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What Is The Best Meal Plan For Weightloss?

Written by:

Obi Obadike

Obi Obadike

Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert, CFT, SFN, M.S. Founder & CEO – Ethical Inc.
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What is the best meal plan for weight loss? The best meal diet plan is the one that incorporates balance in how you eat when it comes to protein carbs and fats as well as incorporating fiber. Fiber is a great weight loss food because it makes you feel fuller and eat less food.

The Mediterranean diet has been examined by many dieticians as the gold standard when it comes to nutrition. In fact, the American Heart recommends this diet as a heart healthy balanced diet.

What is the best meal plan for weight loss? Photo credit: iStock

The diet is based on food in countries that came from Italy and Greece. The diet is rich in

  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Whole Grains
  • Fish
  • Oil
  • Nuts
  • Olive Oil

The Mediterranean diet limits trans fats, added sugar, refined grains, and processed meats. Foods that are high in fiber and high in protein are foods that will help fill you up and are low in calories. The result is putting your body in caloric deficit which will help illicit weight loss.

The Health Benefits Of the Mediterranean Diet:

The diet focuses on plant-based foods which studies have shown has been associated with reducing the risk of chronic diseases and increasing life expectancy.

There have been over 5 studies that have shown that the Mediterranean diet has resulted in greater weight loss after one year vs a low-fat diet. Research studies have also shown that it has a decreased risk of mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s, depression, and cognitive decline.

The Mind Diet

The Mind diet is a diet that has been shown to help people lose weight. The Mind diet combines the Mediterranean diet and the Dash diet to create a diet that focuses on brain health. The mind diet includes eating six or more servings of green leafy vegetables, five more servings of nuts and one serving of non-starchy vegetables. Other foods it encourages multiple times a week are berries, beans, olive oil, whole grains, chicken, and fish.

The diet limits the consumption of red meat, cheese, butter, fried food, and sweets. If you look at the mind diet the reason why it can help you lose weight is because you are eating mostly fruits and vegetables. And fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in nutrients. Eating fruits and vegetables acts as an appetite suppressant and will help you eat less food.

Research studies have shown that the mind diet can help reduce the onset of Parkinson disease, dementia and developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Mayo Clinic Diet

Another diet that has been known to help people with weight loss is the Mayo Clinic Diet. The goal of the Mayo Clinic diet is to replace unhealthy foods with a long-term lifestyle. The diet uses a pyramid to highlight exercise and the foods you should focus on.

Fruits, vegetables, and exercise make up the base of the pyramid. And carbs make up the second layer of the pyramid. And protein, dairy, fats and sweets make up the last part of the pyramid. The diet consists of two phases to kick your weight loss by introducing you to 5 healthy habits.

The second phase is more of a lifestyle change focusing on nutritious healthy food choices and portions sizes. And adding the physical activity component to it. People who have used the Mayo Clinic diet can expect up to 10 pounds of weight loss in the first two weeks.

And up to 2 pounds during the second phase. The main reason why people lose weight on the Mayo clinic diet is because it is rich in fiber foods. And these fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables will make you feel fuller while helping you lose weight.

Any diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables will help you lose weight, it’s that simple.

The Dash Diet is a popular diet that can help with weight loss too. Each day a person that is on the dash diet would consume:

  • 5 servings of vegetables
  • 5 servings of fruits
  • 7 servings of healthy carbs like whole grains
  • 2 servings of low-fat dairy products
  • 2 servings of fewer of lean meats
  • Recommendation of eating nuts and seeds two to three times a week.

Research studies have shown that the Dash diet can reduce blood pressure levels and lower the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. An analysis of 13 review studies showed that people lost more weight over 2 to 6 months vs someone on a control diet.

Another study showed that people who were obese lost more body weight, body fat percentage and overall mass over 12 weeks while on the Dash diet. Additionally, they were also able to preserve their muscle strength on this diet.

“The best meal diet plan is the one that incorporates balance in how you eat when it comes to protein carbs and fats as well as incorporating fiber.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The Bottom Line is any diet that promotes fruits and vegetables being its core foods will help promote weight loss. And the Mediterranean diet, Mayo Clinic Diet and the Mind diet do exactly that.

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References

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  7. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, A High-Carbohydrate, High-Fiber, Low-Fat Diet Results in Weight Loss among Adults at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 147, Issue 11, November 2017, Pages 2060–2066, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.117.252395
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