Diet - what is it, types and the most popular methods for losing weight

Nutrition should be adapted to a person's health condition. Various diseases affect biological processes in the body, so it is necessary to change the need for nutrients. Diet programs are used to achieve these changes. Diet is a component of therapeutic nutrition prescribed by a doctor, which affects the course of the disease, recovery, elimination of obesity and excess body weight.

diet food

Diet - what is it (therapeutic diets, diets for weight loss)?

"Diet (from the Greek diaita, Δίαιτα) is the controlled consumption of food and liquid aimed at achieving a certain goal. The term "diet" can be used in several different ways: hospital (official) diets, programs to lose weight, maintain or change health, long-termdietary systems (supported by a lifestyle or philosophy). This is how Wiki describes diet (Wikipedia. org).

Principles of dietary nutrition:

  • use of high-quality raw materials;
  • reduction of heat treatment of products;
  • reduce the consumption of hot spices;
  • increasing the consumption of greens (dill, parsley, lemon instead of vinegar);
  • depending on the disease - increase / decrease of certain nutrients;
  • regular meals (5 times a day, for diabetes - 6 times a day);
  • emphasis on the taste of food - increased appetite in patients.

Diet is a broad concept. The diet program does not involve sudden changes that lead to starvation or worsening of the condition.

Diet types

The goal of changing your diet may be to lose weight - a number of nutrition programs are aimed at weight loss. This term refers to the schemes most commonly known to the public. Another reason for following dietary restrictions is the presence of disease. Such programs are prescribed by doctors; It is not recommended to follow them independently, without making a diagnosis (especially by an unhealthy person). Other dietary goals are more specific. These include improving the quality of hair, nails and skin. Also, diets for building muscle mass, strengthening, food schemes for general improvement of immunity, etc.

Diets are associated with detoxification of the body. It is also a dietary change, a restriction, but a short-term one.

Medical diets (tables)

In case of illness, it is important to ensure not only the technological preparation of the diet, but also the professional relationship with the patient. Even in the context of dietary changes, a person should be able to make nutritional choices in consultation with a nutritionist.

What is diet in medical terms? Today, the classification of diet programs (schedules) usually looks like this:

  1. NPO (N) - hunger strike.
  2. 0S - tea room. Tea, unsweetened or sweetened. It is prescribed to patients who cannot take food orally.
  3. No. 2 - soft. It is recommended for patients with gastrointestinal diseases and acute vascular diseases.
  4. #3 - basic, rational diet. Suitable for adult patients and older children who do not require dietary restrictions.
  5. 4S - low fat. It is prescribed for acute pancreatitis, inflammation of the gallbladder during the transition to oral nutrition.
  6. No. 4 - low fat. It is recommended for chronic diseases of the liver, pancreas and gall bladder (usually after going through the tougher 4S).
  7. No. 5 - no residue. It is observed for disorders in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
  8. No. 6 - low protein. Suitable for patients with chronic kidney failure.
  9. No. 8 - low-calorie. It is prescribed to obese people who do not require subtle nutritional adjustments, patients with hyperlipoproteinemia, obesity type 1 and type 2 (the diet contains more than 5000 kJ per day, so it is relatively easy to follow the diet).
  10. No. 9 - diabetic. Recommended for diabetics.
  11. 9S - diabetic soft. Diabetic version of a delicate diet.
  12. No. 10 - without salt. It is not usually part of the nutritional system, since all diets involve cooking without adding salt (ready-made food is salted when needed).
  13. No. 11 - feeder. It is intended for patients with increased energy needs and increased body weight.
  14. No. 12 - baby. If necessary, it is assigned to children aged 1, 5-3.
  15. No. 13 - children's room. Suitable for ages 3-15.
  16. Gluten-free - a gluten-free diet. It is intended for patients suffering from gluten intolerance (celiac disease).
  17. Low phosphorus dialysis diet. It is observed by patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Today there are also vegetarian diet options.

salad in the diet

The most popular diets for weight loss

A low-energy diet is a nutritional program aimed at reducing body weight, an important method of treating overweight and obesity. Its most common purpose is to eliminate excess fat. An effective weight loss diet plan should reduce body fat tissue evenly. But it is often observed by people (mainly young girls) who are not overweight, but feel the need to lose weight due to the dictates of fashion.

Weight loss can occur as a result of not only fat loss, but also water and muscle loss. Therefore, there is no direct relationship between fat content and body weight. Muscle loss during weight loss can be reduced with exercise and proper food choices. Improper diet poses health risks. This can also have the opposite effect (after losing weight, fat deposits form again - the so-called "yo-yo effect").

Humans need nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water. Essential amino acids (protein components) are essential for the production of cells, especially muscle cells. Essential fatty acids are involved in the formation of brain cells. Vitamins and minerals are important for many functions. The total amount of energy varies depending on a person's age. The optimal intake for adults is 1200-1500 kcal per day.

Among the most popular weight loss diet programs are the following meal plans.

Dukan's diet

This French nutritionist, Dr. It is a weight loss diet published by Pierre Dukan in his book "I Can't Lose Weight". It is based on 4 stages of different durations:

  • the first - 2-10 days;
  • the second - 14 days;
  • third - depending on the number of kilograms lost (1 kg = 10 days of the third stage);
  • fourth - constantly.

There are permitted and prohibited products at each stage. The scheme is developed from the most intensive stage (only protein-containing foods are consumed) to the last stage (everything is consumed while observing a protein day once a week). A necessary part of the weight loss process is the drinking regime.

Box diet

This nutrition program is based on eating limited amounts, but more often.

The box diet works on the principle of regular doses of food. Its goal is to get into the habit of eating small amounts of food at certain intervals, not overeating and eating large portions 3 times a day.

Paleolithic diet

The Paleolithic program, also called the Paleo diet or the Stone Age diet, is often referred to as a lifestyle. A person following a paleo diet approximates the supposed diet of prehistoric man during the Paleolithic era, the longest period in human history, which lasted about 3 million years. During this period, people did not know about agriculture, they provided food by hunting and gathering. But the hunter-gatherer diet was and remains high in calories. It also contains more carbohydrates than the average modern diet.

Proponents of this dietary model argue that human digestion is not evolutionarily adapted to agricultural products (grains, dairy products).

Therefore, when following the paleo diet, agricultural products are excluded or limited from the diet:

  • cereals;
  • legumes;
  • bread;
  • milk;
  • Cheese;
  • semi-finished products, etc.

The menu mainly consists of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, nuts, eggs. It also includes fats (avocado, coconut, olive oil, lard).

Breuss diet

The Breuss diet is a nutritional program named after its author, Rudolf Breuss, an Austrian electrician and healer (sometimes called a doctor, but he never attended a specialized university). This diet was originally an alternative medicine that offered a cure for cancer. Its essence consists in the "starvation of the tumor", its life consists only of the solid component of food.

Due to the "side effect" of weight loss, the Breuss diet plan was used to get rid of excess weight.

42 days consists of abstinence from solid food. Only selected vegetable juices and herbal teas are drunk. Juice is produced industrially from biologically grown vegetables. It can be prepared at home, but industrial water is sterilized and contains lactic acid bacteria in addition to vegetable components.

Protein diet

Also known as the "protein", "cyclic ketogenic", "ketone" or "keto" diet. This is a scientifically proven method that gives good weight loss results in a few weeks. Dr. Russell Wilder used it for medical purposes as early as 1921. The father of its modern version can be considered Professor George L. Blackburn, who studied the burning of accumulated fat by the human body.

With traditional forms of weight loss, the body can reduce up to 40% of muscle mass. But muscles are the main fat burners. Consequently, once the dietary restrictions are over, the metabolism cannot cope with the amount of energy available before the dietary change. A yo-yo effect is created. Professor Blackburn has determined the state of ketosis and the possibility of its activation in the body. Its main benefit is weight loss by burning accumulated fat and preserving muscle mass, which minimizes the risk of the yo-yo effect.

fast food is prohibited in the diet

Mayer diet

This is Dr. It is a weight loss technique developed by Franz Xavier Mayer. It consists of limiting the consumption of calories, proteins, fats, fruits and vegetables. Hard bread dried with water is consumed. Chewing bread increases the secretion of saliva, which improves digestion. Drinking causes diarrhea, which removes harmful waste from the body.

Today, the popularity of this method is declining (for obvious reasons).

Separate food

This scheme is based on the assumption that proteins require an acidic environment in the stomach, and carbohydrates an alkaline environment. Therefore, protein foods should not be consumed at the same time as carbohydrate foods. It helps prevent the neutralization of digestive juices, thus preventing digestive disorders. When denatured, neither fats nor proteins can be effectively broken down; carbohydrates are fermented and proteins decay to form toxic residues.

Therefore, separate nutrition is not such a diet. This is a lifestyle change, diet adjustment. Its basis is a combination of protein and neutral foods or carbohydrates and neutral foods (or consumption of only neutral foods). It is also important to maintain a regular diet and consume food in small portions. By reducing energy consumption, separate meals also serve as a way to lose weight.

IMPORTANT! Informative article! You should consult a specialist before use.