- What is the perfect diet?
Can I just take a pill to shed the weight?
No.
Well, you can but typically they're not so great for you.
(heart beating)
Thanksgiving dinner, give you the Turkey neck
or all those extra Christmas cookies
leave you with an added layer
that you desperately want to shed?
Well, you've come to the right place today
we're going to talk about diets.
Every January, we've all make New Year's resolutions
for things like save more,
cut toxic people out of our lives, travel more and so on.
But one of the most common life resolutions I hear about
is losing weight and improving one's health.
So is there a perfect diet?
Which diets are better than others?
Can I just take a pill that will make me lose weight?
Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Wagner.
I'm a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician.
And on my show, I answer your urgent medical questions
and clear up myths about certain ailments.
We all want to be healthy, shed some pounds
or maintain a good weight and have more energy.
But the big question
on everyone's mind is which diet is best for you?
Today, I'm going to go over some of the top diet
and nutritional trends of 2020.
And let you know my personal opinion on them as a doctor.
Number one, the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is a way
of eating healthy based on traditional cuisine
of countries that border the Mediterranean sea.
Interest in the Mediterranean diet began
in the 1960s with the observation
that coronary artery disease cause fewer deaths
in the Mediterranean countries such as Greece
and Italy than in the US and Northern Europe.
The main components of the Mediterranean diet
include daily consumption of vegetables,
fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats,
weekly intake of fish, poultry, beans, and eggs,
moderate portions of dairy products,
and limited intake of red meat.
The primary benefits of this diet
are preventing heart attacks, strokes, type two diabetes
and premature death as well as to promote weight loss.
Any downsides to the Mediterranean diet?
As of now, there are very few risks
to eating a Mediterranean diet
since it encompasses eating healthy foods in moderation.
Number two, the Vegan lifestyle.
Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarianism.
This diet prohibits the consumption of all animal products
for ethical environmental or health reasons.
In other words, in addition to eliminating meat
it also eliminates dairy, eggs and animal derived products
such as gelatin, honey, whey and casein.
The benefits of a vegan lifestyle.
Vegan diets are typically linked to a lower body weight
and lower body mass index compared to other diets
which is likely due to the very low-fat
and high-fiber component of the diet.
Any weight loss on this diet is typically due
to the reduced calorie intake associated
with a plant-based diet.
Another added benefit that experts see
with plant-based diet.
It's early to reduce heart disease
type two diabetes and premature death.
The downsides to being a vegan?
Oftentimes when people eliminate animal food products
from their diet, they do not come up
with a balanced nutritional eating structure
and are often at risk to be low in several nutrients
including vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine,
iron, calcium, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids.
If you're going to adapt to the vegan lifestyle
make sure you do your research
on which vegetables are high in protein, as well.
Number three, the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet is a low carb weight loss diet.
You lose weight while eating as much protein as fat
as you want while avoiding foods that are high in carbs.
The benefits to Atkins diet?
Quick weight loss and the reduction of belly fat.
But that also reduces the risk factors for many diseases
including elevated triglycerides, cholesterol,
blood sugar, insulin and blood pressure.
The downside, the most difficult part of the Atkins diet
can be the restrictive quality.
Oftentimes people on this diet say
that they have a hard time sticking to it
especially when they eat out
because they're limited by what they can eat.
Also, some health experts believe that eating a large amount
of fat and protein from animal sources
as allowed on this Atkins diet can increase your risk
for heart disease or some cancers.
But typically, the Atkins diet is safe
for the majority of people.
Number four, the Keto diet.
The keto diet is very popular at the moment.
The keto diet is one that causes the body
to release ketones into the bloodstream.
Most cells in the body would prefer to use
blood sugar derived from carbohydrates
as the main body's sources of energy.
In the absence of circulating sugar
from food or carbohydrates,
we start to breakdown stored fat
into molecules called ketone bodies for energy.
The process is called ketosis.
Hence, the diet is called the keto diet.
This diet typically includes plenty of meats, eggs,
processed meats, sausages, cheeses, fish, nuts,
butter, oil, seeds and fibrous vegetables
with very few to no carbohydrates.
Benefits of the keto diet?
It usually results in weight loss and lower blood sugars.
It's even being used to treat epilepsy
and other neuro type diseases.
The downside, the keto diet can cause low blood pressure,
kidney stones, constipation, and other nutrient deficiencies
and increase your risk of heart disease.
It also sends your body into ketosis
which is what it's trying to do.
The Paleo diet.
The Paleolithic diet claims
that you should eat the same food
that your hunter-gatherer ancestors ate
before the agricultural development.
The theory being that most modern diseases
can be linked to Western diet
and the consumption of grains,
dairy and processed food.
Benefits of the paleo diet?
Studies have shown that people in the Paleo diet
have a reduced weight size.
This diet has been shown
to reduce risk factors for heart disease,
which includes cholesterol, blood sugar,
triglycerides, and blood pressure.
Downside, the diet eliminates whole grains,
legumes and dairy.
Often, very expensive and restrictive.
Also, you don't eat any grains or dairy
which may not be good for your health and energy levels.
This diet can be difficult for vegetarians
especially since it excludes beans.
Most athletes need between three to six grams
of carbs per pound of their body weight per day.
So, what is the perfect diet?
Can I just take a pill to shed the weight?
No.
Well, you can, but typically they're not so great for you.
They can cause heart problems,
high blood pressure, dizziness, et cetera
so I don't typically recommend it.
When picking a diet, pick one related to the goals
that you want to achieve in your life.
Do you want to lose a quick 10
and go back to your old unhealthy ways?
Or do you want to maximize your health results
and live a long flourishing life?
The thing is, most diets in general
when you start them will help you
reduce your weight to some degree.
But the most important thing when picking a diet
is will you be able to sustain it
for your appetite and your lifestyle.
As for my doctor recommendation,
so far it seems what appears to be easiest
and the most balanced diet is one that is made
up mostly of whole foods, plant-based diet
with some protein, from other sources, either beans
or animal products, animal products that are unprocessed.
The big takeaway is in general,
communities with the highest life expectancy
or that live the longest around the world
are called Blue Zone communities.
And guess what?
They eat a whole-food, plant-based diet
with some unprocessed animal products.
They also walk a lot and stay active.
All right, that's been your five minutes
on the top diets of 2020 with me, Dr. Jordan Wagner.
I hope I'd given you a little insight
as to what each diet entails
and what you should be eating going into 2020.
Remember that diets are individual
and what works for one person well
won't necessarily work great for the next
because it's all based on genetics,
which foods are available, financial restrictions,
and so many other factors.
Let me know if any of you
have had success with diets that I've gone over.
I want to hear from you.
Also, make sure you guys hit the like button and subscribe.
That way you're the first to know when I post a new video.
Thanks so much for watching. Stay healthy my friends.