The Cleveland Clinic’s registered dietitians say that the only way to succeed with a diet is to find one that “works for you, personally.” Nutritionists find that many people fail at diets simply because the diets aren’t right for them. The top trending diets of 2017 are eclectic, ranging from well-researched revisions of tried and true programs like Atkins to fad diets like the vegan Taco Diet.
The Taco Cleanse Diet
One of the enduring appeals of fad diets is their simplicity. They often focus on just one food, like the Cabbage Soup diet. The Taco Cleanse Diet is a lighthearted approach to controlling calories. It is a vegan diet cleanse that recommends one to two tacos per meal, and provides recipes for animal product-free options. This diet cleanse may also be appealing because it allows margaritas along with the tacos. Cleveland Clinic’s nutritionists assess the Taco Diet as poor, due to its many low nutritional density and high empty-carb recipes like macaroni and cheese-filled tacos or matzo-filled tacos for Passover. It’s hard to see how crushed matzo crackers or fried macaroni and cheese are a “cleanse” because they are served in a taco shell.
Military Diet
With little connection to the military beyond its plain, basic foods, the Military Diet is also called the “Three Day Diet,” and it guarantees that dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in a week. The Military Diet limits calories severely, but it also cuts out nutrition. Calorie quality isn’t very good, either, with daily menus featuring low nutrition density foods like saltines, vanilla ice cream, and hot dogs.
GOLO Diet
The GOLO Diet gained popularity because its meals help to stabilize insulin and blood sugar. The diet doesn’t count calories, it focuses on controlling insulin levels. The diet’s meals appear nutritionally-balanced, but you must purchase GOLO program materials and a nutritional supplement. You won’t receive recipes or the diet plan without purchasing at least some level of the GOLO diet packages.
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Ketogenic Diet
A very low-carb, high fat, moderate protein diet, the Ketogenic Diet causes your body to go into ketosis, which occurs when your body has used up its reserves of carbohydrates, and your liver begins to manufacture ketones. A number of studies have shown that such diets not only cause weight loss, they may also benefit various diseases, including Parkinson’s, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Food cravings are low on this type of diet. Because Ketogenic diets cause stress on liver and kidney function, you should always discuss this diet with your doctor before trying it.
Atkins 40 Diet
Less-stringent than the Atkins 20 Diet plan, the Atkins 40 plan allows you to consume less than 40 grams of carbohydrates per day as opposed to the ultra-restrictive 20 grams of carbs allowed on the Atkins 20 plan. Similar to the Ketogenic diet, the Atkins plans restrict carbohydrates. The Atkins 40 plan allows you to consume plenty of vegetables, and provides choices of fruit, nuts, yogurt and whole grains.
The Atkins and Ketogenic diets are backed by years of experience and have also been found effective in research studies published in recognized medical journals. These diets also don’t require dieters to purchase expensive supplements, books, or memberships. The Military Diet’s only association with the military seems to be its limited menu filled with plain, bland foods, while the Taco Diet doesn’t contain much protein or nutrition. Check with your doctor or a nutritionist before starting any of 2017’s trending diets.
