Diets are a dime a dozen and new variants are added every few months. They all pursue the same goal: to get rid of excess kilos. In this article you will learn about the most popular diets in Germany in recent years and how they work.
Excess calories are always difficult to get rid of. Either the motivation is missing or the discipline to persevere. When you finally decide to start and are full of willpower, however, you usually lack the right diet method for your plan. The Internet is completely full of diet tips from detox diets to low carb to interval fasting. But what is behind the diets and which is the most popular among Americans? We have here for you the diet ranking of the five most popular diets of the Germans. In addition, we will tell you which diets still exist.
Place 1: Clean Eating
With Clean Eating, the two aspects “healthy” and “natural” are at the top of the priority list.
- Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables form the basis of every meal and are supplemented by high-quality protein sources.
- Instead of white flour products the Clean Eater falls back on wholemeal variants.
Seasonality and regionality also play an important role. - Ready-made products and other processed foods, on the other hand, are not allowed. They contain too much sugar, salt, flavor enhancers and unhealthy fats. If there are more than 5 ingredients on the package, you should look for a better alternative.
- You should also steer clear of alcohol, sugar and high salt content.
The clear advantage: all important nutrients are contained in the fresh products and you can eat your fill in a “clean” way.
2nd place: Detox diet
This diet is a purification cure and pursues the goal of cleansing and detoxifying your body. In the process, your acid-base balance is brought up to speed and your immune system is strengthened. Usually the detox cure lasts only one to three weeks, during which the food intake is reduced relatively drastically.
Sometimes only vegetable broth, water, herbal tea and fresh juices are allowed. Somewhat “gentler” versions are more like alkaline fasting, so all foods that create acid are avoided.
- Instead of coffee, sugar, alcohol, smoking, meat and dairy/products, the focus is on vegetables and fruits (or only juices freshly squeezed from them), vegetable broth, water and herbal teas.
In addition, moderate exercise, plenty of relaxation and sleep are important. - Due to a very low number of calories consumed per day, it can be used to lose weight quickly, but not in a healthy or sustainable way. In addition, it usually brings side effects, such as hunger, weakness, headaches.
This form of diet should definitely be discussed with the doctor beforehand and should never be carried out in the long term!
Rank 3: Low Carb
With the low carb diet, the focus is on protein and fat, because you eat very few carbohydrates. Only about 20 to 100 grams of “carbs” per day are allowed – but please only the complex varieties such as whole grains, oatmeal or potatoes. This will keep your blood sugar levels much more constant, and with fewer fluctuations, you’ll avoid the risk of cravings, while also staying full longer. Thankfully, body fat is broken down more easily when insulin levels are low.
Unsuitable for low carb are:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Sweets
- Snacks
For fruits and vegetables, you should choose lower-sugar varieties. Fish, meat, cheese, other dairy products and nuts are also welcome.
Rank 4: Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers is all about points: Food and meals provide points and only a limited number of points may be eaten per day. In addition there are many recipes for copy cooking, whose points are directly known. The nice thing about this is that even those with a sweet tooth are allowed to have a go from time to time. In addition, the community aspect can be very conducive to weight loss. However, unlike the rest, this program is not completely free.
Rank 5: Ketogenic diet
Similar to the low carb diet, the ketogenic diet consumes protein and especially a lot of fat. Here, only a tiny amount of carbohydrates (about less than 50 grams) may be eaten.
No-No’s in this diet are:
- Cereal products
- Legumes
- Various fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes or carrots
- Low-fat diet products
- Ready-made products
- Alcohol
Instead, meat, fish, dairy products (full-fat variety), eggs, certain vegetables and nuts are added to the plate.
The goal here is to enter what is known as ketosis. The liver then converts fats into ketone bodies, which serve as an energy source instead of carbohydrates.
The ketogenic diet has been proven to help with weight loss and can even be beneficial for pre-existing conditions such as type 2 diabetes. However, it leads to bad breath due to the ketone bodies and can lead to vascular deposits due to the high fat content – so please talk to your doctor in advance.
Other popular diets in a nutshell:
Paleo or Stone Age diet
Above all the health aspect is in the foreground
Eating as in the Stone Age: vegetables, fruit, fish, meat (not from factory farming), eggs, nuts
Different variants of fasting
- Soup fasting, alkaline fasting, therapeutic fasting and much more
- This fasting method is used only for a short period of time
- Solid food is often dispensed with during fasting
Intermittent fasting / intermittent fasting
- Long fasting period per day (e.g. 16 hours) or 1 to 3 fasting days per week
- In principle, with intermittent fasting, anything can be eaten during the rest of the time, but it should be as healthy as possible
- The body can regenerate itself and its cells better during this time
- The intestine profits from a digestion break
- The metabolism is boosted
Protein diet
- Above all proteins are eaten
- Also healthy fats and less, but complex carbohydrates are allowed
- Especially conducive to muscle building
Atkins diet
- Named after Robert Coleman Atkins
- Similar to a low carb diet, but this form is done in phases
- Initially only fats and proteins, later also more carbohydrates and calories
- Because of the risk of nutrient deficiency, this diet method is criticized
Low Fat 30
- All foods may contain a maximum of 30% fat
- It is eaten only if one is really hungry
- With saturation directly stop eating
Mediterranean diet
- The Mediterranean diet is the healthiest diet according to current knowledge
- Not primarily suitable for losing weight, but beneficial for health
- Fresh and fiber-rich food
- Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, legumes, fish
- Light, lean meat instead of red meat (fish is better)
- No processed foods
- Complex carbohydrates (but few carbohydrates overall).
- Risk of diseases such as high blood pressure is reduced