Sunday, September 28, 2008

Diets for your health

It is time for another poll.

There is a bit of research coming out right now about the benefits of multiple diets on health and lifespan. People are skeptical about populations of people embracing any of them- so I am asking you- Which diet seems the most realistic? If you HAD to be on a diet which one would you prefer? Here are some descriptions of your choices:

Raw/Macrobiotic- not one that has been shown to increase lifespan, but it has minimal meat and dairy so could be closely related to veganism. From wikipedia: A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from the Greek "macro" (large, long) and "bios" (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Macrobiotics also address the manner of eating, by recommending against overeating, and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing.

Vegan Diet- No animal products of any kind. Again from wikipedia: Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.[1][2] Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind. Vegans eat a lower protein diet with most proteins coming from plant sources which has been shown to increase longevity in lab animals.

CR: Calorie Restriction- You know this one: Nothing is off-limits, just calories are carefully monitored to be less than your body burns daily.

Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)- This diet states that you eat minimally on one day (0-500 cal), then unlimited (up to double your daily requirement) on the next day. Some studies in lab animals have shown enhanced longevity effects with this diet- but I have not seen any commentary yet from people following this diet yet.

Feel free to comment on why or why not you would consider any of these diets, or why you would never diet :)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the alternate day fasting sounds kind of cool. Can you space it out, and double up fasting for 2 days and then eat excessively for 2? Like if you had a special occasion or something?

Anonymous said...

I was just talking to DB (to carry his pseudonym here, too) about this tonight - how likely is this able to be implemented in the population? I'd say not very, just judging from the extraordinary waistlines we have in America. At any rate, I was so going to vote vegan when we talked, but I love cheese way too much. YUM, CHEESE! So I guess CR, but it wouldn't be so restricted with my cheese addiction! (How about a cheese diet?) I look forward to seeing what others think...

Wifey said...

The CR one is the only one that I could see myself sticking to. It's the most similar to WW points which I've had luck with in the past. I've also found that if I stick to the plan and get inspired by losing a few pounds that even when I'm not counting points, I think about good choices and pay attention to labels. Additionally veganism is not the best for your body in the long run- you need to be careful to avoid vitamin/mineral deficiencies.

Unknown said...

definitely CR- and not just because you're on it! basically it allows you to eat whatever you want- but in moderation- sounds like the most logical diet to me.

Unknown said...

To be honest, I almost never diet. If I had to choose a method out of the several that you posted, the calorie restricted diet would be the easiest for me to adhere to. Being able to eat all of the food groups is very important to me.

aprilJoy said...

You know how I feel about diets they have the word DIE in them and tied :-) but I would no doubt choose CR. I had so much fun w/you this past weekend and we ate amazing. It's do-able!!!