Diet Plans

Ketogenic Diet

A ketogenic diet is high in healthy fat, moderate in quality protein, and low in carbohydrates. The goal of this eating pattern is to shift the body from burning easy energy in the form of carbohydrates and sugar to one of burning fat as fuel. Through this process, the body begins to create ketones and enter “ketosis.”

Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet

Weight Loss With the switch from utilizing glucose to burning fat as the main energy source, many people experience the added bonus of weight loss.

Balanced Blood Sugar

Fat and protein are absorbed in the body at a slower rate preventing the spiking of blood sugar, leading to less fat storage, and improved glucose utilization.

Sustained Energy Through the balancing of blood sugar, consumption of healthy foods, and utilization of fat as energy, individuals experience even and sustained energy without the common highs and lows due to overconsumption of carbohydrates or depleted stores of energy.

Mental Health A ketogenic diet supports mental health in various ways ranging from improved mental clarity to reduced depression and anxiety, to prevention and possible reversal of dementia.

Cardiovascular Health

The heart loves ketones with a ketogenic diet leading to reduced inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting limits the hours of food consumption with extended periods of fasting. The fasting time periods can take on multiple different shapes to best fit your life as there is not one single definition to fasting. For example, intermittent fasting includes limiting food intake to an 8 hour period daily or doing so only 1 day a week, ensuring there is from 13-16 hours of no food consumption between dinner and breakfast, or a 24 hour period of water only. Regardless of which time period works for you, you can realize great benefits.

Benefits of a Intermittent Fasting

Decreased Incidence of Disease Increasing evidence demonstrates decreased incidence of disease in general, but particularly that of cancer and obesity. One strong factor for this being the reduction in overall inflammation. With the switch from utilizing glucose to burning fat as the main energy source, many people experience the added bonus of weight loss.

Cardiovascular Health Many studies demonstrate reductions in risk factors for cardiomyopathy as well as markers for cardiovascular health with additional benefits of reduced total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides in addition to increased LDL particle size.

Diabetes

Intermittent fasting provides numerous benefits for diabetics including increased insulin sensitivity, mobilization of fat stores, decreased blood sugar, prevention of retinopathy, decreased beta-cell apoptosis, and improved longevity.

Weight Loss

Intermittent fasting can assist with improvements in body mass. Of particular note, this eating pattern does not decrease the resting metabolic rate which is essential for future weight maintenance.

Healthy Longevity Studies support improved cognition, neuroplasticity, and overall increase in health and longevity.

Paleo Diet

Paleo focuses on eating similarly to our ancestors resulting in many commonly referring to this pattern of eating as the “Caveman Diet.” Eating Paleo involves a plant-centered diet with the removal of processed and refined foods, including refined sugars. The diet also removes all grains, legumes, and dairy.

Benefits of a Paleo Diet

Blood Pressure With the consumption of lower sodium and higher potassium-containing foods, many see healthy blood pressure reductions.

Cholesterol A focus on healthy food choices leads to a higher fiber intake and removal of refined foods. Both of these result in decreases in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides with improvements in HDL.

Avoids Common Allergens The diet naturally removes common allergy-producing foods leading to hidden inflammation. This inflammation can lead to stubborn weight gain, elevated cholesterol, brain fog, joint pain, and much more. Most people report improved general well-being.

Disease Prevention This eating pattern supports the avoidance and prevention of many diseases connected with the Standard American Diet, such as obesity, hypertension, atherosclerosis, degenerative eye disease, and so much more.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet is one of the best-studied and most evidence-based diets to both prevent and improve cardiovascular health as well as reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Of note, no one part of the eating plan demonstrates as much efficacy as the whole. The diet promotes the consumption of fish, monounsaturated fats from olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and moderate alcohol consumption.

Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

The most demonstrated benefits of the eating plan are both prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, the diet also displays prevention of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma, depression, and cognitive decline.

DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)

The DASH Diet is a well-studied eating plan focusing on reducing blood pressure. The diet achieves this through an increased intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts. While the program focuses on increasing healthy foods, it simultaneously recommends reducing sodium, beverages, and foods with added sugars, and red meat.

Benefits of the DASH Diet

The main benefit of the DASH Diet is the reduction in blood pressure. However, there are many added bonuses of improved health that naturally come along with consuming a healthier diet.

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