6 Diets That Actually Work

Few things are worse for the human body than most short-tem fad diets. They often involve going for days with little nutrition, dehydration, and starving the body of certain necessary nutrients. Psychologically, they give false hope to the thousands who wish to lose weight and keep it off—almost no fad diet is effective in keeping weight off, because they are not sustainable and do not promote long-term health.

There are, however, some great alternatives—diets that are formulated with nutrition in mind, and often, a goal as well, such as the lowering of blood pressure or the slow loss of fat. These diets, which we will cover here, work. You won’t see them advertised on TV or emblazoned across internet ad banners because the information about them is freely given. They’re not gimmicks, marketing tricks, or money-grabbing schemes out to prey on those in need.

So read on, and learn about 6 diets that actually work.

The DASH Diet

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DASH—Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension—is a diet designed to prevent high blood pressure, or to lower it, if it’s already presenting. Following DASH will can reduce blood pressure in as little as two weeks, and is an overall healthy way of eating, lining up with dietary recommendations aimed at preventing cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

The diet involves lots of fruit, grains, low-fat dairy products, and vegetables, along with some fish, poultry, and legumes, with each food selected for its richness in blood pressure-lowering nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

Affecting men and women, high blood pressure is often called the silent killer, and, while it often presents no symptoms, can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. More than 70 million American adults have high blood pressure—that’s 1 in 3 people.

With so many people being affected by high blood pressure, the DASH diet is an effective tool in promoting national health. Even those without high blood pressure can benefit from the good nutritional recommendations of the diet, as well as the possible prevention of high blood pressure.

Head over to Mayoclinic.org to read the comprehensive guidelines for the DASH diet.

The MIND Diet

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In addition to taking care of our bodies, our minds need care as well. The MIND diet—Mediterranean Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay—is similar to the DASH diet, with an emphasis on foods that contain nutrients shown to promote brain health.

The MIND diet consists of eating from 10 food groups, which include green leafy vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, wine, and other vegetables. The diet also recommends avoiding foods such as red meat, butter, cheese, pastries, and fried food.

The diet has shown itself to be beneficial, lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 54 percent—what you eat can and does make an impact on every facet of your health.

If you’re interested in how to protect your brain through food, visit webmd.com for a detailed rundown of the MIND diet.

The TLC Diet

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The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) for High Cholesterol diet focuses on the lowering of cholesterol. It includes basic lifestyle changes in several areas such as diet, exercise, weight, and smoking. The TLC diet also has the recommendation of the National Cholesterol Education Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The TLC diet specifies the types of fats which are acceptable to eat, and in what percentages, and dictates serving sizes and food groups from which to choose your meals. Although it is one of the more strict diets, it is also incredibly effective in reducing cholesterol, especially in concert with medication.

High cholesterol is a leading contributor to cardiovascular diseases and deposits within the arteries—a leading cause of death in the United States. Most health insurances packages allow for free preventative care, so get to your doctor and have your cholesterol tested.

Take a look at Webmd.com to get the details on the TLC diet.

The Mayo Clinic Diet

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The Mayo Clinic diet was designed by—you guessed it—experts at the Mayo Clinic. Far from being a short-term program, the May Clinic diet is a lifelong approach to eating well.

The diet is designed to help you lose weight in a healthy and, hopefully, permanent way. The creators of the diet aim to teach and establish good overall dietary habits so that a healthy weight can be maintained for life. Following the May Clinic diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

This is another diet that focuses on more than food—it focuses on lifestyle, and this is why it is so effective. It’s divided into two phases—the first, the “lose it” stage, is a two week phase created to jump-start weight loss in a healthy way by breaking 5 bad habits and forming 5 new, good ones.

The second stage, “live it,” focuses on the lifelong approach to diet and health, delving into portion size, food choices, and menu planning. Weight loss continues throughout this phase at a rate of about a pound a week. Through the maintenance of good habits, dieters continue to lose weight, and maintain their goal weight permanently.

Look here for details on the Mayo Clinic diet.

The Mediterranean Diet

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The Mediterranean diet is familiar to many of us—it’s a heart-healthy diet known for its incorporation of olive oil, red wine, and other traditional components of the cooking styles of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet, which traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta, and rice, and very little red meat, reduces the risk of heart disease, and is associated with lowered cholesterol levels, and lowered overall mortality rates. The diet includes the consumption of plenty of healthy fats, and is widely considered to be one of the most palatable diets around, and is easy to follow because of this.

This diet also includes the consumption of moderate amounts of red wine—no more than 5 ounces a day—which is associated with a lowered risk of heart disease in several studies. By simply substituting unhealthier meats and other sources of unhealthy fats with their healthier versions, the Mediterranean diet bequeaths health while still allowing you to eat delicious foods.

Head over to the Mayo Clinic website for a thorough review of the Mediterranean diet.

The Weight Watchers Diet

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Weight Watchers is the lone commercialized diet on this list, but it is included for good reason. The diet isn’t a lifestyle program as many of the others we’ve mentioned are—it’s simply a points system.

Weight Watchers assigns foods a SmartPoints value, and you have a certain number of points per day to spend on food. More nutritious foods cost less, while unhealthy foods cost much more, limiting your caloric intake. Overall the points system is designed to guide dieters toward healthier, more nutritious foods.

Weight Watchers does cost—each of their three plans, online, online with meetings, and online with coaching, has a 20 dollar starting fee, but the company sometimes waives this charge with special sales.

If you don’t want to deal with counting calories or complex food choices, let Weight Watchers simplify things for you—all you have to do is stay within your target points range. Their website also offers comprehensive information on dieting, exercise, cooking, and overall fitness.

You’ll spend some money for the convenience, but Weight Watchers is a great and simple solution for those who want to lose weight and keep it off.