THE ULTIMATE DIET PLAN SHOWDOWN: YOUR GUIDE TO THE BEST DIETS OF 2023
It’s 2023, and if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that our health is not something to take for granted. When taking a holistic approach to improving your health and investing in your own well-being, what you put into your body is a smart place to start. When looking into the numerous diet plans available to you, which one should you choose? I’m going to discuss some of the most popular diet and nutrition plans out there so you can find the one that best meets your goals and needs.
The Top Diets of 2023
If you want to find yourself overwhelmed with information, search for terms like “best diet plan” or “diet plans for weight loss.” There is no shortage of options if you want someone to tell you what to eat (or not eat). The problem lies in choosing an option that is scientifically and nutritionally sound, and finding one that is realistic and sustainable for your chosen lifestyle. Going into your plan with eyes wide open concerning the specific advantages and drawbacks will increase your chances of success.
Every diet plan out there comes with its own pros and cons, and it’s up to you to decide which criteria matter most to you. Understanding the science behind each option and getting past common misconceptions will help you to make an informed choice and take charge of your own health.
My hope is to help you make informed choices about your body and nutrition, finding a balanced diet and lifestyle that meet your needs and optimize your health.
Understanding Macronutrients and Micronutrients
No discussion of diet options is complete without a refresher on the basic tenets of nutritional science. First, you’ve got your macronutrients. These are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These essential nutrients provide calories, which your body uses as energy. Each also fulfills essential roles in your body’s functions. For example, carbohydrates fuel your brain, protein is necessary for muscle building, and fats play an essential role in hormone production, amongst many other things. Different diets emphasize the importance and consumption of different ratios of these macros, but remember that all three are absolutely important and should not be vilified.
Next, there are the micronutrients. They are so named because they are needed in much smaller quantities than the macros. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals that are typically not produced by the body and therefore are needed in your diet. For example, vitamin C is important for tissue repair and magnesium is needed for regulating nerve and muscle function. By eating a varied diet that includes vitamin and mineral-rich foods, you ensure that you get enough micronutrients for your body to perform its necessary functions.
At the end of the day, the calories you consume (from eating) weigh against the calories you burn (from your basal metabolic rate, basic daily activities, intentional exercise, and the thermic effect of food or TEF). While this seems mostly straightforward (calories in minus calories out), it’s important to note that there are many factors that impact your energy balance and metabolism. These can include hormone levels, sleep, stress, body composition of stored fat vs. lean muscle, and more.
You often hear that “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” and it’s true that you have much more influence over your caloric intake than the calories you burn each day. If weight loss is your goal, getting to a calorie deficit (where your intake is less than your output) is essential for success.
It’s important to take your personal situation into account and find something that works with your lifestyle in order to maintain your chosen diet plan over time. "Diets should be individualized, taking into account a person's health status, lifestyle, and preferences." -Dr. Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In order to best individualize your preferred diet plan and ensure optimum health, please talk to your doctor or a Registered Dietician before embarking on your journey.
The Low-Carb Diets: Keto, Paleo, and Atkins
Low-carb diets are a great place to start this overview, since there are so many popular variations! In general, the gist of these kinds of plans is to keep your carbohydrate consumption to a minimum. Carbohydrates are sugar molecules that present in different ways, including complex carbs (starches such as potatoes, rice, beans, oats, grains, etc.) and simple sugars (which include processed sugars and naturally-occurring sugars found in fruit or milk). Fiber is also a carb that is not digestible by the body, so while it is important for digestion, it doesn’t generally add to your caloric intake.
There are several popular low-carb diets out there to choose from, depending on the specifics that most appeal to your personal preferences.
THE KETOGENIC DIET
What started out as a diet to try and treat epilepsy in children has become a popular weight-loss plan. The idea is that by eating minimal carbohydrates and replacing them with dietary fats, you put your body into the metabolic state of ketosis and burn fat (instead of carbs) for energy.
There are different versions of ketogenic diets out there that allow for varying amounts of carbohydrates, but the standard keto diet typically revolves around eating 10% of your calories from carbs, 20% from protein, and 70% from fats.
While the benefits of keto include weight loss while still getting to eat satisfying, high-fat foods, there are risks involved in consuming very few carbohydrates. These risks include nutrient deficiencies, constipation, low energy levels, and potential heart complications. People with issues of the thyroid, liver, pancreas, or gallbladder should not attempt a ketogenic diet.
One of the common misconceptions about the ketogenic diet is that you can eat absolutely anything you want as long as it doesn’t contain carbs. Like any diet where the aim is good health, however, the quality of the foods you choose still matters. Whole foods, high-quality protein and fat sources, and a variety of nutrients should be on your keto menu to keep you from falling into this nutritional trap.
Expert opinions on keto are mixed, often due to the above nutrient quality problems that people often fall into. Ketogenic diets are often a successful tool in helping people lose weight initially, but many people struggle to maintain them long term.
THE ATKINS DIET
The Atkins Diet is a low-carb diet plan that was developed in the 1960s by Dr. Robert Atkins. The antithesis of the low-fat diets of the next few decades, the Atkins Diet focuses on tracking net carbs rather than overall calories and promotes high-fat and high-protein intake. It has four recommended phases (Induction, Balancing, Pre-maintenance, and Lifetime maintenance) that can be adjusted based on your weight loss goals.
Benefits of choosing the Atkins diet include weight loss and all that it entails – decreased joint pain, decreased disease risk, improved energy and self-esteem, etc. The risks of choosing this diet plan are in line with other low-carb options – headache, dizziness, constipation, nutritional deficiencies, and mental fatigue.
Dr. Atkins himself was a cardiologist, but even this physician-led plan has mixed reviews from experts. Some studies show that it has better-than-average results for weight loss in the first six months, but those results even out by the 12-month mark.
THE PALEO DIET
While the paleo diet isn’t necessarily focused on restricting carbs in the same way the keto and Atkins diets are, it still falls in the low-carb category due to the nature of the foods that are included. The idea behind the paleo diet is to eat foods that Paleolithic Era humans might have eaten, suggesting that the agricultural revolution is partially responsible for the modern rise in chronic diseases. These basic food groups include vegetables, fruits, fish, lean meats, eggs, nuts, and seeds (aka foods that could have been hunted or gathered). The claim is that, by avoiding more modern inclusions in your daily meal plan, you can stick to what has worked for thousands of years.
Individuals with diabetes may find a paleo diet (with varying levels of flexibility) to be a good choice for controlling blood sugar and inflammation. These same benefits apply to people with insulin resistance or even those without diabetes, in addition to the obvious benefits of avoiding processed foods, refined sugars, and many of the high-calorie/low-nutrient choices that plague today’s menus. Many people find that they lose unwanted weight, see improvements in their cardiovascular health and lipid profiles, and generally feel better without the inclusion of more modern food groups. However, this diet plan is not without its downsides. Expert opinions are mixed, warning against ultra-restrictive diet plans that eliminate entire food categories. It can, however, be a great way to kick off a new, healthy-eating lifestyle and weight loss journey.
Plant-Based Diets: Benefits and Considerations
On the other end of the diet spectrum, the next major category of diet and lifestyle plans you may want to consider are those that avoid meat. From vegetarian variations to the more hardcore vegan and fully-plant based diets, there are myriad health benefits that come with abstaining from meat. A 2021 review of studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported that plant-based diets were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels. Low meat consumption is also associated with lower levels of obesity, heart disease, and systemic inflammation. Additionally, there are ethical and environmental benefits from choosing plant-based options, making these diets popular across a variety of populations.
THE VEGETARIAN DIET
Vegetarian diets are those that avoid meat and some animal products. There are several different variations from which you can choose, including ovo-vegetarian (allows eggs), lacto-vegetarian (allows dairy), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (allows eggs and dairy), pescatarian (allows fish), and flexitarian (which includes meat and/or animal products in moderation).
People choose vegetarianism for health and ethical reasons, which include weight loss, gut health, inflammation reduction, heart health, cholesterol levels, protesting cruel conditions for animals, the environmental impact of farming and meat processing, and many more.
Risks of choosing a vegetarian diet include potential nutritional deficiencies if you are not mindful of your food choices. Iron, B12, and protein are found in high levels in meat products, so people choosing to go this route should either supplement or choose foods that meet their dietary needs. Vegetarians also have a slightly higher risk of stroke than meat-eaters, although this still doesn’t outweigh the decreased risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.
Experts tend to agree that eating less meat is better for you. As long as you make sure to eat a balanced, varied diet that includes all needed nutrients, eating a meatless diet may be better for you than the alternative. You do have to take a smart, careful approach to avoid nutritional pitfalls, however.
THE VEGAN DIET
Veganism takes the vegetarian diet another step further – in addition to avoiding meat, vegans also opt to avoid all animal products altogether. This includes dairy, eggs, fish, honey, gelatin, etc.
Veganism has many of the same health benefits of vegetarianism, and may be even more beneficial when it comes to cholesterol levels and Body Mass Index (BMI) reduction. It also has a more positive environmental impact. However, vegans are more at risk of lacking necessary nutrients, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and vitamin D in addition to B12, iron, and protein.
Vegan diets, being much more restrictive than vegetarian variations, tend to get mixed opinions from experts. While they can have many of the same health benefits, the risk of nutritional deficiencies can be a major problem for less-informed vegans.
PLANT-BASED, WHOLE FOOD DIET
If you’re interested in taking veganism a step further, a plant-based, whole foods diet is just what it sounds like – you choose plant-based whole foods to nourish your body. Think fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and other minimally processed, close-to-nature choices. By avoiding processed foods and sticking to what nature provides, you can shed unwanted pounds, improve your gut health, manage or prevent many chronic diseases that come with a diet full of processed foods, and reduce systemic inflammation.
Of course, you have to be extremely dedicated to this kind of diet plan, and it involves a lot of planning, work, and commitment in order to be successful. Smart planning is required to make sure you consume adequate macro and micronutrients and avoid harmful deficiencies. Eating out is a lot more work, and grabbing a last-second snack requires a lot more thought than with other diets. Working with not only your doctor but a Registered Dietician or other expert can be extremely beneficial when making this kind of nutritional leap.
The Mediterranean Diet: A Heart-Healthy Approach
Next, another popular option if you’re looking to optimize your health and longevity while maintaining the flexibility to eat foods you love is the Mediterranean diet. This typically consists of getting lots of fresh fruits and veggies, beans and lentils, nuts, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, and choosing moderate amounts of healthy dairy products and wine. It includes little to no meat, refined sugar, or butter.
The Mediterranean diet is a common choice for people looking to improve their heart health or lower their risk of chronic disease. It is also a great choice for many people looking to manage their weight, control their cholesterol and/or blood pressure, and promote longevity. According to a study published in The Lancet, individuals who followed a Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared to those on a low-fat diet.
For people who adopt the Mediterranean diet but don’t focus on portion control, you may find that you gain weight instead of losing it. High-calorie foods like olive oil, nuts, and certain fish should be eaten in reasonable quantities if you want to reach a caloric deficit.
Robust studies show that the Mediterranean diet has a positive impact on heart disease, stroke, total mortality, and disability. It is generally agreed that, done correctly, this diet can have a positive impact on overall health and longevity.
Intermittent Fasting: Types, Benefits, and Risks
Finally, I can’t complete a discussion of current top diet trends without touching on intermittent fasting. In this type of diet plan, you focus on the timing of your eating more than the contents of your plate. Reverting back to our hunter-gatherer roots again, going periods of time without eating each day hails back to prehistoric humans.
There are different types of intermittent fasting, and you can choose a schedule that works with your individual needs and preferences. For example, some people choose to only eat during a 6- or 8-hour window of their choosing each day. Others opt for longer fasts on just a few days a week. By making your body go longer-than-usual periods of time without food, you burn through glucose/carb stores and start using body fat stores as fuel.
People who are successful with intermittent fasting find it a great tool to lose weight, avoid snacking or binging, and reduce inflammation and the risk of its associated diseases. Potential risks include feelings of hunger, lightheadedness during fasting, headaches, and sleep disruptions.
Experts agree that intermittent fasting can be a beneficial tool for weight loss, and that its sustainability can have other positive health benefits.
Portion Control and Mindful Eating
Ultimately, how much you eat impacts your caloric intake more than what you eat. Portion control, the act of being intentional concerning how much you eat in a sitting, is essential for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.
Eating mindfully is one way to work on portion control by becoming more aware of what you put into your body. Rather than shoveling in a quick lunch at your desk while you work or snarfing down your dinner in the car on the way to your evening plans, taking the time to be present at your meals and mindful of what you eat can be an important tool in your weight loss arsenal.
The next time you eat a meal, try this: sit down at the table with your plate in front of you. Take a small bite, and set down your fork or spoon while you slowly chew your food. Notice flavors, textures, temperature, smells, and any other qualities of your food. Repeat with each bite, paying attention to your body’s hunger cues rather than the fullness/emptiness of your plate. Stop when you feel satisfied, but not stuffed.
The Role of Exercise in Weight Loss and Health
If your goal is weight loss, improved health, feeling better, or living a longer and happier life, exercise is an important addition to any diet plan. Diet plans used in conjunction with regular exercise are more successful than dieting or exercise alone. Research conducted by the National Weight Control Registry found that 89% of people who lost weight and kept it off for at least one year incorporated both diet and regular exercise in their weight loss journey.
Exercise not only directly burns calories, helping you achieve your desired calorie deficit, but it also increases your lean muscle mass, which burns more calories throughout the day than body fat does. Exercise also helps to increase your energy levels, improve your sleep, and improve mental health.
The best kind of exercise is the exercise that you’ll do regularly. Ideally, you’ll get a combination of cardio and strength training each week, but this can look very different for different people. Cardio exercises include walking, swimming, biking, running, rowing, etc. Exercises that strengthen your muscles, bones, and other supporting structures include body weight exercises, lifting weights, using resistance bands, or doing more intense forms of yoga. Physical activity guidelines for adults are to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise and two strength-training sessions per week, divided up however you want. If you’re not sure where to start, try adding in a few walking sessions each week and build up from there.
Managing Food Cravings and Emotional Eating
Raise your hand if you’ve ever turned to a tub of ice cream or bag of chips when you were feeling particularly stressed… don’t worry, you’re not alone! Food cravings can be brutal when you’re trying to lose weight, especially in the early stages when your body is still used to stress eating when things get hard. Refined sugars in particular can be particularly addictive by triggering the pleasure centers in your brain, causing cravings whenever you try to cut back.
Some commonly used strategies to help manage cravings and curb emotional eating include having a non-food support system to turn to when things get hard, identifying and acknowledging the source(s) of your stress rather than covering them up with emotional eating, general journaling or even a specific food diary, meditation and other mindfulness techniques to help you tune into your body’s needs, avoiding your most tempting trigger foods in known stressful situations, and keeping unhealthy snacks out of the house while making the healthier alternatives readily available.
Sleep, Stress, and Hydration: Factors Impacting Diet Success
Like we touched on at the beginning of this article, the calories you burn each day is actually a complex and delicate equation that includes your basal metabolism, TEF, daily activities, and intentional exercise. When it comes to your metabolism, there are a variety of factors that impact how many calories your body burns at rest. These include your hormone levels, stress levels, sleep status, overall hydration, and more. These factors also impact your energy levels and therefore your willpower, decision-making abilities, and ability to exercise regularly.
Healthy stress management techniques, sleep hygiene that optimizes sleep quality, and adequate hydration over time are important for successful weight loss and optimal health. "Weight loss is not just about cutting calories. It's about eating whole, nutrient-dense foods, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and incorporating regular exercise." - Dr. Mark Hyman, Functional Medicine Practitioner
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Diet for You
Whether you want to give up meat, focus on plants, cut back on carbs, eat more mindfully, time when you eat, or something else entirely, there is a diet plan and lifestyle out there that can help you lose weight and take back control of your health. By taking your individual needs, preferences, and lifestyle into consideration, you can choose sustainability and balance that will ultimately lead to success. "It's important to remember that no single diet plan is perfect for everyone. The best approach is to find a sustainable, balanced eating pattern that works for you." - Dr. David Katz, Nutrition Expert
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about Diet Plans
1. What are the top diets of 2023?
a. Some of the top diet trends of 2023 include the Mediterranean diet, keto, intermittent fasting, a flexitarian (vegetarian) diet, and the DASH diet.
2. How do I choose the right diet plan for me?
a. Choosing the right diet plan for your own goals and lifestyle requires taking a good, hard look at your current habits and deciding where you can make sustainable changes. The assistance of your doctor or an RD can help you choose the right route.
3. Are low-carb diets effective for weight loss?
a. For some people, low-carb diets are an effective path to weight loss. By cutting out common carbs that promote overeating (think breads, desserts, soda, etc.), it is easier to achieve a calorie deficit. Achieving the metabolic state of ketosis can help to burn unwanted body fat stores as energy. Low-carb diets do tend to be better suited for initial weight loss than long-term maintenance, however.
4. Are plant-based diets suitable for everyone?
a. In general, plant-based diets are a valid option for healthy individuals, but people with iron deficiencies, who struggle with being underweight, have thyroid problems, or suffer from other medical conditions should consult with a medical professional and ensure adequate nutrient intake before and during their transition to plant-based diets.
5. Do I need to track my calories and macronutrients?
a. While calorie or macro counting can be extremely effective for managing food intake and increasing awareness of your daily consumption, it is not necessary for everyone, all the time. Once you have a general idea of how many calories/macros are in the common foods you eat, you can stop tracking and still stay in your general ranges. Also, many people prefer not to track at all, taking a more intuitive approach to eating.
6. Is it necessary to cut out alcohol while following a diet plan?
a. While alcohol consumption isn’t banned from most diet plans, it should only be consumed in moderation, if at all. Alcohol has more calories per gram than carbs or protein, and it provides those calories without any nutritional benefit to the body. So while you can occasionally enjoy a glass of your favorite beverage on most diets, know that overconsumption can work against your weight loss goals.
7. What are the long-term effects of popular diets on overall health?
a. For long-term health, the best popular diets are flexitarianism/vegetarianism, the Mediterranean diet, and intermittent fasting.