Introduction
Nutrition plays a critical role in human wellbeing. For overweight people, one of the ways of achieving this wellbeing is weight loss. Different people prefer different diets in efforts to achieve and maintain this wellbeing. Today, five major weight loss diets have become very popular. They include Atkins diet, vegetarian lifestyle, vegan lifestyle, South Beach diet, and Paleo diet. It is important for people to understand the effectiveness of each of these weight loss diets before determine which one is best for them.
The Atkin diet is based on the idea that a person should cut back on carbohydrates so that the body turns to fat to produce energy. People who lead a vegetarian lifestyle avoid eating meat, poultry, and fish. The vegan lifestyle is just like the vegetarian lifestyle only that in addition to being a vegetarian, the individual does not use all other animal products such as honey and milk. In South Beach diet, people who want to lose weight are encouraged to learn to choose the right carbohydrates as well as the right fats. Lastly, the Paleo diet is widely considered the healthiest diet because it comprises of wholesome foods from a wide range of food groups in the form of an ancestral diet. The aim of this paper is to describe the effectiveness of each of these diets and how they work.
Atkins diet
The Atkins diet is based on the view that cutting back on carbohydrates in one’s diet is a sure way of succeeding in weight loss efforts. This diet is named after Dr. Robert Atkins, who first came up with the idea. Since its introduction more than four decades ago, newer versions of the Atkins diet have been recommended. Whichever the version, the diet emphasizes the need to reduce one’s intake of carbohydrates. The underlying argument is that when the body encounters a shortage of carbohydrates, it turns its fat reservoirs into sources of fuel. Consequently, the body starts relying on fat for energy.
The Atkins diet works in two phases: induction and ongoing weight loss. In the induction phase, has to adhere strictly to a number of rules. First, one must not exceed an intake of 20 grams of carbohydrates daily. Secondly, …
References
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