It can be very hard to keep a good day-to-day diet, but just what that diet should be is not always simple. This is especially the case with specialty diets. Not all diets are meant to help you lose weight. In fact, some of the most beneficial uses for dieting have nothing to do with weight loss. Many of the ailments we suffer from on a daily basis can be at least partially attributable to what we eat. Below are diets for some of the most common problems people suffer from.
Detox Diets
A detox diet is sometimes also called a cleanse diet. The idea behind these diets is that it is possible to limit the intake of, or flush out of the body, substances that are bad for it. One popular one that has gotten a lot of attention is the juice diet (wherein you get all of your nutrition from fruit and vegetable juices), but the diets vary greatly. Usually, these diets are not meant to become a constant eating habit for life, but rather a way to flush harmful substances from the body.
Heart-Healthy Diets
The Mediterranean diet and the vegetarian diet would both fall under the category of heart-healthy, but there are also diets designed by medical professionals designed to improve the health of your heart. Two of the most important of this latter class of diets are the DASH diet and the TLC diet.
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is promoted by the US Department of Health and Human Services. It advocates for eating especially large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables while lowering processed carbohydrate intake and using only whole grains. It also recommends avoiding sugar and red meat.
Developed by the National Institutes of Health, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet is specifically designed to help improve cardiovascular health and is somewhat unique insofar as it requires exercise in addition to just nutritional intake. Other than that, it is similar to the DASH diet.
Gluten-Free Diet
Though it has become popular as a fad diet, the Gluten-free diet serves as a treatment for a range of Gluten-related disorders. Coeliac disease, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, and simple wheat allergies can all be effectively treated by simply removing gluten from one’s diet. A related diet is the Gluten-free, Casein-free diet, which limits dairy intake to avoid the protein casein, which can cause medical issues similar to those caused by Gluten.
Healthy Kidney Diet
Like the Gluten-free diet, this diet is for treating a specific medical condition. If a person has a kidney infection, has kidney disease, or is missing a kidney, this diet may be prescribed by a doctor to limit proteins and potassium-rich foods. The proteins can be hard for the kidney to break down, and by avoiding proteins, the dieter avoids stressing the limited kidney capacity that they have. Needless to say, this has not become popular among the general public, and will not really do much to help you lose weight.
Stress-reducing diets: There are several types of diets to help with stress, but they all have several things in common. When stressed, they all recommend you eat dark chocolate, fatty fish, foods rich in Vitamin C, whole grains, avocadoes, and leafy greens. The diets similarly have a common list of things to avoid when feeling stressed. These include things like caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, and processed foods.
Anti-Depressant Diets
There is good scientific evidence that certain dietary regimens can decrease depressive symptoms. One recent research study found the following regimen had especially promising effects: 5-8 servings per day of whole grains, 6 servings of vegetables, 3 servings of fruits, 2-3 servings of dairy, 1 serving of nuts, and 3 tbsp. of olive oil. The study also encouraged a weekly intake of 3-4 servings of legumes, 3-4 servings of lean red meat, 2-3 servings of chicken, and up to 6 eggs.
As with most diets, the anti-depressant diet also suggests avoiding fried food, fast food, processed food, and sugar. One notable thing that should be avoided is alcohol. Depression and alcohol often go hand-in-hand but since alcohol is itself a depressant, it only worsens depression in the long run.
If you have nagging health problems, do not hesitate to look beyond this list. Our diets have a huge impact on our health, and you may just find a diet that makes a huge difference in your life.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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