Carbohydrates turn into glucose in your body — the main source of energy your cells use for proper function.
When you eat a banana or a sandwich, the glucose from the carbs is absorbed and transported to your bloodstream (that’s why glucose is also called blood sugar).
Then, the pancreas makes insulin — the primary regulator of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism– which then takes glucose and…
- Sends it your cells for energy.
- Stores any glucose that isn’t needed at the moment in your liver and muscle tissue.
- Lowers the production of glucose in the liver.
This lowers your blood sugar back to its normal levels.
However, a high consumption of carbs can break this balance and put you at risk of several chronic diseases:
#1: Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is when your cells don’t respond well to insulin, so they can’t properly absorb the glucose that insulin transports. This makes your pancreas produce extra insulin to make up for this malfunction and help cells absorb the glucose.
A recent study found that fructose (a type of sugar in carbs) may help cause insulin resistance[*].
Normally, the liver produces glucose when needed and insulin keeps the levels under control. Fructose messes with this delicate mechanism.
Fructose can push your liver to over-produce glucose and ignore your insulin’s attempts to stop it.
The results of the study showed that no matter how much insulin was produced, the glucose levels (triggered by fructose) didn’t decrease. This causes an excess of both glucose and insulin that leads to insulin resistance.
The foods highest in fructose are processed sugary foods like sodas, candy, juices, cereals and baked goods, as well as certain fruits.
Another well-known cause of insulin resistance is obesity, which may be influenced by sugar consumption too. Specifically, soft drinks are known to increase the risk of obesity by adding empty calories that don’t satiate you[*].
Takeaway: Fructose can cause an overproduction of glucose and insulin that leads to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance can cause another disease:
#2: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Your liver not only produces glucose, it also forms triglycerides (a form of fat).
When you eat carbs, your liver takes the excess glucose your body doesn’t need and turns it into fat for storage, through a process called de novo lipogenesis.
Fructose accelerates this process of turnings carbs into fat.
If your liver produces too much fat, you can develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disease in adults and children in the US[*].
One review concluded that carbs stimulate fat production in the liver and “are more likely to directly contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome than dietary fat”[*], while fructose elevates triglycerides higher than other types of carbs[*].
Insulin resistance is also a culprit. Because insulin is the main regulator of fat, carbs, and protein, it naturally stimulates fat production. A person with insulin resistance has too much insulin in their bloodstream, which skyrockets the rate of fat production in the liver[*].
Takeaway: Fructose and excess insulin push your liver to overproduce triglycerides that cause NAFLD.
#3: Weight Gain
A comprehensive review published in Nature found that although there’s no final consensus on whether high consumption of carbs from whole foods (like fruits and veggies) alone cause weight gain, there’s a clear link between sugary beverage consumption and weight gain[*].
In one of the largest studies, around 50,000 adult women were followed for two 4-year periods, and women who increased their soft drink consumption from less than weekly to daily had the largest weight gain[*].
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is also associated with an increased risk of obesity [*].
Takeaway: Soft drinks and NAFLD are strongly linked to obesity.
#4: Cardiovascular Disease
The insulin resistance and liver fat production triggered by carbs can affect your heart health.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a bigger predictor of cardiovascular disease than visceral fat and insulin resistance is a major risk factor for CVD[*].
#5: Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes happens when your body can’t produce enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance (the inability of your cells to absorb glucose from insulin).
Since not enough insulin can be produced to control your blood sugar, glucose accumulates in your bloodstream and causes diabetes.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. One study found that it’s a vicious cycle: NAFLD is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes worsens liver function[*].
#6: Energy Crashes
Simple carbs like pasta and bread are quickly absorbed by your body and turned into blood sugar, giving you a burst of energy.
However, since the metabolism of simple carbs is so fast, your blood sugar quickly plummets, making you feel sleepy and fatigued.
One study found a high glycemic meal (carbs that spike your blood sugar and insulin) made people sleepy faster than a low glycemic meal (carbs that are slowly absorbed)[*].
A low carb diet can help you avoid these harmful effects.
We scoured the internet to find every single low carb diet in existence. Here are the diets, their different variations and how they work.
The Atkins diet is a strict low carb diet that was proposed in 1972 by cardiologist Dr. Robert C. Atkins.
In 1963, he discovered that a low carb approach provided weight loss benefits without significant hunger, and went on to test it on himself and 65 executives with significant weight loss results.
He published his findings and diet advice in the book Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution. The current Atkins diet is now divided into two styles:
- The standard Atkins diet called Atkins 20, which limits more carbs.
- A new liberal version called Atkins 40, which allows more carbs.
Goals Of The Atkins Diet
Atkins 20: To help people with more than 40 pounds to lose, those who have a waist size of over 35 (women) or 40 (men), and people who are prediabetic or diabetic.
Atkins 40: To help people who have less than 40 pounds to lose, need a wider variety of food choices right from the beginning, and/or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The claim is the average person can expect to lose 1-2 lbs. per week
Daily Macros
On both styles, you can eat 3 meals and two snacks per day. Your macros should look like this:
Atkins 20
Net carbs (total carbs minus fiber): 20g-100g depending on the phase you’re on. You should eat a foundation of vegetables that provide 12-15g at all stages.
Protein: 3 servings of 4-6 oz
Fat: 3 servings of added healthy fats
Atkins 40
Net carbs (total carbs minus fiber): 40g-150g depending on the phase you’re on. You should eat a foundation of vegetables that provide 12-15g at all stages.
Protein: 3 servings of 4-6 oz
Fat: 3-4 servings of added healthy fats
How It Works
The Atkins diet is divided into four phases and follows a ladder of allowed foods you introduce slowly:
Atkins 20
Phase 1
Goal: Kick-starting weight loss
Daily net carbs: 20-25g
Duration: 2 weeks
Allowed foods: Mostly proteins, healthy fats, cheeses, nuts, and seeds, and carbs from low carb vegetables only.
Effects: Rapid water weight and risk of dehydration if you don’t drink enough water.
Phase 2
Goal: Finding your personal carb balance
Daily net carbs: 25-50g
Duration: Until you’re within 10 pounds of your goal weight. Slowly add 5g net carb increments to your diet starting with lower carb foods at weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly intervals.
Allowed foods: All foods from phase 1 and introducing berries, cherries, other dairy, legumes and tomato juice.
Phase 3
Goal: Slowing down weight loss when you’re close to your goal weight
Daily net carbs: 50-80g
Duration: Until you’ve reached your goal weight and maintained it for a month. Add more high-carb foods in 5g increments to your diet.
Allowed foods: All foods from phase 2 and introducing more sweet fruits, starchy veggies, and whole grains.
Phase 4
Goal: Maintaining your new weight
Daily net carbs: 80-100g
Duration: Ongoing. Continue to add carbs in 5g increments until your weight stabilizes. Keep that carb intake to maintain your weight.
Allowed foods: All the foods from previous phases, only a higher carb quantity.
Atkins 40 (3 phases)
Phase 1
Goal: Kick-starting weight loss
Daily net carbs: 40g
Duration: Until you’re within 10 pounds of your goal weight.
Allowed foods: All food groups: proteins, healthy fats, dairy, ⅓ of carbs from low carb veggies and the remaining from fruit, nuts, and whole grains
Phase 2
Goal: Slowing down weight loss
Daily net carbs: 50-80g
Duration: Slowly add 10g net carbs in weekly increments to your diet.
Allowed foods: All food groups (protein, fats, dairy, grains, fruits), but carbs in higher amounts.
Phase 3
Goal: Maintaining your new weight
Daily net carbs: 80-150g
Duration: Ongoing. Continue to add carbs back in 10g net carb increments until your weight stabilizes.
Allowed foods: All food groups (protein, fats, dairy, grains, fruits), but carbs in higher amounts.
Foods To Avoid (At All Phases)
Processed foods: soft drinks, cookies, cake, cereals, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.
White carbs: white bread, white rice, white pasta, white flour, white sugar, etc.
Pros
- Shows significant weight loss results.
- Reduces hunger and cravings like most low carb diets.
- Includes all food groups in the two last stages, so it can be more sustainable.
- Atkins 40 is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Cons
- More guesswork and carb counting.
- Dehydration risk in the early stages.
- A high risk of nutrient deficiency in the early stages if no multivitamins are used. One study found the Atkins diet (in the strict low carb stage) provided 100% sufficiency for only 12 out of 27 essential micronutrients[*].
- The most deficient micronutrients are Vitamin B5, B7, D, E, choline, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, potassium, magnesium, molybdenum, sodium and zinc[*].
The Eco-Atkins diet is a high-fat vegetarian spinoff of the Atkins diet.
It was created in 2009, when a group of researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto decided to investigate the weight loss effects of a vegetarian diet following the Atkins model and published their results in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Goals Of The Eco-Atkins Diet
To reduce weight and LDL(bad) cholesterol using vegetarian protein sources in the model of an Atkins diet.
Daily Macros
The Eco-Atkins diet is designed to provide:
- 43% of calories from fat
- 31% of calories from protein
- 26% of calories from carbohydrates
How It Works
The 3 phases of the more liberal Atkins 40 can be followed using plant-based protein sources instead of meats.
Because a lot of vegetarian proteins also contain carbs, the restrictive first (20g) and second (50g) phases of Atkins 20 are not achievable.
In the original study, the Eco-Atkins diet provided a minimum of 130g of carbs per day.
The total protein was provided by:
- Gluten (54% of total protein) — from nut bread and seitan.
- Soy (23%)
- Fruits and vegetables (8%)
- Nuts (7%)
- Cereals (6%)
Foods You Can Eat
- Protein: Seitan, nut bread, soybeans, veggie bacon, tofu, soy beverages, all types of fruits, vegetables, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecans, and pistachios.
- Fats: Nuts, soy products, avocados, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, sunflower oil.
- Carbs: The net carbs resulting from the plant-based proteins and fats above.
Foods To Avoid
The diet eliminates common white carb foods, such as bread, baked goods, potatoes, and rice.
Pros
- Results show Eco-Atkins improves satiety compared to a low-fat diet.
- After 4 weeks, patients lost an average of 8.8 pounds.
- LDL cholesterol decreased.
- The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL(good cholesterol) improved.
- Total cholesterol and triglycerides decreased.
Cons
- The carb levels are too high in comparison to other low carb diets.
- Soy products could be harmful to women, especially if consumed in excess.
- A lot of soy products are processed.
- Relatively new diet with less research than the traditional Atkins diet.
- Difficult to follow for athletes.
The Bulletproof diet was invented by entrepreneur, self-described biohacker and blogger Dave Asprey in 2014 and published in his book The Bulletproof Diet.
Goals Of The Bulletproof Diet
To help people in general lose weight, boost energy, increase physical and mental performance, increase nutrient stores and strengthen immune function, all without calorie-counting or weighing food.
Daily Macros
The diet emphasizes you shouldn’t count calories and simply eat according to what your body tells you, but the general macros are:
- 50-70% of calories from healthy fats
- 20% of calories from protein
- 25% of calories from healthy carbs (fruits and vegetables only)
How It Works
The diet works on a spectrum of foods you can eat to hit your macros:
- Green Zone foods: Bulletproof foods you can eat freely.
- Yellow Zone foods: Foods you may or may not eat depending on your sensitivity, as they may cause inflammation or digestive issues.
- Red Zone foods: Foods to be avoided completely.
Foods You Can Eat
- Green Zone foods
- Drinks: Bulletproof coffee, water, green tea, coconut milk.
- Veggies: Broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens, other low carb veggies, butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots.
- Fruits: berries, avocado, pineapple, tangerine.
- Protein: grass-fed beef, lamb, cage-free eggs, and low-mercury fish.
- Dairy: grass-fed butter, ghee, cream, milk, and yogurt.
- Fats: fish oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, sunflower lecithin.
- Starch: White rice, plantain.
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes: Only coconut.
- Yellow Zone foods:
- Drinks: tap water, kombucha, raw milk, nut milk, fruit juice.
- Veggies: eggplant, onion, peas, pepper, tomatoes, beets.
- High-glycemic fruits: apple, apricots, cherries, figs, nectarines, peach, banana, grapes.
- Protein: farmed eggs, chicken and turkey.
- Dairy: non-organic grain-fed butter.
- Fats: raw almonds, cashew butter, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia.
- Starch: rice, corn, potatoes.
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes: Most nuts.
- Red Zone foods:
- Drinks: Soy milk and soft drinks.
- Veggies: Soy.
- High-glycemic fruits: dried fruit, jam and canned fruit
- Protein: high mercury seafood, rice, soy and pea protein.
- Dairy: all cheese, powdered milk, condensed milk.
- Fats: vegetable oils, margarine and lard.
- Starch: grains and gluten.
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes: soybeans, beans, chickpeas, lentils, flaxseed, chia seeds.
Pros
- No need to count calories, which makes it more manageable.
- Keeps all food groups, which makes it sustainable.
- Is more flexible on the food rules than other diets.
Cons
- There are no scientific studies done on this specific diet.
- Leaves out healthy fats like nuts and chia seeds which have shown to be beneficial.
- It’s been criticized by experts for a lack of science-based benefits.
The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-fat, low carb diet created by Dr. Pierre Dukan in 1970.
After seeing positive weight loss results in his patients under this diet, he published the book The Dukan Diet in 2000.
Goals Of The Dukan Diet
To help overweight people reach their “true weight” by prioritizing high-protein foods. It allows 100 foods: 68 proteins and 32 non-starchy veggies.
Daily Macros
There are no official macros, but the majority of your calories should come from protein-rich foods.
How It Works
Like the Atkins diet, it’s divided into 4 phases:
The Attack Phase
Goal: Kick-starting weight loss
Duration: 2-5 days.
Allowed foods: Only pure protein foods are allowed in this phase, from 68 animal proteins, in unlimited quantity. Take 1.5 tbsp of oat bran to provide carbs and fiber that help absorb the protein, as well as 6-8 cups of water a day to prevent dehydration from the water weight loss.
The Cruise Phase
Goal: Gradual weight loss
Duration: 3 days for every pound you want to lose.
Allowed foods: In addition to the 68 allowed proteins in the Attack phase, you can add 32 non-starchy vegetables.
Other requirements: 30 minutes of brisk walking per day and 2 tbsps of oat bran.
In the Cruise phase, you’re alternating between one day of protein + veggies and one day of just protein. For example, 1/1 means 1 day of protein and vegetables followed with 1 day of pure protein.
The Consolidation Phase
Goal: Preserve the weight loss you reached in the previous phases.
Duration: 5 days for every pound lost.
Allowed foods: In addition to the 68 proteins and 32 non-starchy vegetables, you introduce starchy foods like fruit (except bananas, grapes, figs, and cherries), whole grain bread, and cheese.
Other requirements: 25 minutes of brisk walking per day and 2 tbsps of oat bran.
In the Consolidation phase, you have to eat only protein every Thursday to avoid gaining more weight.
The Stabilization Phase
Goal: Stabilize your weight for the rest of your life.
Duration: Ongoing.
Allowed foods: There are no forbidden foods.
3 essential rules:
- Consume 3 tablespoons of oat bran per day.
- Choose to take the stairs whenever possible.
- Eat pure protein every Thursday.
Foods You Can Eat
Protein: 68 protein sources including lean red meat, poultry, fish, seafood, vegetarian proteins (tofu, seitan), eggs.
Dairy: Fat-free dairy products like cream cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.
Veggies: 32 low-starch veggies like artichoke, asparagus, bean sprouts, beet, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, and celery.
Fruits: Goji berries, strawberries, blueberries.
Fats: Olive oil and any fats from the protein sources.
Starches: Wheat gluten and konjac root.
Foods To Avoid
Any foods outside of the 100 approved foods list, including legumes like beans, chickpeas, and lentils, nuts, and seeds, coconut oil, coconut milk, and others saturated fats.
Pros
- Evident weight-loss, at least in the short term[*].
- Improves satiety thanks to the high levels of protein[*].
- Improves muscle mass[*].
Cons
- Can cause vitamin C and folate deficiencies, as well as an excess of potassium, iron and vitamins A, D and B12[*].
- Diets high in protein can overload the kidneys with acids, mainly as sulfates and phosphates[*].
- Lack of important healthy fats for brain health.
- May harm the kidneys and liver in the long-term.
- Promotes consumption of unhealthy processed foods like low-fat dairy products, deli meats, and sausages.
- Excess protein turns into glucose in your body, which can increase blood sugar[*].
The ketogenic diet is a strict low carb, high-fat diet that was invented to treat children with epilepsy in the 1920s and 30s.
It’s a largely researched diet that has shown many positive effects in metabolic markers, like:
- Fast and effective weight loss
- Improved body composition
- Reduced hunger and cravings
- Decreased triglycerides
- Lowered insulin resistance
- Lower insulin levels
- Lower blood glucose
- Higher good cholesterol levels
Goals Of The Keto Diet
To aid weight-loss, increase mental focus, boost energy levels, and improve exercise and physical performance by using fat (ketones) as fuel instead of glucose.
Daily Macros
In a ketogenic diet, you should get:
- 70-80% of calories from healthy fats (208 grams of fat in a 2500-calorie diet)
- 20-25% of calories from protein (125 grams of protein in a 2500-calorie diet)
- 5-10% of calories from net carbs (30 grams of carbs in a 2500-calorie diet)
How It Works
In the keto diet, you reduce your carb intake significantly and boost your fat consumption to let your body adapt to using fat as fuel (ketones).
The process of using ketones as energy is called ketosis, and it has many advantages:
- Increased fat burn
- A stable blood glucose
- More satiety
- Better exercise performance
- Higher mental focus
Proteins are consumed in adequate portions because excess protein is turned into glucose, which raises your blood sugar and kicks you out of the state of ketosis.
There are no phases in this diet, which makes it more manageable in your everyday life and more likely to stick. Supplementation is necessary for optimal results.
The benefits go far beyond weight loss, so you can enjoy the perks every day instead of a short period of time.
There are 4 types of keto diets:
- The Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD): The most common and recommended version of the diet where you stay within 20-50 grams of net carbs per day.
- Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD): Designed to improve workout performance. You eat 25-50 grams of net carbs or less around 30 minutes to an hour before exercise.
- Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD): This version alternates between high-carb and low carb periods. You eat a traditional keto diet for several days followed by a couple days eating high-carb and then back to keto. This can help athletes recover glycogen.
- High-Protein Ketogenic Diet: It’s identical to a standard keto diet, but with additional amounts of protein.
The keto diet also encourages taking supplements to optimize your levels of ketones and prevent deficiencies.
Foods You Can Eat
The approved ketogenic foods are:
- Fats: Butter, ghee, avocados, macadamia nuts, coconut butter, cocoa butter, egg yolks, coconut oil, olive oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, nuts, and seeds or nut butter.
- Protein: Fatty cuts of red meat, poultry, pork, fish, shellfish, organ meats, cage-free eggs, lamb, goat.
- Vegetables: Mostly low carb, non-starchy veggies, like leafy green, onions, bell peppers, asparagus, kohlrabi, celery, cucumber, zucchini and cauliflower.
- Low-glycemic fruits: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, cranberries and mulberries.
- Dairy: full-fat yogurts, mayonnaise, heavy cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, hard cheeses like parmesan, swiss, feta, and cheddar, and soft cheese like brie, Monterrey jack, mozzarella, and bleu cheese.
- Herbs and spices: Basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, lime or lemon juice, salt, pepper and powdered roots.
- Sweeteners: Stevia, erythritol, monk fruit and xylitol.
- Supplements: Exogenous ketones, collagen, MCT oil powder, MCT oil, Micronutrients.
Foods To Avoid
- High-glycemic fruits: bananas, apples, pineapple, papaya, mangoes, watermelon, cherries, apricots, figs, raisins, dried fruits, and other sugary fruits.
- Grains: rice, wheat, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, amaranth.
- Starchy veggies: potatoes, yams, turnips, sweet potatoes.
- Processed foods: Any packaged foods with added sugar, soy products, and cured meats.
Pros
- Extensive research to back up its benefits.
- Proven weight loss, cholesterol, and triglyceride benefits[*][*][*]. One study found people on a low carb keto diet lost 2.3 times as much weight and had significant decreases in triglycerides and bad cholesterol compared to people on a low fat diet.
- Focuses on a lifestyle change instead of a short-term reset.
- Improves workout performance in CrossFit training. One study found crossfitters following a keto diet lost more weight, body fat percentage, fat mass and BMI compared to the control group who undertook CrossFit without dietary changes[*].
- Improves workout performance in endurance sports. One study found that cyclists following a keto diet had reductions in body mass and fat mass, increased their oxygen uptake (necessary for energy) and burned more fat[*].
- Improves fat burning in resistance training. One study found that resistance exercise in combination with a ketogenic diet can reduce body fat[*].
- Improved focus, memory, and cognitive performance.
- Focuses on healthy sources of meat, not just on counting macros.
Cons
- People starting a keto diet can get the keto flu or keto rash, although this can be avoided or fixed by taking the necessary precautions.
- Because it eliminates a lot of carbs, you are at risk of becoming deficient in certain vitamins if you don’t take micronutrient supplements.
Sweden was one of the first countries to denounce the low-fat dogma and turn to a LCHF diet.
In 2007, Swedish GP Dr. Annika Dahlqvist was criticized and investigated by Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare after being reported for recommending a low carb, high fat diet to her patients, however, she ended up being cleared of any wrongdoing and the diet got popular.
Goals Of The LCHF
To induce weight loss and prevent chronic diseases by reducing carbs and increasing fats.
Daily Macros
There are no official macros for this diet.
How It Works
It’s meant to be a lifestyle change rather than a program, so all you have to do is substitute a portion of the carbs you currently consume for healthy fatty foods.
You also have to eliminate processed foods completely.
Foods You Can Eat
- Meats: grass-fed beef, poultry, and other fatty meats.
- Fish and seafood
- Cage-free eggs
- Full-fat dairy products
- Fats: Coconut and olive oil
- Low carb veggies: Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, bok choy, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, etc.
- Berries
- Nuts and seeds
Foods To Avoid
High-glycemic fruits, grains, starchy veggies, juices, and processed packaged foods with added sugar.
Pros
- Promotes a healthy lifestyle change.
- It’s accessible and simple.
- No calorie counting.
- Evidence shows it can improve lipid profiles, reduce insulin resistance, and lower the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome [*].
Cons
- Because there are no clear guidelines, it’s harder to measure the number of carbs you’re actually taking and their effects on your body.
- Risk of nutrient deficiency because it completely excludes grains and most fruits.
The Paleo Diet as we know it today was first proposed by Dr. Loren Cordain in his book The Paleo Diet, which was revised in 2011. It’s based on a simple concept: eat only what our caveman ancestors would eat.
Goals Of The Paleo Diet
To help people improve overall health, boost energy, increase lean muscle mass, and achieve weight loss by eating like hunter-gatherers.
Daily Macros
Because the premise is to eat like hunter-gatherers, who lived in different parts of the world and had access to vastly different food sources, there are no official macros for the paleo diet. The focus is entirely on the quality of the foods you eat.
How It Works
A paleo diet is intended to be a lifestyle, not a temporal diet, so it doesn’t have stages like the Atkins or Dukan diet. You simply adjust your eating habits and choose foods that people in the Stone age would eat, like meats, fats, fruits, and veggies. Grains, legumes, and dairy are not paleo.
The diet includes the 85/15 rule, which says that as long as you eat paleo foods for 85% of the time, you can indulge in occasional treats (like wine) the other 15% of the time.
Foods You Can Eat
- Meats: grass-fed beef, poultry, pork, game meat, organ meats, etc
- Fish and seafood
- Cage-free eggs
- All fruits and veggies
- Nuts and seeds
- Herbs and spices
- Healthy oils (olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia)
- Occasional alcoholic beverages, according to the 85-15 rule
Foods To Avoid
- All cereal grains
- Legumes (peanuts, beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans)
- Dairy
- Vegetable oils
- Peanut butter
- Potatoes
- All processed food
- All sweeteners other than natural fruit
- Anything that comes in a jar, box or plastic bag
Pros
- The paleo diet can improve metabolism. One review found that people on a paleo diet had short-term improvements in 5 metabolic components: waist circumference, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and blood sugar [*].
- May improve type 2 diabetes symptoms. One study found that people following a paleo diet had better glucose control, more balanced lipid profiles, and reduced insulin sensitivity [*].
- On healthy volunteers, it’s been shown to decrease weight by 2.3kg after 3 weeks [*].
- Easy and simple concept.
Cons
- It’s surrounded by controversy in the scientific community because more research is needed to confirm its advantages over other diets[*].
- There’s also controversy because it’s technically not possible to eat exactly as paleolithic humans given that in the modern food system the animals raised for consumption have different levels of fatty acids than they would in the wild, and certain fruits have been modified to become more palatable, like bananas.
- Eliminating entire food groups like legumes and dairy may cause nutrient deficiencies.
The Slow Carb diet was created in 2010 by author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss, who published the rules in his best-selling book The 4-Hour Body.
Goals Of The Slow-Carb Diet
To induce rapid weight-loss and body fat without counting calories. It’s based on the Minimum Effective Dose principle (MED), which states that “the smallest dose will produce the greatest effect or outcome”.
Macros
There are no official macros for this diet, but you’re only allowed to eat from five foods groups: proteins, fats, legumes, veggies and spices.
How It Works
The diet allows you to eat only from the approved food groups 6 days of the week and you get a cheat day once a week. In this aspect, it’s similar to a cyclical keto diet.
There are only 5 rules:
Rule #1: Avoid white carbs
This means processed foods, bread, pasta, and anything made with refined flour.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals repeatedly
Create a few key meals with the allowed food groups and repeat those meals throughout the week. This takes off the guesswork of what to eat and lets you stay on track with your weight loss with minimum effort.
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories
Soft drinks provide empty calories that leave you hungry and lead to weight gain. Stay hydrated with water instead.
There’s one exception: you may drink 2 glasses of red wine each night.
Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit
Fruit is avoided because it can boost fat storage and prevent rapid weight loss.
Rule #5: Have a cheat day
You can pick one day each week to eat all the foods you normally can’t on the diet.
Foods You Can Eat
- Proteins: grass-fed beef, poultry, pork, fish, seafood, lactose-free plain whey powder.
- Legumes: lentils, beans, chickpeas, and soybeans.
- Low-glycemic vegetables: leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, asparagus, peas and other non-starchy veggies.
- Fats: nuts, dairy-free creamer, macadamia oil, olive oil, and grapeseed oil.
- Spices: salt, garlic salt, herbs.
Additionals:
- Cottage cheese: It’s the only dairy product allowed.
- Red wine: It’s the only drink with calories allowed.
Foods To Avoid
Anything outside of the permitted food groups, like high-glycemic fruits, dairy, sweeteners, grains, and processed foods.
Pros
- Easy to follow.
- No guesswork involved.
- Doesn’t make you give up foods you like thanks to the cheat day.
- Research suggests a low carb diet like this one can induce weight-loss.
Cons
- There are no scientific studies done on this diet.
- The cheat day could be psychologically problematic because it might increase the cravings and thoughts of the unhealthy foods while on the 6-day diet period.
- Some experts say leaving out dairy but keeping cottage cheese has no scientific basis [*].
- May not be sustainable in the long-term because it completely cuts out grains, dairy, and fruits.
The South Beach diet is a 3-step high-protein weight-loss plan created in 2003 by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and described in his best-selling book, The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss.
It was named after South Beach, a neighborhood in Miami Beach near his practice, and was initially created for his patients.
Goals Of The South Beach Diet
To induce significant weight loss and boost energy using high-protein, low carb foods. The main claim is you can lose 8 to 13 pounds (3.6 to 5.9 kilograms) in the first two weeks of phase 1.
Daily Macros
There are no official daily macros for this diet. It claims that rebalancing your diet towards more high-protein and less high-carb foods is enough to experience weight loss.
How It Works
You can eat three meals and two snacks a day while following an exercise plan.The diet is divided into 3 phases:
Phase 1
Goal: Resetting your body for fast weight loss.
Duration: 2 weeks.
Allowed foods: High-protein, low carb meal plan including lots of lean meat, poultry, fish, seafood and soy products.
Phase 2
Goal: Achieving steady weight loss.
Duration: Until you reach your goal weight. You’ll lose 1-2 pounds each week.
Allowed foods: Continue eating protein and introduce good carbs from whole grains, legumes, low-glycemic fruits and non-starchy vegetables in balanced amounts.
Phase 3
Goal: Maintaining your weight.
Duration: Ongoing.
Allowed foods: All foods permitted in moderate amounts, prioritizing protein. At this stage, you should intuitively know how to make good food choices, according to the book.
Foods You Can Eat
- Proteins: beef, poultry, seafood, fish, eggs.
- Legumes: beans and lentils
- Dairy: Different types of cheeses and low-fat dairy.
- Fats: Canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds.
- Low-glycemic fruits and veggies: broccoli, tomato, spinach, berries, lemon, collard greens, etc.
- Whole grains (phase 2 & 3): whole-wheat flour, rice, bread, pasta, etc.
Foods To Avoid
Processed sugary foods and high-glycemic fruits.
Pros
- No major food groups are eliminated.
- Can actually lead to weight-loss thanks to the reduced carb consumption in the initial stage.
- Emphasizes exercise.
Cons
- Excess protein turns into glucose in your body, so this diet can raise your blood sugar.
- Excess protein + carbs from whole-grains can easily boost your glucose levels.
- Lack of healthy fats.
- Prefers low-fat dairy products which can contain hidden sugars.
- The first phase might create nutrient deficiencies. One study found the South Beach diet lead to deficiencies in vitamins B1, B5, B7, D, E, choline, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium and zinc[*].
Whole 30 is a 30-day reset program created by sports nutritionists Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig in 2009.
Goals Of Whole 30
To promote healthy weight loss, increase energy, ease digestion, relieve skin problems and support overall health during a 30-day reset focused on low carb whole foods.
Daily Macros
There are no official daily macros for this diet. The diet encourages you not to count calories or weigh yourself during the 30 days so you can focus on benefits that go beyond weight loss.
How It Works
Whole 30 promotes eating whole foods with a low glycemic index and completely banning food groups that are considered harmful (legumes, dairy, grains, sugar, alcohol, artificial ingredients and junk food) for 30 days.
The are no steps or phases, all you have to do is commit to eating whole low carb foods that aren’t in the forbidden groups.
There’s an emphasis on reading your labels to avoid the common harmful foods.
Foods You Can Eat
- Proteins: meat, poultry, seafood, and cage-free eggs.
- Low carb veggies: broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, peppers.
- Low-glycemic fruits: berries, kiwi, lemon.
- Natural fats: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado
- Herbs and spices
Foods To Avoid
- Added sugar, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar and other added sugars. The diet encourages you to read labels and avoid these.
- Alcohol
- Grains: wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, sprouted grains, all gluten-free pseudocereals, bran, germ, starch, etc.
- Legumes. Beans of all kinds, peas, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts, peanut butter, and all forms of soy.
- Dairy. Cow, goat, or sheep’s byproducts like milk, cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt
- Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites.
- Baked treats and junk foods
Exceptions to the rule (allowed foods)
- Ghee or clarified butter
- Fruit juices
- Specific legumes like green beans, sugar snap peas, and snow peas
- Vinegar
- Coconut aminos
- Salt
Pros
- Simple and easy to follow.
- Focuses on long-lasting health benefits beyond weight loss.
- Emphasizes healthy habits like prioritizing whole foods and reading labels.
- It’s considered a modified paleo diet.
Cons
- No scientific studies have been done on this diet in specific.
- Completely cutting legumes, grains and dairy might create nutrient deficiencies.
Icelandic-Canadian explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson first spoke out about the benefits of a zero carb diet — also known as the no-carb dietb– in the early 1990s, after living with the Inuit tribe and noticing their diet was mostly meat and fish, and the only carbs were berries during the summer.
He ate the same way for a year to test its effectiveness and surprisingly remained healthy, partly because he consumed a lot of organ meats that provide nutrients generally lacking in traditional muscle meat.
Goals Of The Zero-Carb Diet
To help people achieve rapid weight loss by relying only on fat and protein.
Daily Macros
You have to get 80-95% of your total calories from fats and proteins. The rest is covered by carbs that come from glycogen in meats.
How It Works
The zero-carb diet is even lower in carbs than the ketogenic diet. There’s no specific book or plan that kicked off this diet, so there are no official rules. You either:
- Remove all sources of carbs (grains, legumes, veggies, fruits and processed foods)
- Or allow extremely small amounts of low carb veggies
This deprivation of carbs puts you in ketosis, so your body uses fat as energy instead of glucose. The small amounts of glucose some of your organs still need will be taken from the glycogen stores you consume from animal meats or low carb veggies if you decide to allow them in the diet.
It’s recommended to read labels to keep close track of carb intake.
Foods You Can Eat
Here are the zero-carb foods you’re allowed to eat:
Meats: Beef, veal, lamb, pork, turkey, chicken, duck, goose, hen, quail, organ meats (brains, tongue, liver, heart, kidneys), game meats (venison, bison, ostrich, caribou, elk), and exotic meats (ostrich and emu).
Seafood: Cod, flounder, sole, haddock, halibut, sardine, swordfish, tuna, trout, salmon, catfish, bass.
Fats: olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, walnut oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, fish oil and animal fats.
Spices: salt, pepper, vinegar, cinnamon, mustard, herbs.
Alcohol: Gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, and scotch.
Low carb vegetables (optional): spinach, avocado, bok choy, celery, radish, parsley, and lettuce.
Foods To Avoid
Anything containing carbs: dairy, grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, and seeds, processed foods, soft drinks, wine, starchy vegetables.
Pros
- Slashing carbs can lead to weight loss and improvement of lipid profiles.
- Ketosis can improve energy and workout performance.
Cons
- Not easy to sustain because it’s too restrictive.
- Organ meats are key to succeed on this diet, which are not accessible to all people.
- Not enough fiber, which is needed for proper digestion.
- Can lead to nutrient deficiencies.
- No scientific studies exist on this extreme version of a low carb diet.
The Zone diet was first proposed by biochemist Barry Sears in 1999 in his book The Zone Diet, which gained traction and endorsements by celebrities like Madonna.
Goals Of The Zone Diet
To help shed excess pounds, reduce the risk of chronic disease, improve mental and physical performance, and reduce inflammation by constructing balanced meals. It’s meant to be a lifestyle change.
Daily Macros
There are no official daily macros, but the distribution in your plate per meal should be:
- 40% carbohydrate (from low carb veggies and low-glycemic fruits only)
- 30% protein
- 30% fats
You do count calories in this diet: women should eat 1200 calories a day and men 1500.
How It Works
The Zone diet lets you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, and no food group is completely excluded. It helps to balance macros through plate distribution.
The meals are distributed likes this:
- Protein – 1/3rd of your plate. It has to be lean protein about the size and thickness of your palm. It can be egg whites, fish, poultry, lean beef or low-fat dairy.
- Carbohydrates – 2/3rds of your plate, preferably low carb veggies, and small amounts of low-glycemic fruits.
- Fat – Add a dash of monounsaturated fat like olive oil, avocado, or almonds.
Despite the large portion of carbs, this diet is still considered low carb because it emphasizes low-glycemic fruits and veggies, but grains and starches are used sparingly.
Anti-inflammatory supplements are recommended, including omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and purified polyphenol supplements.
Getting in the zone
The diet aims to improve three markers:
- Total triglycerides (TG) to HDL (good) cholesterol ratio (shows the levels of insulin resistance in the liver)
- Arachidonic acid (AA) to EPA ratio (shows the levels of diet-induced inflammation in the body)
- Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels (shows the levels of Advanced Glycosylated End products (AGEs) tied to your blood glucose)
These are the ideal values:
- TG:HDL: <1
- AA:EPA: 1.5-3g
- HbA1c: 5%
Reaching these values is what’s called being in “the zone”.
You can measure your TG:HDL ratio and HbA1c levels through regular blood work, but you’ll need to get the proprietary Zone Labs Cellular Inflammation Test Kit to measure your AA:EPA ratio.
Foods You Can Eat
The zone diet food pyramid is distributed like this:
- Low carb vegetables (most abundant): leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, radishes, parsley, etc.
- Low-glycemic fruits (second most abundant): berries, kiwi, and lemon.
- Low-fat protein (third most abundant): Fish, seafood, low-fat dairy and lean cuts of meat like chicken breasts.
- Monounsaturated fat (fourth most abundant): olive oil, avocado oil, fish oil, etc.
- Grains and starches (least abundant): whole-grains and pseudo cereals like brown rice and quinoa.
Foods To Avoid
Processed foods, high-carb fruits and veggies (corn, carrots, bananas, and raisins), fatty red meat, egg yolk, and other saturated fats.
Pros
- Prioritizes low carb veggies over other carbs.
- Includes all food groups.
- Has anti-inflammatory benefits.
Cons
- Hard to keep up with the “zone” markers (insulin resistance, inflammation, and AGEs in blood glucose).
- Still contains more carbs than other low carb diets.
- Shuns saturated fat even though new research finds it’s not harmful.
- Despite its popularity, there’s not enough evidence to back up the claims of improved weight-loss and workout performance[*][*].
- Research shows it’s less effective than Atkins at weight loss [*].
- The calorie requirement is too low and doesn’t take into account differences in body size, activity level, etc.
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