decoding science’s most important diets – which one is for you?

as you scroll through your instagram feed, you'll likely see people touting the incredible new diet that is changing their lives - more energy! better sleep! quick weight loss! while there's no one eating style for everyone, how do you which is best for you? 

it's important not to be dazzled by the success stories but by the science behind the diet. think about your preferences, lifestyle and weight-loss goals and pick a plan that suits your needs.

here are three tried-and-true food philosophies worth investigating.

they come with all the benefits, and are science-backed, too.

intermittent fasting

imagine eating all you want—and not only losing weight but also racking up a slew of health benefits. 

intermittent fasting does just that – think feasting balanced by fasting. there are lots of ways to do intermittent fasting. there's the 16/8 or the 18/6 model (18 hours of fasting to a six-hour window in which you can eat normally). the 5/2 model that lets you eat normally for five days of the week and eat only 500 to 600 calories a day on the other two. there's also alternate-day fasting; one day, you eat normally, and the next, you eat very little or nothing.

the most common reason for intermittent fasting is to aid weight loss which occurs due to less calorie consumption with a shortened window period for eating food. however, it does not mean you need to cut your calorie intake to achieve the benefits.

intermittent fasting is only strict on the schedule of when you eat. during the fasting period, a caloric deficit occurs in the body that helps you shed weight and gives the body the right hormones responsible for weight loss. promoting increased levels of human growth hormone and norepinephrine (which play an important role in the body’s fight-or-flight responses) and reducing insulin levels are intermittent fasting’s biggest benefits. these factors contribute to the conversion of body fat reserves into available energy.

paleo

paleo is the perfect starting point for transforming your health in a manageable, sustainable and delicious way with real food in its most natural state. the premise behind paleo is that the current western diet contributes to the rise of diseases including obesity, heart disease and cancer. 

paleo focuses on increasing the intake of whole foods, fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins and fats and cutting back on processed foods, sugar, salt, grains, dairy and legumes. paleo devotees believe eating this way reduces inflammation, ramps up energy, manages weight, stabilises blood sugar and reduces the risk of heart disease.

in paleo, the focus is on what you eat rather than how much, so there is no counting or strict macronutrient breakdown to follow – it's simply about what you can eat and what you can't. 

keto 

the ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that reduces carbohydrate intake and replaces it with fat which puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. when this happens, your body burns fat for energy. it also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which helps supply energy to the brain. foods allowed include high-fat meats, fish, oils, nuts, high-fat dairy such as cheese, and low-carb vegetables such as leafy greens. 

the keto diet has been around for a century and was originally developed to help treat epilepsy. in the past couple years, with the increasing popularity of low-carb diets, keto has become the ultimate anti-carb diet, with many of its devotees reporting weight loss as a result.

unlike paleo, keto is all about counting to maintain an exact balance of fat, carbs, and proteins in your diet to force your body to change how it sources energy. understanding the macronutrients in the foods you're eating is paramount for results.

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