The summer season officially starts on Friday the 21^st of June, meaning it is the perfect time to start working on your “summer body”. alldayDr.com look into the most effective diets and how to make a healthy change to your lifestyle for good!

It’s important to understand the diet you are interested in applying to your lifestyle in order to follow it successfully. Be aware that most diets in the media have been known to be a “fad” meaning that they may enabled quick weight loss, however, you will more than likely find the weight quickly returns once you return to a more normal balanced approach to your nutrition. The diets we have looked into have been proven to be easy to follow, promote weight loss and successfully keep the weight off. We look into how to follow three easy, effective diets and explain the medical aspects of healthy dieting.

The Mediterranean Diet – The taste of a fresh approach to dieting

The Mediterranean diet is about leading an active lifestyle while eating fresh, healthy food in health proportions. This simple to follow diet has been known to reduce risk of diabetes, promote weight loss and brain health, and has even been said to prevent cancer! The reason this diet is so popular is due to it being so tasty but also the fact you loose weight while preventing disease! Could you ask for more!

The diet includes eating lots of fruit and veg, beans, nuts and legumes, while your main protein comes from seafood. Sweets, dairy and red meats are restricted throughout this diet and reserved for special events. By combining the fresh healthy eating with an active lifestyle, it has been proven to boost your own personal happiness too.  Some amazing proven benefits to the Mediterranean are:

• Improve brain function – Due to the consumption of oily fish
• Lowers your risk of heart disease
• Aiding weight loss
• Improves eye health
• Protects you from the development of diabetes

This diet has been ranked as the number one best diet of all time, with people claiming it is the most successful and easiest to follow for long periods of time. While following this incredible diet we encourage you to make the following changes to improve results and benefit your health and wellness;

• Change your thoughts on meat! Try to eat less meat by reducing the amount you put in dishes for example; thin strips of sirloin steak rather than consuming the whole fillet.
  
  
• Use good fats – Good fats in foods such as Avacado, Olives, Olive Oil, Nuts and Sun Flower Seeds. Using these has been known to reduce heart disease.
  
  
• Eat seafood twice a week – Have two meals during the week including some for of seafood. Fish improves brain function, making you smarter!
  
  
• Grains are important – Implementing the use of Bulgar Wheat, Black or Red Rice and Barley will ensure you are gaining extremely important nutrients while staying fuller for longer.

We have discussed the nutritional benefits of a Mediterranean diet but how do you implement exercise into this approach? The importance of being active within this diet is very clear, simply eating healthier will not help you loose weight. Walking, cycling and hiking is the best way to enjoy keeping fit throughout the Mediterranean diet. The approach to exercise with dieting is to make it not feel like exercise but make it more enjoyable. It is recommended that you apply two and a half hours of moderate exercise to your lifestyle, keeping your heart rate up in order to promote healthy cardiovascular health. Be sure to apply exercise that does help to build your muscle in order to tone your body.

The Keto Diet – Bye bye carbs

#Keto has been used 6 million times on Instagram, it’s an extremely popular new way to control your diet. Research suggests that if followed correctly you can lose a substantial amount of weight in no time by using this diet. So, what is Keto and how exactly do you implement this regime?

Keto works by forcing the body to use its own fat supply for energy, by reducing intake of carbohydrates down to no more than between 20-50kg per day. It is important to consider if this diet would be suitable for you as it can be difficult to sustain. This diet is great for people who are struggling to lose weight even while eating healthy, as it enables your body to get back control of your blood sugar. Keto is extremely popular within the body building community as it is high in protein and ideal for repairing and building muscle during training. Other health benefits of Keto include;

• Reduces acne
• Improves heart health
• Reduces seizures
• Improves health in women with PCOS

The Keto diet can help you lose weight easily without hunger pangs, this is due to the high fat, large portion meals available. It is extremely important to understand foods you must avoid and the reasons behind this. Changes to make in order to implement the diet and successfully lose weight are as follow;

• Avoid alcohol – Alcoholic beverages harbour lots of carbohydrates, by drinking even just at the weekend your body will slip out of Ketosis.
   
• Think about Nuts – seeds and nuts are an incredible source of energy and a fantastic snack during this diet. Instead of reaching for the sugary snack, grab a packed of cashew nuts!
  
  
• Chicken or the Egg? – Egg based meals are fantastic for meals on the Keto diet. Eggs are an amazing source of protein and sustain your energy.
  
  
• Try for 90 days – medical professionals suggest you apply the Keto diet for a maximum of 90 days and then transfer on to a mix of Keto and normal carbohydrate intake on two days per week. This makes it easy to maintain the weight loss and continue with the healthy programme.
  
  
• Vitamins are vital – we all know vitamin intake is crucial for a healthy and balanced diet. It can be difficult to get through the Keto diet; some people find they catch “Keto Flu” in the first few days or simply do not have the energy to function due to the reduction in carbohydrates. By taking vitamin supplements you will be able to continue with the diet without fatigue. Important minerals include; Sodium and Magnesiuum.  

While implementing the Keto diet, the best form of exercise is that which builds muscle density. Going to the gym and making use of the weights will see your body become leaner and more toned while you are taking part in a Keto based diet.

The Flexiterian – Flex your nutrition

This diet is extremely simple to apply to your daily life and means you can lose weight without feeling too hungry. Over the years we have been told how excessive meat consumption can cause health issues and potentially harm the environment. Can reducing the amount of meat in your diet really help you lose weight or is this simply a fad?

A “Flexiterian” reduces meat consumption by having mainly Vegetarian or Vegan meals during the week. The term literally means flexible Vegetarian. The diet promises to reduce health risks and promote weight loss with a mainly Vegetarian diet. It can not be denied this diet provides very real health benefits and so far, is the only diet with solid proof of this due to the high intake of fruit and veg. Some argue that this diet is more a lifestyle choice as there are no clear rules on calorie consumption or clear-cut rules on what to avoid, we argue that this is what makes it so easy to follow. Let’s take a look into the health benefits;

• Reduces risk of Heart Disease
• Aids weight loss
• Can potentially reverse Diabetes
• Can reduce risk of Colorectal Cancers

While promoting a healthy lifestyle, aiding weight loss and preventing some diseases, the Flexiterian diet can also help the environment. Research has found that meat consumption has a negative effect on the planet, it has been linked to fuelling climate change and polluting the landscapes. In 2019 scientists warned the UK that “huge reductions in meat eating are required if the world is to stave off dangerous climate change”. Western countries now eat so much beef they will need to reduce it by 90% in order to have a hand in saving the planet and reversing climate change. Scientists are pleading with Western countries to swap beef for Beans and Pulses to help with the environment. So, what changes must you make to take part in this diet and help climate change?

• Stock up on Protein – make sure you stock up on alternatives to meats. You can try Soy, Tofu, tempeh, legumes and lentils in order to feel satisfied with your meals.
  
  
• Stay away from the Red Meat – when you are consuming meats make sure you go for, seafood, Organic from grass-fed or pastured animals and Poultry.
  
  
• Fast food is a no go – stay away from fast food. Products are usually non-organic and high in meats and fats from animals.
  
  
• Don’t just limit meat – limit processed meats, refined carbs and added sugars to get the most out of the weight loss.

In order for the Flexiterian diet to be effective, you must ensure you implement an exercise regime within this lifestyle change. Although the change to diet may make the first weeks tiring for you, you will soon start to see the benefits of lower meat consumption and your energy will start to come back. If you stick with the diet for the first two weeks prior to taking part in exercise you will find it much easier to attend the gym, go on runs and walks and start to tone your physique.

What can the Doctor do for You?

We understand the pressures of getting into good shape this time of the year. It is vitally important that you remain in good mental health while implementing a diet into your everyday life. If you are struggling with health and wellbeing, we can advise you on the best ways to approach dieting.

Some people struggle to lose weight no matter which diet they follow and this can be extremely frustrating. alldayDr can provide safe, effective and discreet medication to aid weight loss should we find this is suitable and safe for you. It is always important to ensure a healthy approach to dieting, should you feel you need extra help please visit alldayDr.com today for more information and advice.

Tags: beach bod, diet, doctor, fitness, GP, summer, summer body, The Flexiterian, The Keto Diet, The Mediterranean Diet, weight loss