Which diet is best?

The Mediterranean diet

This style of eating, based on the cuisines from areas such as Greece and southern Italy, has been one of the it diets in recent years. Foods on high rotation include garlic, olive oil, salad greens, legumes, tomatoes, fetta and ricotta cheeses, fruit, fish and chicken. Grains are also abundant in the Mediterranean diet in the forms of pasta, polenta, rice and bread.

Pros: The Mediterranean diet is based on sound nutritional ideas and a balanced approach, with tasty options available from all the important food groups. The health benefits are most likely due to the higher intake of plant foods and fish with moderate consumption of wine and red meat.

A 10-year study by Melbourne University found that those Australians who follow this type of diet are more protected from heart disease and stroke. Other studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet lowers blood pressure and insulin resistance while improving good cholesterol and reducing inflammation.

Cons: Though a Mediterranean diet gives you a headstart in health, you still need to be careful of your food choices. Overdosing on red wine, fried foods such as calamari or haloumi cheese, or salty choices such as preserved meats and olives could exacerbate health problems such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. Remember also that homecooking is best, so the antipasto you pick up from your local takeaway may not be as healthy as you presume.

Eating according to your blood type

Each of the four blood types — A, B, AB and O — contains different genetic information that stems from the diet and lifestyle of our ancestors, according to physician Dr Peter D’Adamo. This information programs your immune system to respond more positively to some foods than others. As our bodies process these foods more easily, D’Adamo maintains that eating foods suited to your blood type can assist you to lose weight, feel healthier and live longer.

According to the diet guidelines, type Os can eat meat but should not eat wheat or most grains; type As should be vegetarians with a low intake of fat and high intake of carbs; type Bs should have a varied diet that includes dairy products; type ABs should eat most vegetables with some fish and some dairy foods.

Pros: As you don’t have to count kilojoules or weigh food portions on this regime, it’s a low-fuss eating program. Anecdotally, many people report health benefits when many other diets have not worked for them. The idea is that once the body is in balance thanks to healing foods, it can then get on with the business of losing weight and preventing disease.

Cons: Critics say the diet is not based on scientific evidence and could encourage you to needlessly avoid healthy food groups such as protein or dairy products. Or it might have the opposite effect, encouraging you to over-indulge in meat or cheese because they are recommended for your blood type, so you think you can eat as much of these foods as you like. As with every food regime, moderation is the key.

A vegetarian diet

Stewed apple for breakfast, minestrone for lunch and steamed vegetables and tofu for dinner — this is a typical day’s menu for a vegetarian diet, which contains a wide range of antioxidant vitamins such as A, C and E. Once people become vegetarians they often report that their energy levels increase, their eyes and skin become clearer and they are less susceptible to illnesses such as colds or flu.

Pros: There is ample evidence that a meat-free diet can help lessen the risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure. Vegetarians also have a lower incidence of cancer and fewer digestive problems because fruit and vegies are packed with a health-giving range of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. If healthy preparation is used, vegetarian food usually involves low-GI choices and meals that minimise the intake of fat, salt and sugar. This reduces your kilojoule load, keeps blood sugar levels stable and minimises risk of gaining weight over time.

Cons: If you cut meat from your shopping list and sustain yourself on cottage cheese, vegetables, fruit and salads, your diet, though seemingly healthy, may lack important nutrients that can only be added by knowing how to combine grains, nuts, cereals and legumes (beans) to ensure you are getting complete protein with all nine amino acids. So to become a healthy vegetarian, you need to also be educated about food and plan meals carefully.

Unless you are lactose-intolerant (allergic to dairy products), it’s a good idea to keep eating dairy to enhance your intake of calcium and other nutrients. As meat is a good source of iron and zinc, you should ensure you eat other foods high in these vitamins and minerals. Be aware that if you are loading up on breads and crispbreads and eating cheesy foods such as vegetarian lasagne or fried foods such as felafel, your vegetarian diet may still be high in fats and kilojoules.

A wheat (gluten) and dairy free diet

Some people find that minimising or removing gluten and dairy from their diet leads to noticeable improvements in their health and makes it far easier to achieve and sustain a healthy weight. The emergence of offerings such as gluten-free friands and soymilk on menus in cafes is a sign of this increasing trend.

Pros: Many people find that reducing or avoiding wheat and dairy foods radically reduces niggling health problems, boosts day-to-day wellbeing and improves mood and energy levels. A domino effect of this approach is that you eat fewer kilojoules because you are no longer slathering butter on bread or adding ingredients such as cheese or cream to your pasta sauce.

Cons: Bread and cereal foods not only contain important fibre, they are also high in B group vitamins, so eating less of them may leave you more prone to a sluggish bowel, low energy and depressed mood. Dairy foods are an important source of energy, protein and calcium, needed to maintain healthy bones. If you don’t replace foods like milk and cheese with their nutritional equivalents such as a calcium-fortified soy or rice milk, you may be putting yourself at risk of osteoporosis later in life.

The raw food diet

Devotees say heating food kills important nutrients and destroys living enzymes needed to aid proper digestion of food. On a raw food diet, you eat plenty of uncooked vegetables and fruit as well as nuts, whole grains, seeds and herbs and drink purified water and fresh juices. Some people also include legumes (such as chickpeas and other beans) and organic fish and poultry, though many “raw fooders” are strictly vegan, which means they don’t eat meat, dairy food or eggs.

Pros: A raw food diet is very low in fats, salt, sugar and preservatives, so it’s high in nutrients and low in kilojoules. The foods on a raw food menu are said to promote energy, glowing skin and a flat tummy. They can help people maintain weight loss, reduce conditions such as eczema or asthma and lower risk of heart disease.

Cons: Sticking to a strict raw diet that avoids foods such as red meat and potatoes can sometimes lead to deficiency of some vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium. Constantly eating uncooked food can also be quite hard on the digestive system and some people find it leads to flatulence, bloating and abdominal pain, even if they try to make a slow transition to a raw food diet.

A macrobiotic diet

This mostly vegetarian eating style adopts a yin and yang approach to food balance, with avoidance of red meat, eggs, chicken and dairy foods in favour of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, legumes (eg chickpeas), nuts/seeds and soy foods. The food is organically grown, so it’s free of pesticides and eaten as fresh as possible.

A typical meal would be brown rice with steamed vegetables and seaweed, followed by fruit. Macrobiotic followers may include some fish in their diet but off limits are sugar, caffeine, alcohol, white bread, dairy products and processed foods made with preservatives, artificial colourings and flavourings. Natural sweeteners, such as rice malt and honey, are used instead of processed sugar.

Pros: Because it steers clear of unprocessed foods, this diet can promote wellbeing, help prevent weight gain and reduce the risk of other conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. It is low fat and high fibre, so it has all the foundations of a healthy eating plan and certainly ensures you eat the recommended five serves of vegetables every day.

Cons: An eating plan that is so strict, particularly in relation to sugar, hot spices, caffeine and chocolate, could in some people lead to sudden binges due to cravings for food with a stronger taste. As with the raw food diet, you need to be conscious of your macrobiotic food choices to ensure the regime does not lead to deficiencies in vitamin B12, D, iron and calcium, which may result in loss of energy and loss of bone density.