While January tends to be the month that most people set their annual resolutions to improve their overall health and wellness, it doesn’t mean you can’t start later in the year. Many of the overeager new gym-goers have cleared about by February, making it a great time to re-prioritize the goals you set out to achieve at the beginning of the year for your diet and exercise plans. 

Trying out a new eating or diet plan can be a great way to breathe fresh life into your goals and daily routine, and luckily there’s no lack of popular options out there to explore and try. From intermittent fasting to Whole30, each of those diets has their own positives, but it really comes down to finding the plan that works best for you and your lifestyle. Let’s briefly breakdown the basics of 3 of the most popular diets today to help you better evaluate which might be a fit for your lifestyle. 

Whole30

You’ve probably had at least one friend or co-worker talk about giving the Whole30 diet a try. Whole30 was developed in 2009 and has seen a lot of popularity over the last 10+ years. The diet is designed to remove specific foods that could be creating problems for your digestive system for 30 days. You slowly introduce those foods back into your diet once the 30-day period is over and observe your body’s reaction to them to pinpoint what may be causing problems for you. 

The restricted foods on the Whole30 diet are: dairy, grains, alcohol, legumes, added sugar, carrageenan, MSG, and sulfites. Many Whole30’ers end up relying on these 5 food groups to fuel themselves through the 30 days: vegetables, fruits, unprocessed meats, seafood, and eggs. 

As a result of its popularity, there are seemingly endless numbers of blogs, cookbooks, and recipes dedicated to eating Whole30, which provide plenty of inspiration for your meals throughout the 30-day period. And it only lasts 30 days!

Vegan Diet 

A vegan or plant-based diet is by no means a new approach to eating, but it has seen a spike in popularity recently. A vegan diet excludes any food items that include animal byproducts, including but not limited to meat, eggs, and dairy. 

The health benefits associated with a vegan diet are worth mentioning – a vegan diet has been shown to improve heart health, blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of cancer. And for dieting purposes, it can also lead to weight loss. 

One potential drawback often associated with a vegan diet is the cost, but a recent study actually debunked this assumption. The study compared the cost by state of purchasing 10 common food items for an online grocery with the cost of purchasing their vegan substitutes instead. The study found that, on average, the vegan grocery bill was only $12.02 more than the non-vegan bill. 

Mediterranean Diet 

Lastly, the Mediterranean diet is another diet that isn’t necessarily a new concept but has seen an increase in popularity as of late. The diet essentially recommends that you eat as if you lived like the Mediterraneans. Some of the foods you’ll eat on a regular basis on this diet are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and seafood, and olive oil. Foods that are allowed by recommended to be consumed on a more limited basis are cheese, yogurt, and poultry. The eating plan even suggests a glass of red wine a day here and there. 

This is more of an eating plan than a diet, so there aren’t recommendations around calorie intake per day. If you’re looking for a very structured plan to get yourself into gear for 2020, this may not be the best fit for you. 

The Mediterranean diet was named the #1 diet of 2020 in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking, which seems like enough reason to give it a shot. 

 

What diets are you interested in trying out this year? Let us know in the comments below!