What Exactly Is Dieting?

Dieting is the controlled consumption of food in order to lose, maintain, or gain weight, as well as to prevent and cure illnesses such as diabetes and obesity. Because weight reduction is determined by calorie intake, several types of calorie-reduced diets, such as those focusing on certain macronutrients, have been found to be equally successful. Regardless, the results of a diet might vary dramatically depending on the person.

"Banting," named after William Banting, was the first fashionable diet. He explained the parameters of a particular low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet that contributed to his own significant weight loss in his 1863 booklet, Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public.

Dieting to reduce weight is recommended by some guidelines for persons with weight-related health concerns, but not for people who are otherwise healthy. According to one poll, over half of all American people try to reduce weight via dieting, with 66.7 percent of obese adults and 26.5 percent of normal weight or underweight individuals doing so. Dieters who are overweight, average weight, or underweight may experience a higher mortality risk as a result of their weight loss.

George Cheyne, an English doctor, was one of the earliest dietitians. He was quite overweight and would consume copious amounts of fatty foods and beverages on a regular basis. He went on a vegetarian diet, simply drinking milk and eating vegetables, and he quickly recovered his health. He began openly suggesting his diet to everyone who was overweight. He authored An Essay on Health and Long Life in 1724, in which he recommends exercise and fresh air as well as avoiding fancy meals.

In 1797, John Rollo, a Scottish military surgeon, published Notes on a Diabetic Case. It discussed the advantages of a meat-based diet for diabetics, citing Matthew Dobson's discovery of glycosuria in diabetes mellitus as a source of information. Rollo devised a diet that worked for what is now known as type 2 diabetes using Dobson's testing technique.

"Banting," named after the English undertaker William Banting, was the first fashionable diet. In 1863, he published a pamphlet titled Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public, in which he detailed the diet regimen he had successfully followed. His personal diet consisted of meat, greens, fruits, and dry wine, and he ate four meals every day. Sugar, sugary foods, grain, alcohol, milk, and butter were all discouraged. For years to come, Banting's booklet would be famous, and it would be used as a model for current diets. Because of the pamphlet's popularity, the phrase "Do you bant?" became synonymous with his practice, and later with dieting in general. As of 2007, his pamphlet is still available.

Diet and Health: With Key to the Calories, published in 1918 by American physician and journalist Lulu Hunt Peters, was the first weight-loss book to encourage calorie counting and the first weight-loss book to become a bestseller.

Up to 2014, it was believed that over 1000 weight reduction regimens have been produced.

Low-carbohydrate

Protein and lipids are abundant in low-carbohydrate diets. Low-carbohydrate diets can lead to ketosis.

"The glycemic index factor is a ranking of foods based on their overall effect on blood sugar levels; the Low GI diet is based on this research. Low glycemic index foods, such as lentils, provide a slower, more consistent source of glucose to the bloodstream, thus stimulating less insulin release than high glycemic index foods, such as white bread."

The high-carbohydrate, low-glycemic index diet was shown to be the most beneficial in a randomized controlled study comparing four diets since it resulted in significant weight reduction and a decrease in low-density lipoprotein.

The glycemic load is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrate consumed. The Cochrane Collaboration found that diets with a low glycemic index or a low glycemic load resulted in higher weight reduction and improved lipid profiles, but did not distinguish between the effects of the load and the index.

Low-calorie

Low-calorie diets often result in an energy deficit of 500–1,000 calories per day, resulting in a weekly weight reduction. Weight Watchers is one of the most popular low-calorie diets. To establish the effectiveness of low-calorie diets, the National Institutes of Health looked at 34 randomized controlled studies. They discovered that following these diets for 3–12 months reduced total body mass by 8%. Crash dieting is extremely harmful since it can result in a variety of health problems. Crash dieting can result in weight loss, but without constant expert monitoring, the drastic drop in calories and probable imbalance in the diet's composition can have negative consequences, including death.

Fasting 

Fasting occurs when there is an extended period of time between meals. Fasting over an extended period of time can be risky owing to the risk of malnutrition, and should only be done under medical supervision. The body depletes its glycogen reserves during extended fasting or very-low-calorie diets because blood glucose, the brain's main energy source, is reduced. When glycogen is exhausted, the body switches to ketones to power the brain, while simultaneously metabolizing body protein to create sugars for the rest of the body to consume as energy.

Although some specialists disagree, most experts feel that a prolonged fast can cause muscular atrophy. Short-term fasting, also known as intermittent fasting, has been utilized as a way of dieting to avoid the problems associated with protracted fasting.

Detox

Unsubstantiated claims that detox diets may eradicate "toxins" from the human body are pushed. Many of these diets include herbs, celery, and other low-calorie veggies like celery.

Environmentally sustainable 

Another type of diet focuses on the environment rather than the dieter's health. The BDA's One Blue Dot initiative makes recommendations for decreasing the environmental effect of diets by:

• Limiting meat consumption to 70 grams per person each day.
• Plant proteins should be prioritized.
• Promoting fish from environmentally friendly sources.
• Dairy consumption should be kept to a minimum.
• Emphasis on starchy wholegrain meals.
• Using seasonal, locally sourced fruits and vegetables as a marketing tool.
• Limiting high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods.
• Make tap water and unsweetened tea/coffee the default options for hydration.
• Food waste reduction.

Effectiveness