By Dee Griffin
Keto, intermittent fasting, paleo, carnivore, Atkins, Mediterranean – diet trends are everywhere but which one is right for you? Not an easy answer.
With all the diets flooding social media and everyone trying to sell you the next weight loss secret it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes vegetables, fish, whole grains, and olive oil. Intermittent fasting can work but is not for everyone, especially those with a medical condition. Keto is high in fats and low in carbs. Intermittent fasting is eating within a time window such as 16 hours fasting and 8 hours eating.
Diets that promise quick results often backfire. Extreme calorie cuts can actually cause your metabolism to slow down and could lead to weight regain and often an increase in weight. These fad diets are often driven by celebrities or influencers instead of science. So what do the studies show? Looking at Mediterranean, intermittent fasting, Keto.
There is weight loss with each of these in varying degrees and for different reasons. The challenge? “sticking” to the diet. There needs to be change in lifestyle for the weight loss to be sustained. You need to find a diet that is practical for you and your lifestyle. At the very basic level – if you can shoot it or catch it (meat) or pick it (vegetables and fruits) then eat it. For anything above the basic level, ask yourself, how is this going to provide nutrition for my body? After all, isn’t that what eating is for?
Dee Anne Griffin owns Dynamic Health Solutions, LLC and is a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has worked in the medical field for more than 20 years. She listens and recommends different options to create a unique plan that fits each individual. When not practicing medicine Griffin spends time on her family farm tending to her animals and is very active in her church. Contact her at 803-454-1661. Her offices are located at 169 A Medical Circle, West Columbia.
