Question

6. Analyze and compare weight-loss diets

Select any 3 specific (give the name) weight-loss diets and compare them in relation

to:

1. a) What claims do they make?

2. b) What principle/s are they based on?

3. c) What are the risks each one poses?

4. d) Do they include an exercise component/

5. e) Which, if any, have the best chance of working? Why or why not?

6. f) Submit your results and your response to this activity for extra credit.

Answer 1

For someone who wants to lose weight, there are many weight-loss diets available, which can work wonders and transform an obese person into a slim and healthy person. The physical and mental illnesses they encounter from being obese are many, and this is the reason why they have an inclination towards weight loss and why they try many weight loss remedies. Weight-loss diets are the first thing that many obese people would like to give a try before trying any expensive remedy. There are many weight loss diet plans out there as a ray of hope for those who want to lose weight, and the most widely accepted ones are the Paleo diet, the Vegan diet, and the Atkins diet. A comparison of these three diets would shed some light on the advantages of each one and would unveil the better one for the go-getters.

The Paleo diet includes whole foods, seeds, lean protein, etc., but discourages processed foods, sugar, dairy, and grains. It claims that weight loss is possible by following a hunter-gatherer type of diet, i.e., unprocessed food. As per this diet plan, processed food with high fat, sugar, and carbohydrate content is the main reason for many modern diseases including obesity and these could be effectively prevented by using unprocessed food. Paleo diet offers significant weight loss and other health benefits. Though it is highly beneficial as a weight loss diet, there are many underlying risks associated with this diet as it eliminates the healthy, nutritious, cheap, and easily available legumes, whole grains, and dairy. This diet can be followed with or without an exercise program.

The Vegan diet eliminates all animal products and replaces it with equal calories of highly nutritious plant products. Since it is a plant-based diet, various risks associated with eating animal products are not there. It claims to be a successful weight loss diet because of its low-fat content and high fiber content, which is the reason for its high satiety value. A vegan diet is found to be consistently associated with lower weight and BMI (body mass index) compared to other diets. Reduced calorie intake is the reason for weight loss associated with the vegan diet. Though a highly beneficial weight-loss diet, a vegan diet has its own risks as it is low in several nutrients, including iodine, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are scarce in plant products but plenty in animal products. This diet can be followed with or without an exercise program for weight loss, but the efficiency was high when daily exercise was also included.

The Atkins diet is the most popular low-carb weight loss diet, which focuses on eating right, but not less. A typical weight loss diet reduces calorie intake, but is high in carbohydrates (and sugar) which leads to cycles of sugar highs and sugar lows, which gives rise to fatigue and hunger. This diet minimizes carbs/sugars, but is high in fat and protein. A low-carb Atkins diet, as it claims, limits carbohydrates to make the body burn fat for fuel, which contributes to consistent higher energy levels leading to weight loss. Like many other low-carb weight-loss diets, the Atkins diet is not good for people with disease conditions other than obesity, which is a major risk associated with this diet. Those who are advised to be on a low-fat diet can never follow this diet plan with high-fat content. This diet was found to be extra beneficial when used along with an exercise program.

The vegan diet can be considered as the best among these three weight-loss diets with its benefits outweighing the risks. By eliminating animal products, the vegan diet reduces body fat and promotes weight loss without any calorie restriction. One can also be free of any guilty feeling of killing an animal for his/her survival. The high-fiber plant products have a higher satiety index, which helps to keep hunger at bay. It is often seen that hunger is the main culprit in creating obese people and when the influence of this factor is reduced without any side effects, any weight loss diet can be considered as the best one.