Written by: Sara Plucker, Program Manager at Fitness at SPS Tower | AdvantageHealth
What's the best lifestyle diet? The correct answer - whichever lifestyle you can commit to and stick to. Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer to which lifestyle will help you loose weight, maintain weight or gain muscle. Your best option is to do your research and choose a diet that will fit best with your lifestyle. To get you started, we have outlined common foods for a few popular lifestyle diets below.
Mediterranean
Protein- Focus on lean and minimally-processed protein. Examples: eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, plain Greek yogurt, tempeh, tofu, beans and lentils.
Carbs- Aim for minimally-processed carbs full of nutrition and fiber. Examples: steel cut oats, rolled or old fashioned oats, quinoa, whole grain rice, potatoes, plain Greek yogurt, fresh/frozen fruit, corn & whole grain breads, bagels, pasta or wraps.
Fats- Consume a mixed variety of healthy fats. Examples: avocado or olive oil, nuts, nut butter, cheese, seeds, eggs, unprocessed coconut and dressings/sauces made with healthy oils.
Paleo
Proteins- Consume fresh, lean, grass-fed, free-range and wild caught proteins. Examples: eggs, low mercury fish, poultry, beef, lamb, bison, pork and wild game.
Carbs- Aim for whole, minimally-processed carbs full of nutrition and fiber. Examples: yams, sweet potatoes, yuca, berries, apples/pears, bananas/plantains, tropical, stone or citrus fruits.
Fats- Focus on a mix of whole-food fats and pressed oils. Examples: olives, avocados, egg yolks, unprocessed coconut, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil or avocado oil.
Keto
Proteins- Source minimally-processed protein options. Examples: eggs, fish, chicken, duck, turkey, beef, bison, lamb, pork, and wild game.
Carbs- Consume very few carbs, about 10% of your daily calories. Examples: plain non-Greek yogurt, plain kefir, milk, berries, bean pasta and starchy vegetables (squash, pumpkin, green beans and beats).
Fats- Aim for a mixed variety of healthy whole & blended food fats and pressed oils. Examples: Extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, eggs, cheese, avocados, seeds, nuts, olives and nut butters.
Plant-Based
Proteins- Consume lean, minimally-processed proteins. Examples: tempeh, tofu, edamame and lentils, beans, split peas or black eyed peas.
Carbs- Focus on minimally-processed carbs full of nutrition and fiber. Examples: beans, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice, corn, whole grain bagels, breads, pastas and wraps, potatoes, fresh and frozen fruit.
Fats- Aim for a mixed variety of healthy whole & blended food fats and processed oils. Examples: nuts, seeds, nut butters, extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, olives and unprocessed coconut.
Even though the above lifestyle diets are very different, there are major commonalities. All of them focus on minimally-processed proteins and carbs as well as a mixed variety of healthy fats.
Check out the source links for more information on how much of each food group to consume for each diet. Remember, you don’t have to be perfect in your approach for starting a new lifestyle diet; take it day by day and don’t get down on yourself for having an off day, week, or month.
Sources:
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/mediterranean-diet-food-list-infographic https://www.precisionnutrition.com/paleo-food-list-infographic https://www.precisionnutrition.com/keto-food-list-infographic https://www.precisionnutrition.com/fully-plant-based-food-list-infographic
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