Try 5 of the best diet plans for summer!

  |   05-06-2016

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The Plant-Based Diet 

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and husband Tom Brady are fans of a plant-based, organic regimen. This diet is masterminded by personal chef Allen Campbell and it’s making waves in the health community. It focuses on 80 per cent vegetables and whole grains like millet, quinoa, and beans. Lean meats like grass-fed steak, duck and wild salmon also play a part. But there’s no white sugar, white flour, iodized salt, caffeine, fungus, or nightshades which are tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and aubergine.

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The Alkaline Diet 

Gywneth Paltrow is known as an avid follower. This diet limits acidic foods so the body changes its pH level. The alkaline plan consists of large quantities of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. It suggests keeping meat, fish, dairy, eggs, grains and alcohol at a minimum. It can be argued that the digestion process introduces all foods to acid in the stomach and therefore any pH balancing effect would be short lived. But the diet’s emphasis on vegetables, fruit, and low-fat proteins is inarguably heart-friendly. There’s even alkaline water that includes calcium, silica, potassium, magnesium and bicarbonate. It’s believed to neutralise the acid in your bloodstream and help your body metabolise nutrients more effectively, leading to better health and performance.

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The Blood Type Diet 

Take tips from model Miranda Kerr. She follows this particular diet.  Here, one should eat a diet based on their blood type: O, A, B, or AB. This will help you trim down and get healthier. The idea comes from naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo who claims that the foods you eat react chemically with your blood type. If you follow a diet designed for your blood type, your body will digest food more efficiently. You’ll lose weight, have more energy and help prevent disease. Also the blood type diet recommends exercises based on your blood type. For instance, yoga or tai chi for type A’s and vigorous aerobic exercises like jogging or biking for up to an hour a day for type O’s. 

Foods to eat and avoid according to your blood type:

Type O blood: A high-protein diet heavy on lean meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and light on grains, beans, and dairy. Various supplements will help with stomach troubles and other issues he says people with type O tend to have.

Type A blood: A meat-free diet based on fruits and vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains. Ideally, organic and fresh because D’Adamo says people with type A blood have a sensitive immune system.

Type B blood: Avoid corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. Chicken is also problematic, D’Adamo encourages eating green vegetables, eggs, certain meats and low-fat dairy.

Type AB blood: Foods to focus on include tofu, seafood, dairy, and green vegetables. He says people with type AB blood tend to have low stomach acid. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoked or cured meats.

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The Vegan Diet 

A vegan diet touted by everyone from Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Beyoncé and J.Lo. The diet focuses on fruit, vegetables and grains. A strict vegan goes so far as not eat animal products including milk or eggs. More and more people are turning to a vegan diet for the health benefits: increased energy and younger looking skin are just some of the claims from enthusiastic plant eaters. Well-planned plant-based diets are rich in protein, iron, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals. The plant-based sources of these nutrients tend to be low in saturated fat, high in fibre and packed with antioxidants, helping mitigate some of the modern world’s biggest health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

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The Paleo Diet 

If you want to know Jessica Biel’s health trick it’s the paleo diet. It’s said to be the healthiest way you can eat because it is the only nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic. Research in biology, biochemistry, ophthalmology, dermatology and many other disciplines indicate it is our modern diet, full of refined foods, trans fats and sugar, that is at the root of degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression and infertility according to Robb Wolf, New York Times Best Selling author of The Paleo Solution.

In sum, lean proteins support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function. Protein also makes you feel satisfied between meals so it’s good to eat lean meats and seafood. Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that have been shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurological decline. Also you can eat nuts, seeds and healthy fats. Diary, grains, processed food and sugars, legumes, starches and alcohol must be avoided.