Almost everyone has been on a diet at some point in their life. There are so many different diet types, though, that choosing one that works for you is not an easy task. These diet types have been categorized by the National Institutes of Health so you can better understand them. Choosing the right diet type is key to losing weight and meeting your goals.
One of the diet types is a fixed menu diet that specifies what you should eat. This is one of the easiest diets for people to use because there is no shopping for food and making food choices. The problem is people who go on this diet do not get the skills they need to make good food choices after they are off the diet. The food on a fixed menu diet may also not be very tasty. When you are not at home, it is hard to stick to a fixed menu diet plan. The fixed menu diet plan is not one of the diet types that is really recommended if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
An exchange diet allows you to make food choices from a variety of food groups. You can choose foods that are starches, for example, including rice, pasta or potatoes. This diet allows you to eat a lot of different types of foods and is easy to follow because the rules are simple. When you use an exchange diet you are teaching yourself how to eat healthy for the long run.
A pre-packaged meal diet requires you to purchase foods in portions that are predetermined. That means you can select the type and amount of food as long as you do so within the guidelines. This diet type can be costly and again you are not really learning how to choose healthy foods so you may end up gaining any weight you lose back.
A formula diet requires you to drink a liquid for all your meals of the day. These diet types provide liquid formulas that have a lot of protein and carbohydrates but are very low in fat. This is not a very expensive diet type and it is easy to take the formula with you wherever you go. This type of diet can help you lose weight but you cannot stay on it forever so you may gain the weight back over time.
Experts say that the types of diet you should avoid are those that require you to eat certain foods together. These diet types help keep your calories low but you do not get enough nutrition in most cases. They are not good long-term solutions.
A flexible diet is one that allows people to make choices about what they eat and how much they eat. You can go on a flexible diet that focuses on controlling fat, calories or both. When you use a flexible diet you are likely to eat less fat and calories but you may increase the amount of sugar you eat to an unhealthy level.
