Hard to believe isn’t it, but we are nearly halfway through 2018. The year has flown by so far but reaching the midway stage means one thing – that summer will soon be upon us.
The arrival of the sunshine means that many people will be looking to diet in order to shed a few pounds before hitting the beach or to look good in weather that means fewer clothes, less covering up and more flaunting.
Diets aren’t all about getting slim though. They are also vital in helping to improve our general health and allowing us to live longer, more fulfilling lives. That’s the main point of them.
If you’re looking for a diet to try as summer arrives, then take a look at the best diets of 2018 so far.
The DASH Diet
This was voted number one in the top 5 diets to try in 2018 list, probably because it emphasizes eating real food with flexible guidelines rather than a stringent “don’t have that” approach. DASH stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension and the basic premise is that you focus on eating foods that can fight off high blood pressure such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, protein and low-fat dairy. There is a hefty amount of scientific research behind the effectiveness of the DASH diet, suggesting that it does lower hypertension and reduce the factors that are a risk to your heart such as being overweight.
The Low-FODMAP Diet
FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides disaccharides monosaccharides and polyols. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, it isn’t. These are basically all the poorly absorbed and complex sugars found in certain foods that can cause symptoms of IBS. By eliminating them from your diet, the idea is that it will help avoid IBS and with it, aid weight loss. Because each person has a different tolerance to certain foods, the list of produce to avoid can be quite extensive and that means that it can lead to you missing out on vital nutrients. As one of the more extreme diets, it’s always best that you check with a doctor before undertaking radical changes to your diet. Medicalhealthinsurancetoday.Org can help you get coverage if necessary.
The Mediterranean Diet
It’s been known for some time that people who live on the Mediterranean Sea are generally healthier, live longer and have less body fat than others in the western world. So, the obvious thing to do if you want to live like them is copy their diet. The Mediterranean Diet entails eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, olive oils, seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids and herbs and spices. It also allows a moderate amount of poultry, eggs, cheese and yoghurt and – best of all – a glass of red wine a day! The Mediterranean Diet results in a similar sort of weight loss to a low carb diet but in order to feel the full effects, you need to adopt a Mediterranean lifestyle as well – lots of exercise, time spent outdoors and general happiness. The best thing about this diet though is that it is more a set of guidelines about what you should eat lots of and can eat a moderate amount of, meaning its flexible and not difficult to follow.
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