Four most popular diets you need to know

Your food choices have a great impact on both your physical and mental health. Good nutrition is an important aspect to lead a healthy lifestyle. Dieting with proper food choices and schedule reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart diseases and even cancer. Our country has been witnessing an obesity epidemic as nearly 35% of adult citizens are suffering from the same. This also results in a rise in the cases of type 2 diabetes, stroke (heart failure), and osteoporosis. Mentioned below is a list of diets full of nutritious food sources that you can space out evenly through the day and lead a healthy lifestyle.

DASH diet- It stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The diet is promoted by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to prevent the symptoms of high blood pressure. It emphasizes eating blood pressure-deflating fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. DASH diet focuses on nutrients like calcium, protein, potassium, and fiber. Dietitians suggest that following this diet caps the daily sodium intake to roughly 1500 milligrams per day.

Mediterranean diet- This diet is low in red meat and saturated fats and high in nuts and produce. A Mediterranean diet offers a host of health benefits, including heart and brain health, weight loss, and other chronic diseases. The diet pyramid consists of food sources like whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil. It also focuses on eating a lot of seafood and moderate consumption of eggs, cheese, and yogurt.

Flexitarian diet- The name of the diet is made from two words: “flexible” and “vegetarian”. It was coined at least a decade ago. A flexitarian diet focuses on reaping the benefits of vegetarianism. It suggests that you can focus on eating healthy greens most of the time and still eat a steak when the urge hits. Populating your diet with green leafy vegetables helps you get your daily dose of fiber and vitamins, thereby reducing cholesterol in the body that is accumulated due to a high meat diet. A flexitarian diet restricts your per day calorie intake to 1500. However, the plan can be tweaked on the basis of age, gender, and overall health condition.

MIND diet- Short for Mediterranean- DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay, the diet is a combination of the two most effective diets: the Mediterranean and DASH diets. The MIND diet zeroes in on food that especially lower the risk of a mental decline. The diet emphasizes eating more berries, nuts, and leafy greens as it slows down the progression of certain mental disorders.