It may be too early to predict what diet trends will reign supreme in 2023. Fad diets and trends are commonplace in the nutritional landscape and weight loss industry. Some come and go, while others get a new twist and continue trending.
Whether you’re interested in the best diet for weight loss, diabetes, or overall good health, here are potential trends likely to continue in popularity this year.
List of 6 the Most Popular Diet Trends in 2023
Intermittent Fasting
One of the trendiest diet plans in 2022, intermittent fasting isn’t going anywhere, at least not this year. Intermittent fasting is not a diet per se.
This is an eating pattern where you move from a window of eating to a period of fasting on a regular schedule. Unlike diet trends like keto and Mediterranean, intermittent fasting does not dictate what to eat and what not to. Instead, its focus is when you eat.
For instance, the 16/8 intermittent fasting method confines eating to an eight-hour window. After this, you enter a fasting period of 16 hours.
Intermittent fasting is mainly used for weight loss. But ongoing studies uncover other potential health benefits of this fasting strategy, including preventing cancer, decreasing insulin resistance, and reducing oxidative stress.
Ketogenic Diet (Keto)
The ketogenic diet (keto) is another dietary trend that we expect to linger around this year and beyond. While keto has been around since the 1920s, it was only in April 2017 that it became increasingly popular.
The keto diet is a diet that’s very low in carbs, moderate in proteins, and high in dietary fat. This diet was initially introduced to help reduce seizures among epileptic patients. The keto diet also proved beneficial in lowering body fat, suppressing hunger levels, stabilizing blood sugar, and lowering cholesterol.
The idea behind keto is forcing your body to use ketone bodies as its energy source instead of glucose. Ketogenic diets could be the key to good health, particularly regarding weight management. However, most people find it very restrictive and tough to follow.
OMAD (One Meal A Day)
Next is another diet that almost everybody is talking about- the One Meal A Day. As the name suggests, OMAD is a diet where you fast for 23 hours. Just like intermittent fasting, you can eat anything in your one-hour eating window.
Although OMAD doesn’t have calorie restrictions, it’s only sensible to consider healthy food choices, especially if you want to enjoy results fast.
OMAD is pretty much a type of intermittent fasting. So, it’s not surprising that the two share several benefits:
- Improving cell function
- Reduced insulin resistance
- Weight loss
- Reduced inflammation
- Helping with diabetes
- Reducing blood pressure
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is an umbrella term for different diets that mimic the eating styles of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. There are over 20 countries sitting near the Mediterranean Sea, and each has separate cultures and cuisines.
However, what’s common among them is their emphasis on consuming plant-based foods like whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits. This diet also includes eating fish, unsaturated fats, and dairy (cheese and yogurt) in moderation.
The Mediterranean diet was first developed and publicized in the 1950s by physiologist Ancel Keys and his wife, Margaret. While studying the lifestyle of the people living near the Mediterranean, they realized that the locals had better heart health, lower chronic disease rates, a higher life expectancy, lower cancer risks, and lower weight gain levels.
Today, the Mediterranean diet is said to be healthy for everyone. With the right food choices, experts say it can help with weight loss and overall excellent health.
Paleo Diet
The Paleolithic diet is also known as the Stone Age and caveman diet. That’s because it focuses on eating like prehistoric humans may have eaten. This eating plan involves eating what our early ancestors would have theoretically hunted or gathered.
The Paleo diet argues that chronic diseases result from the agricultural revolution. It limits your food choices to meats, fish, and vegetables. It excludes dairy products, legumes, grains, artificial sweeteners, and highly processed foods.
Paleo dieters claim that it’s effective for weight management, stabilizing blood sugars, and reducing the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.
Small studies show that the Paleo diet may effectively manage cholesterol, weight, and blood pressure. However, some experts suggest that Paleo dieters are at a higher risk of not getting most of the recommended nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and calcium.
Raw Food Diet
Just as the name suggests, this diet mainly involves consuming raw and unprocessed food. Also known as raw veganism or raw foodism, this eating plan is usually plant-based. It’s mostly high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
There are many variations of the raw food diet. Most of them advocate eating food while it’s still “alive.” The idea is that cooking the food destroys essential enzymes that also play a part in digestion. When you eat cooked food, the body is forced to reconstruct the damaged enzymes before digesting the food.
Other variations consider raw food as food that hasn’t been heated over 104–118°F. Some raw food dieters may also include dairy, raw eggs, and, less commonly, raw meat and fish.
Final Thoughts
Dieticians and nutritionists agree that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when choosing a diet. That said, the best diet trend is the one you can keep on comfortably. It doesn’t matter how popular or fast it promises to deliver results. If it’s not sustainable, then it’s not worth even starting.
Start by asking yourself why you’re dieting. Are you trying to lose weight, improve a health issue, or manage symptoms of a health condition? Next, do a self-inventory. Have you tried other diets in the past and failed? If so, consider whether there’s anything that you could have done better.
The answers to these questions can significantly inform your choice of the best dietary trend for you this year. Importantly, always prioritize good health.
