Whether you are overweight or would just like to lose a few extra pounds and get in better shape, you have probably heard of some of the popular diets and their different claims to help you lose weight. You may be wondering if they really work and about their health benefits. To assist you in better understanding many of the currently popular diets, we’ve compiled a comparison of nine of them including their claims, what foods are prescribed, and a sampling of comments from prominent health professionals and organizations, to provide a condensed overview of each. The overview is in no way comprehensive, but will give you a head-start on delving deeper to identify which diet might work best for you.

The Zone Diet emphasizes a ratio of carbohydrates (40%), fat (30%) and proteins (30%) promotes weight loss by keeping insulin levels in “The Zone.” Eating the right ratio lowers insulin levels, resulting in a metabolic state resulting in increased energy and decreased hunger.

What you eat:

The Zone Diet focuses on lean proteins combined with vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. A small amount of starchy carbohydrates can also be included in your meal. Anything made with white flour, white sugar, and/or saturated fats is avoided.

'Eat More Weigh Less' diet is a nutritious and health-promoting diet, although it places inappropriate limits on consumption of meat and dairy products. This diet would very likely achieve the aims of reducing weight and reducing the risk of heart disease in the vast majority of people, but its extreme nature makes long-term compliance unlikely for all but the most strongly motivated.” 

Acceptable. Low calorie density and healthy (low in sat fat, ample fruits and vegetables); restricts healthy foods like seafood and low-fat poultry and dairy; low in calcium

“Deficient in zinc and vitamin B12 due to infrequent meat consumption. Additionally, this type of diet can be inadequate in vitamin E, a nutrient found in oils, nuts and other foods rich in fat.”

“There does not seem to be any theoretical risk of following this diet over the long term, and I gather that there is some evidence that well motivated people have followed this diet successfully for long periods.”

The Glycemic Index diet focuses on eating foods with a low glycemic index (GI) value which leads to a metabolic state in which the body feels full longer, has increased energy, decreased hunger.

What you eat:

The Glycemic Index diet allows for 3 meals a day plus several snacks. Unlimited low GI foods. No sugar.

Comments / concerns:

• “Cuts risk factors for heart disease and diabetes better than conventional low-fat diet.”
• “Potential benefits from using the GI for meal planning if you have diabetes include improved blood sugar levels, decreased blood fats, and reduced risk of obesity. However, using the GI for meal planning is a fairly complicated process. Many factors affect the GI value of a specific food, such as how the food was prepared and what you eat with it. Also, the GI value for some foods isn't known.”

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