: balance ghrelin levels, boost fat-burning, cool off inflammation, eliminate toxins from the body, fight free radical damage, give your gut a break, give your immune system a break, improve mindfulness practices, improve the diversity of gut microbiota, increase longevity, lower triglyceride levels, manage weight and lose weight, optimize insulin sensitivity, reset immune function, reduce autoimmune symptoms, slow the aging process, and support autophagy.
While this diet does not specify which foods to eat and avoid, it is beneficial to focus on healthful eating and to limit or avoid junk foods. A balanced diet focuses primarily on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein sources and healthful fats. Drinking water regularly throughout the day can help reduce calorie intake, and it is important to consume fluids regularly to avoid dehydration.
Other fasting diets include: Prolonged fast (four to seven days consecutively); mimicked fast (only low-calorie foods consumed for five days); lemonade fast (liquid-only fast where you drink a mixture of lemon juice, water and maple syrup).
The ketogenic diet is super high in fat (about 80 percent of your daily calories), super low in carbohydrates (less than 5 percent of your calories) and moderate in protein (typically 15 to 20 percent of your calories). The most important component of the keto diet is a natural and normal process called ketosis. When you cut back on carbs or haven’t eaten in a while, your body looks for other energy sources to fill the void. Fat is typically that source.
While the keto diet certainly is not easy, research shows it has some potential therapeutic benefits in addition to its use for treating epilepsy. Research has shown that this diet can help against Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Although getting started on the ketogenic diet can be challenging, there are several tips and tricks that you can use to make it easier. Start by familiarizing yourself with food labels and checking the grams of fat, carbs and fiber to determine how your favorite foods can fit into your diet. Plan out your meals in advance. There are many websites, food blogs, apps and cookbooks with keto-friendly recipes. Some meal delivery services offer keto-friendly options. Look into healthy frozen keto meals. You may want to bring your own food to gatherings or family parties to stick to your meal plan.
The final diet is the raw food diet, often called raw foodism or raw veganism. It is composed of mostly or completely raw and unprocessed foods. A food is considered raw if it has never been heated over 104-118 degrees F. It should also not be refined, pasteurized, treated with pesticides or otherwise processed in any way.
The diet allows several alternative preparation methods, such as juicing, blending, dehydrating, soaking and sprouting. While most raw food diets are completely plant-based, some people also consume raw eggs and dairy. Less commonly, raw fish and meat may be included as well.
Food can be prepared by blending, fermenting and dehydrating. What makes raw food so great is that they are abundant with enzymes and bio-photons. When eating raw food, you can also increase the fiber, vitamins and minerals your body takes in. The following are some benefits: Lowering inflammation, improving digestion, providing more dietary fiber, improving heart health, helping with optimal liver function, preventing cancer, preventing or treating constipation, clearer skin, preventing nutrient deficiencies, helping maintain a healthy body weight and increase energy.
To follow the raw food diet, make sure at least 75 percent of the food you eat is raw. Most raw food diets are made primarily of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Grains and legumes are often permitted, but usually need to be soaked or sprouted before you eat them.