Paleo, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan - What Diet is Right For Me?

Being healthy is the new sexy, and our diets are an integral part of ensuring you are healthy. Within the United States, “close to 80 million people," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "are obese.”

With a goal to be the best you possible, it’s essential to understand what foods nourish your body and help you achieve your goal of being healthy. However, there are a number of diets currently on the market, how do you know which one is best for you? You should choose a diet based on how it works with your system, which starts with understanding the benefits of each diet.

Paleo Diet

One of the leading diets currently is the Paleo diet. The diet is based on the idea that the diet eaten by early humans was optimal and unadulterated by the chemicals and hormones we experience now. To maintain this diet, you should focus on eating fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood—food that occurs naturally. Loren Cordain, Ph.D., a professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University explains, “by following these nutritional guidelines, we put our diet more in line with the evolutionary pressures that shaped our current genetics, which in turn positively influences health and well-being.” In addition to only eating what can typically be hunted and gathered, you should avoid dairy, grains, and processed food as much as necessary.

Beyond being a means to achieve weight loss, the Paleo diet is a great way to control metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular irregularities, and diabetes. Research has shown that Paleo can reduce blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and raise HDL cholesterol.

In a study, 34 participants who displayed “at least two characteristics of the metabolic syndrome,” a two-week stint on the Paleo diet improved “several cardiovascular risk factors compared to a healthy reference diet in subjects with the metabolic syndrome.” Participants with a mean average of 31.8 body mass index (BMI), reduced their blood pressure, both diastolic and systolic level, lowered their bad cholesterol, and increased their good cholesterol, in only two weeks. Additionally, the group reduced the number of metabolic syndrome characteristics they displayed. Beyond efforts to maintain weight, the group reduced their weight as well.

Imagine being on a diet that improves your overall health and allows you to lose weight? With the Paleo diet, your dream of losing weight without counting calories can become reality.

Gluten Free Diet

If you’ve ever wondered, gluten is a protein that holds your food together. Gluten is found in a multitude of foods. Although most people think gluten only affects people with celiac disease, it can affect almost everyone.

To begin, let’s understand what celiac disease is and how a gluten-free diet can benefit you. Celiac disease is a condition in which the small intestine becomes ultra-sensitive to gluten. As a result of this, foods that contain gluten are hard to process. Symptoms of celiac disease include abdominal bloating, chronic diarrhea, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome, among other symptoms.

If you are concerned that you have this condition, you can get tested to eliminate the possibility. Typically, a gastroenterologist tests for celiac disease by taking a biopsy of your small intestine. After analyzing your small intestine, they can determine the best course of action for you.

To adopt a gluten-free way of life, you have to stop eating gluten. Primarily, gluten is found in grains, including barley, wheat, triticale, and rye. With more people being diagnosed with celiac disease, more food manufacturers are labeling their packaging. Look for foods that state “gluten-free” to ensure you don’t continue to agitate your small intestine.

Vegetarian Diet

If you are considering a healthy diet to embark on a new, healthier you, then you should focus on removing meat from your diet. The health benefits of a vegetarian diet are far-reaching, and there are many world-renowned vegetarians who attribute their great health and physical fitness to a vegetarian diet, including Gandhi, Venus Williams, Rich Roll, and David Scott.

A vegetarian diet is a great option for everyone. Contrary to assumptions made about the diet in the past, Harvard University has determined that a plant-based diet is a great way to get the nutrients your body needs. As an added bonus, researchers at Harvard also found that vegetarian diets are excellent at preventing and treating chronic diseases. Harvard University and the American Dietetic Association state, “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention or treatment of certain diseases.” In a study involving 76,000 people, “vegetarians were, on average, 25% less likely to die of heart disease.”

To become an even healthier vegetarian, it’s important to ensure that your choice of foods are laden with nutrient-rich options that will not only nourish your body but power your system throughout the day. By eliminating meats, our biggest source of proteins, you have to ensure that you are receiving ample amounts of protein throughout the day. Individuals with a plant-based diet may also want to supplement their diet with calcium; however, research indicates, vegetarians who are active, likely have a lower need for calcium compared to when they were eating the traditional American diet.

Most experts recommend that you transition to a vegetarian diet slowly. You can start by upping your consumption of foods that will remain in your diet after you become a vegetarian. For instance, you should eat more nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Also, research simple, go-to meals that can become staples in your diet once you’ve completely transitioned to being a vegetarian.

Vegan Diet

A vegan diet is similar to a vegetarian diet, but with more restrictions. Fueled by love and respect for animals, vegans don’t consume any product that comes from animals. Eggs and milk are off limits to vegans. Much like a vegetarian diet, a vegan diet is beneficial to anyone who is considering embarking on a new way of life through food. It’s important to note, many vegans explain that being vegan isn’t a diet, but a way of life.

Vegans reap the benefits of choosing a vegan diet each day from day one. The most rewarding benefit is self-actualization. With the ability to sustain themselves without relying on helpless animals, vegans can relish in the idea that they’ve accomplished something that is truly having a positive impact on the world.

Beyond self-actualization, the health benefits of adopting a vegan diet go beyond preventing medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Vegans can knock off years from their physical appearance by losing weight, improving the quality of their skin, and improving the quality of their hair and nails.

Even more impressive than looking younger, is the research that state vegans live longer. With the ability to heal their body and stave off all sorts of diseases, vegans live longer lives than others who follow the traditional American diet. Time magazine attributes vegans’ increased life expectancy to their ability to avoid diseases and maintain a lower body weight. In a study of 70,000 people, vegans had a reduced chance of death by 12% compared to others.

If you are ready to embark on a new journey to improve your health and overall quality of life, choosing the best diet depends on your goals. Additionally, it’s important to consider a diet that you can sustain for months or years since many physiological changes may take years to realize. With every diet, it’s important to consult your doctor first. By partnering with your doctor, he or she can easily track the changes your body will experience as well as your overall health. To enhance your diet, we encourage you to purchase vitamins and supplements from our website MrVitaHerbs. Have more questions? Send me a note at alan@mrvitaherbs.com