5 Dietary Patterns Most Americans Fit Into

Some low-carb diets are also restricted in total calories. In many people, such as myself, spontaneous reduction of food intake is a temporary phenomenon, and for continual weight loss moderation in amounts is required. That is if weight loss is the goal. If health is the only goal, it can remain unrestricted in calories indefinitely.

The "best" diet is individual - whatever an individual likes and can stick with long enough to reach their goals and maintain them. Having tried almost everything listed above for almost 50 years, I opted for WLS, gastric sleeve to be exact. I'm now a total carnivore, very few carbs of any kind, if any on a daily basis. I supplement with vitamins and am happy, healthy and, more importantly have reached a goal and maintained it. Sometimes I think there is no "best" diet.

Fanned and Faved for the first sensible post I have read so far.

Thank you for another positive article, Dr. Katz. As a chemist (and one with a lot of background in metabolic systems), I agree with your assessment of thermodynamics and caloric intake. Our enzymatic pathways tend to work quite consistently to break down all food and convert it into simple sugars and then use the simple sugars (specifically primarily glucose, but a backup of anaerobic metabolism of lactose) to fuel our cells. While some foods break down quite rapidly and others take a few more steps, and some get shunted into storage easier than others, the ultimate destination remains the same.

Thank you, Dr. Katz for provided a dose of cmmon sense and sanity on a board where certain dietary groups with an agenda are given to much sway.

A great, well-written article!

I think the best diet for anyone is the one that fits your lifestyle. There is no need to go extreme on anything, as long as the nutrition plan makes sense to you. I've tried so many crazy things in my life, just to come to a conclusion: The best nutrition is the one that comes in the most natural form - no processed foods or sugar, lot's of water and plenty of veggies and fruits. http://www.lovingfit.com

I find that eating less processed food in general helps with weight loss. I start every day with a nutrient dense/high fiber breakfast that is filling. I usually have Greek yogurt with with berries, almonds and fitflax http://www.fitflax.com FitFlax is a golden roasted flax and chia blend this is loaded with Omega 3's antioxidants and fiber. It is low cal/low carb and helps with weight loss. I also have green tea sweetened with stevia.

Good article. Regarding the Mediterranean diet... while it is a reasonable diet, there are some serious kinks in my opinion - especially regarding the use of olive oil. Most people on this diet do all or most of their cooking with olive oil and this leads to the formation of trans fat, even at low temperatures. I wrote about this recently: http://reverse-diabetes-naturally.blogspot.com/2011/09/if-your-oil-is-smoking-youre-creating.html Olive oil does not have enough saturated fat! Studies have shown that consuming monounsaturated oil without enough saturated fats can lead to health issues. I discuss this here: http://reverse-diabetes-naturally.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-is-canola-oil-and-should-diabetics.html I plan to write why coconut oil is so healthy soon. Regarding the fiber issue... I recently discovered how much fiber figs have - more than ANY other veggie or fruit including plums/prunes - plus, they lower blood sugar (the leaves do even more so) and they're high in minerals/vitamins. They're in season now so you can get fresh ones - I've been eating them with breakfast, throwing them in salads, lightly sauteing them as a topping for chicken/fish/shrimp, and I've even come up with a fig salad dressing - they are quite versatile and delicious. Here's why diabetics should eat more figs: http://reverse-diabetes-naturally.blogspot.com/2011/08/diabetes-and-figs-enjoy-them-while.html

very thoughtful....A question is what are you after -- weight only, cholesterol (the portfolio diet), blood pressure (the dash diet), improvements in arterial health (Esselstyn), reduced cancer risk (Campbell). Here at kardea, we sum all this up as follows: eat lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, eat whatever else you like, just less (and if it is highly processed, eat even less). That said, look to what works for you in terms of things that can be measured: cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, inflammation and weight--and of course, keeping in mind the foods we love. Life is too short for living only long.

I was driving in a car the other day with a couple women from work and one of them was complaining about losing weight. The other gal said, "Look. You already know how to get healthy. Stop eating foods that aren't good for you - and you know what they are. Start eating more whole foods. Eat a little bit until you start feeling full. Get outside everyday and do some kind of activity. And quit worrying about the c_rap you worry about." I thought it was some of the best advice I've heard in a long time and it didn't require 100,000 words and a book tour.

Yes- I read (and respond to) comments as my schedule permits. The Twinkie diet resulted in weight loss- but losing weight is not 'the prize.' It's only the prize if combined with finding health! And there is no evidence that silly approaches to cutting calories have anything to do with finding health. I quite agree that one of the important properties of a healthful diet, made up of healthful foods, is fullness on fewer calories. A high 'satiety quotient' is one of the many attributes attached to eating well. For anyone inclined to get into the weeds (and with access to a medical library), I have addressed the issue of diet for optimal health at length, and with extensive referencing, in my textbook: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=nutrition+in+clinical+practice+2nd+edition&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7910172985292598494&sa=X&ei=5KZnTtakGcHc0QGYhrXvCw&ved=0CDYQ8wIwAg

You NEED protein for the ESSENTIAL aminos. You NEED fat for the ESSENTIAL fatty acids. Those are the two essential macronutrients and where most of your calories should come from. Why people still want to insist on thinking about food in terms of energy is strange and dated. Fat and carbs are energy sources. Fat is going to be your primary energy source. Fat and protein do a bunch of other things not related to energy/energy levels, like tissue repair, generation/regeneration.

I wonder if Dr. Katz will read the comments? I have been struggling with a related question: what components are required for a diet that is healthy (rather than the one that is the most healthy)? Clearly you need to be in energy balance. You need at least some of the right macronutrients: enough protein to get the essential amino acids, some fiber to aid digestion, and probably a little fat and carb. You need to get the essential micronutrients as well, (vitamins and minerals). It seems that most (or all?) of the healthiness of healthy foods is that they provide a great deal of fullness per calorie, making it easier to maintain energy balance, rather than from specific nutrients they provide. Is the Prof. Haub's twinkie diet healthy? (Junk food plus a protein shake and multivitamin) as long as you can maintain 1600 calories a day as he did?

while I agree with this article, it fails to mention that we each have our own bio-individual needs..ie..biochemical individuality. Some people thrive as vegans and others do not. We need to learn to LISTEN to our bodies and be honest with how a food makes us feel. It's simple, though not always easy. Some people are gluten and/or lectin intolerant or sensitive to other foods and chemicals. There is no ONE way to eat that serves the entire human race in the healthiest of ways.