If the festive marathon did not spare either health or shape, it’s time to think about the most effective ways to put yourself in order and finally rebuild on a healthy lifestyle wave. In our material, we have collected the most trendy power systems of the coming year.
After a series of New Year’s feasts, the body needs your all-round support, which should begin with the normalization of the diet. We agree that getting back into shape is much harder than getting out of it, especially when the reflection in the mirror is not at all happy. But here, as in any business, the main thing is to start. Top model Kira shared with us the most popular and effective diets that will help you catch up and keep fit in the new year.
Table of Contents
Low carb diet (keto diet)
On a low-carb diet, priority is given to foods with a low glycemic index. This type of food allows you to effectively and quickly reduce weight without harm to health. The low-carb diet is also favored by athletes. It is also indicated for people with serious health problems, including type II diabetics.
The essence of the diet is to completely or partially abandon the use of foods containing carbohydrates, while the percentage of protein and fiber in the diet should be increased. Weight loss in this diet is based on ketosis, which triggers the liver to break down fat cells into ketones and fatty acids. It is the first who are assigned the role of an alternative source of energy for the body against the background of the absence of glucose.
To achieve excellent weight loss results, you must strictly adhere to the principles of a low-carb diet, the first and foremost of which is not to skip meals and maintain a maximum interval between them of 4 hours. You need to eat 5-6 times a day: 3 main meals, 2-3 snacks. It is advisable to eat protein food for breakfast. A huge advantage of this diet is that you will not have to starve on it and, if you wish, you will eat tasty and varied.
It is completely unnecessary to completely give up fruits on a low-carb diet, because they contain vitamins, trace elements and fiber. It is necessary to rely on those fruits that contain few calories, and try to consume them in the morning. One of these fruits is kiwi. This fruit has only 46 kcal, and its hypoglycemic index is 50. Being on a low-carbohydrate diet, you can eat 1-2 kiwi per day.
Also, do not ignore apricots (44 kcal, GI – 35). Diet food cannot be imagined without such a valuable fruit as avocado. Despite the fact that this fruit is very high in calories (228 kcal), it has a very low GI – only 10. Another fruit useful for dietary nutrition is strawberries (30 kcal, GI – 25)
How Long Can You Eat a Low Carb Diet? The answer depends on the number of carbohydrates you are consuming. If you are on a strict diet (from 20-40 g of carbohydrates per day), then dietary restrictions should not exceed 1-2 months. If your diet provides for the presence of carbohydrates in the amount of 80-125 g, you can stay on it for a long period of time.
A list of foods for a low-carb diet: vegetables, herbs, bran, and some fruits (discussed below). All types of meat are allowed, including poultry, any fish and seafood, eggs, dairy and fermented milk products, legumes, mushrooms, butter.
Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most popular types of healthy nutrition today. As you know, people living in Italy, Spain, in the south of France, in Greece are long-livers, get little sick, do not have problems with the heart and blood vessels, and are rarely full. Therefore, the benefits of this type of diet are obvious
If you want to switch to a Mediterranean diet, you will have to give up a lot of things that we are used to. First, red meat will be banned, especially pork and its derivatives (lard, bacon, etc.). Secondly, the use of butter, sugar, sweets, baked goods is not encouraged. Also, do not eat potatoes, convenience foods, fast food.
You will have to refrain from excessive consumption of salt, tea with buns – in this region they even prefer to drink coffee without sugar and sweets. Agreeing to the Mediterranean diet, you need to clearly understand that you will have to make significant changes to your lifestyle and diet – you need to be ready for this. It is also important to take into account the fact that proper nutrition in Italian can be quite expensive – this diet cannot be attributed to an economically beneficial way to lose weight.
But if you are still not confused by the prices in stores and the fact that you have to give up a lot, then you should also be warned that you should not expect quick weight loss results from this diet. It is designed for a long process of restructuring the body for a new way of eating, to which both you and your digestive system must get used.
At the beginning of the Mediterranean diet, the body can malfunction – in the form of digestive disorders, problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Nutritionists advise switching to this type of diet not immediately, but gradually, so that the body does not experience stress. You can, for example, choose to start 1-2 weeks a month, when you will eat a new way, then gradually increase the number of days.
The list of products for the Mediterranean diet: all types of salads and greens (do not forget about arugula), vegetables (especially tomatoes), fruits, only sea fish, seafood, poultry in small quantities, cereal bread, dairy products, hard cheeses, feta cheese / feta, pasta, cereals (especially rice), dry red wine (no more than a glass a day), eggs, nuts, dried fruits, honey (in small quantities). From drinks only coffee or freshly squeezed juice. The diet involves 5 meals a day in small portions.
Intermittent fasting (fasting)
Another type of food that can be classified as medicinal. It is recommended for various health problems and gastrointestinal diseases. The essence of fasting is to eat at large intervals – 14, 16 and even 20 hours. The choice of diet depends on the capabilities of the body and the tasks that you set yourself.
As a rule, beginners choose 12-hour fasting (12/12), and those who want to achieve more tangible results choose intervals 14/10, 16/8 and 20/4, where fasting (fasting) is provided for 14, 16 and 20 hours, and the rest of the time you need to pack several meals (“food window”). This task is greatly facilitated by installing a special application on your phone, which will remind you that it is time to eat or replenish fluid reserves in the body.
The choice of fasting intervals is strictly individual, so do not take on too much and choose the most difficult option. If you choose to fast at 12/12, 14/10, 16/8 intervals, try to eat low-carb foods, avoid cutting back on portions, and drink enough water.
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting? If you choose to fast 20/4, you don’t have to limit yourself to food. Of course, fast food and sweets should not be abused in any case. The body quickly gets used to this diet and adapts to it. Fasting helps to shrink your stomach naturally, so you will actually feel like eating less. In addition, following a similar diet, you will be insured against breakdowns, overeating and, ultimately, you will be able to adhere to the principles of intermittent fasting further, losing weight, and switching to the 12/12 option.
Fasting, like the keto diet, increases ketones by lowering insulin and blood cholesterol levels. Research has shown that intermittent fasting has a positive effect on brain function, which is why it is often recommended as a preventive measure for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
This diet helps to normalize blood pressure, improve the functioning of the digestive system, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Fasting has a positive effect on the respiratory system, therefore, it is recommended for asthma and as one of the means of rehabilitation after pneumonia.
If fasting on a daily basis seems like a difficult undertaking to you, try this type of food first as fasting days once or twice a week. For example, with the 20/4 fasting option, you decide which meals to leave for you and which to give up. With 20-hour fasting, you don’t have to think about the calorie content of certain foods at all.
