THE BEST DIET FOR YOU!
- Jun 2, 2019
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 10, 2023
So over the Years I have been constantly asked 'What is the best diet'? 🤔
Do I recommend Keto?', 'Is IIFYM better than Clean Eating?', 'What about Vegan'?
In truth, most of the said diets appear to work for most people.
Part of the problem however is there is no one size that fits all generally speaking. One dietary lifestyle for one individual may be a complete disaster for another individual.
So what is the BEST diet? 🤔🤔
To put it simply whilst this topic is incredibly nuanced it is also very much context dependent i.e. Goals, individual situation, Health etc.
However, before we can decipher which diet may be right for you, let's re-cap some of the most popular diets and how they fare up alongside one another.
Click the article link below for a full dietary breakdown.
Note: the following dietary information (whilst based off of research) may contain confirmation bias = outcome supported by evidence/information.
Pro's:
âś… Little to No Self-monitoring required
âś… Large amount of (short term) Weight loss i.e. glycogen/water
âś… Little to no food/beverage quantity restriction
âś… Alternative to traditional detoxes (replace old > new cells)
âś… Up-regulation of detoxification in both the liver and the intestines[23]
âś… Less Vitamin/Mineral supplementation required[24] âś… Ideal for Busy individuals/Poor Time Management âś… Less Food focused âś… Fat loss via Calorie deficit
Con's:
đźš« Non-sustainable (long term) for most due to 'short' feeding window
đźš« Individual appetite suppression varies
đźš« Inferior GH anabolic response[25]
đźš« Deemed too restrictive for morning 'social' individual outings
đźš« Sub-optimal for athletes requiring frequent adequate protein > optimizing muscle growth/recovery[26]
đźš« Side effects i.e. fatigue and/or weakness
Pro's:
âś… Dietary Fat/Protein consumption
âś… Large amount of (short term) Weight loss i.e. glycogen/water
âś… Improved Health markers i.e. Cholesterol, Blood Glucose, Insulin, , IHD, TAG, Cancers etc.
âś… Reduction most processed foods/sugars
âś… Seizure frequency/severity reduction
âś… Non-hypoglycemic
âś… Appetite reduction (Improved satiety)
âś… Ketone utilization
âś… Fat Loss
Con's:
đźš« Non-sustainable (long term) inadequate carbohydrate/sugar supply needs[6-8,18]
đźš« Not optimal for athletes requiring carbohydrate/sugar for optimizing muscle growth and/or recovery[21]
đźš« Excessive Protein consumption > production in 'blood sugar' via Gluconeogenesis
đźš« Too Restrictive for non high fat/protein food lovers[3]
đźš« Loss of LBM aka 'Muscle Wasting'
đźš« Loss in Strength performance
đźš« Side effects i.e. fatigue and/or weakness
đźš« Large weight gain post carbohydrate/sugar re-introduction
đźš« Non-superior to High Carbohydrate/Sugar diet[11-16]
Pro's:
âś… Ethical based eating > Cruelty free
âś… Wholesome/Healthy plant based nutrition
âś… Large amount of (short term) Weight loss i.e. water/LBM
âś… Reduced risk of Breast Cancer[10]
âś… Reduced risk of CHD[9]
âś… Lowered risk of Diabetes
âś… Lowered risk of eye cataracts
âś… Improved microbitia profile
âś… Improved Micronutrient intake
Con's:
đźš« Non sustainable (long term) for individuals seeking 'health' change[1]
đźš« Loss of LBM aka 'Muscle Wasting'[20]
đźš« Not optimal for athletes requiring adequate protein for optimizing muscle growth and/or recovery
đźš« Difficult to get in range of high quality proteins
đźš« Supplementation required for protein requirements
đźš« Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies
Pro's:
âś… Ideal for Athletes to meet Dietary Protein markers[19]
âś… Daily/Weekly Flexible eating (no cheat days)
âś… Superior to rigid eating (full spectrum of micronutrients)
âś… Ideal for Busy individuals, Sedentary Lifestyle and Time Management
âś… Flexible Alcohol allowance[2] âś… Improved Body Composition & Fat loss
âś… 'Auto-regulation' of Weight Management for the individual
âś…Optimal for athletes requiring carbohydrate/sugar for optimizing muscle growth and/or recovery[25]
Con's:
đźš« Non sustainable (long term) for 'non-numbers' focused individuals
đźš« Initial 'start-up' Self-Monitoring and Learning period required
đźš« Macronutrient/Calorie 'Hit & miss' distribution for in-experienced individual
đźš« Internet/app access required (short term)
Pro's:
âś… Introduction of Rigid and Structured eating
âś… Improved Satiety via sensory stimulation food response (chewing)[24]
âś… Range of Wholesome Food sources
âś… Introduction of a Cheat Meal(s) end of week
âś… Initial reduction of Weight loss
Con's:
đźš« Little to no food flexibility during 'clean eating' week
đźš« Poor spectrum of micronutrient intake due to rigid eating[4,5]
đźš« Undermine main objective of improving eating habits
đźš« Highlights current Psychological food behaviour
đźš« Increased likelihood of Bing eating episodes i.e. Cheat day(s)
đźš« Increased Bodyfat gain and Body Composition > Post Cheat day Weight gain
Pro's:
âś… No Self-monitoring required[22]
âś… Food Flexibility (Wholesome + Fun Food choices)
âś… Body Weight Maintenance
âś… Less Food focused
âś… Educated dieting approach > learned
âś… 'Auto-regulation' of Weight Management for the individual
Con's:
đźš« Impossible to incorporate for individuals with eating disorder[23]
đźš« Initial 'start-up' Self-Monitoring and Learning period required
đźš« Initial bodyfat gain (short term)
đźš« Body Composition variance
đźš« Non-optimal for athlete in weight focused sports or target deadlines
VERDICT? 🤔
Ok, so every diet has a 'gimme' and a 'gotcha'.
Changing from one diet to another i.e. high carbs to low carbs or high fat to low fat, tends to have less of a positive effect on our metabolic health and biomarkers for the most part[2-3,6-11].
Following rigid dietary practices whilst removing the thought process and emotion can also be less than perfect as micronutrient quality intake & healthy eating practices also come into play [4,5].
Whilst deciphering which dietary lifestyle (Energy In) is best, Physical activity (Energy Out) demands will also play a key role going forward.
Physical activity and exercise are always great tools and a useful weight loss strategy through total energy (calorie) expenditure alongside appetite regulation[26].
However, there will always be some sort of trade-off i.e. learning required in order to successfully adhere to any dietary lifestyle long term.
The key is Education.
If you are constantly jumping around in search for 'the best diet',
The question isn't "What is the best diet?", but rather "What can I stick to long term?".
Make the informed decision before making the switch!
References:
1. Appetite. 2015 Jul;90:31-6. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.02.026. Epub 2015 Feb 25. Investigation of lifestyle choices of individuals following a vegan diet for health and ethical reasons.
2. Br J Nutr. 1990 Sep;64(2):413-25. Alcohol and its acute effects on resting metabolic rate and diet-induced thermogenesis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2121268 3. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 83, Issue 5, 1 May 2006, Pages 1055–1061, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.5.1055. Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.5.1055
4. Sports Med. 2015 Jul;45(7):1041-63. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0329-4. Dietary Intake of Competitive Bodybuilders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25926019
5. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2018 Sep 1;28(5):502-508. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2017-0323. Epub 2018 May 16.A Comparison of the Nutrient Intakes of Macronutrient-Based Dieting and Strict Dieting Bodybuilders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29140151
6. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Apr;65(4):908-15.Metabolic and behavioral effects of a high-sucrose diet during weight loss. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9094871
7. Nutr Res Rev. 2007 Dec;20(2):121-31. doi: 10.1017/S0954422407797846.Dietary sugars intake and micronutrient adequacy: a systematic review of the evidence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19079865
8. Stanhope, K. L. (2015). Sugar consumption, metabolic disease and obesity: The state of the controversy. Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 1-16. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26376619
9. Yudkin, J., & Watson, R. H. (1969). Sugar and ischaemic heart disease. British Journal of Medicine, 4(5675), 110-111. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1983968
10. Sulaiman, S., Shahril, M. R., Wafa, S. W., Shaharudin, S. H., & Hussin, S. N. (2014). Dietary carbohydrate, fiber and sugar and risk of breast cancer according to menopausal status in malaysia. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15, 5959-5964.
11. West, J. A., & De Looy, A. E. (2001). Weight loss in overweight subjects following low-sucrose or sucrose-containing diets. International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders, 25(8).
12. Saris, W. H., Astrup, A., Prentice, A. M., Zunft, H. J., Formiguera, X., Verboeket-van de Venne, W. P. H. G., ... & Vasilaras, T. H. (2000). Randomized controlled trial of changes in dietary carbohydrate/fat ratio and simple vs complex carbohydrates on body weight and blood lipids: the CARMEN study. International Journal of Obesity, 24(10), 1310-1318. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11093293
13. Raatz, S. K., Torkelson, C. J., Redmon, J. B., Reck, K. P., Kwong, C. A., Swanson, J. E., ... & Bantle, J. P. (2005). Reduced glycemic index and glycemic load diets do not increase the effects of energy restriction on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese men and women. The Journal of Nutrition, 135(10), 2387-2391. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177201
14. Surwit, R. S., Feinglos, M. N., McCaskill, C. C., Clay, S. L., Babyak, M. A., Brownlow, B. S., ... & Lin, P. H. (1997). Metabolic and behavioral effects of a high-sucrose diet during weight loss. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 65(4), 908-915. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9094871
15. Aller, E. E., Larsen, T. M., Claus, H., Lindroos, A. K., Kafatos, A., Pfeiffer, A., ... & Saris, W. H. M. (2014). Weight loss maintenance in overweight subjects on ad libitum diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index: the DIOGENES trial 12-month results. International Journal of Obesity, 38(12), 1511-1517. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24675714
16. Lowndes, J., Kawiecki, D., Pardo, S., Nguyen, V., Melanson, K. J., Yu, Z., & Rippe, J. M. (2012). The effects of four hypocaloric diets containing different levels of sucrose or high fructose corn syrup on weight loss and related parameters. Nutrition Journal, 11(1), 1. https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-11-55
17. Drug Metab Dispos. 2016 Mar; 44(3): 366–369. Published online 2016 Mar. doi: 10.1124/dmd.115.064766PMCID: PMC4767382PMID: 26744253 Calorie Restriction Increases P-Glycoprotein and Decreases Intestinal Absorption of Digoxin in Mice.
18. Phielix, E., Meex, R., Ouwens, D. M., Sparks, L., Hoeks, J., Schaart, G., ... & Schrauwen, P. (2012). High oxidative capacity due to chronic exercise training attenuates lipid-induced insulin resistance. Diabetes, 61(10), 2472-2478. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22787138
19. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018 Feb 27;15:10. doi: 10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1. eCollection 2018. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. Implications for daily protein distribution. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15, 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29497353
20. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012 Oct 16;9(1):91. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-9-91. Daytime pattern of post-exercise protein intake affects whole-body protein turnover in resistance-trained males.
21. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 Mar;48(3):543-68. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852. American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and Athletic Performance: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26891166
22. Appetite. 2002 Feb;38(1):39-44. Rigid vs. flexible dieting: association with eating disorder symptoms in nonobese women. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11883916
23. Appetite. 1999 Jun;32(3):295-305. Flexible vs. Rigid dieting strategies: relationship with adverse behavioral outcomes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10336790
24. Mattes RD. Physiologic responses to sensory stimulation by food: nutritional implications. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 1997 Apr 1;97(4):413.
25. Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D.,Skwiat, T. M., ... & Smith-Ryan, A. E. (2017). International society ofsports nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of theInternational Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1), 20.
26. Physiol Behav. 2018 Aug 1;192:23-29. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.12.032. Epub 2017 Dec 28.Homeostatic and non-homeostatic appetite control along the spectrum of physical activity levels: An updated perspective. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29289613
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