# RKS: A PLETHORA OF DIETS - Meandering Through The Maze Of Diets
# RKS: A PLETHORA OF DIETS
- MEANDERING THROUGH THE MAZE OF DIETS
CLASSIFYING DIETS
CHARTS GALORE
Dear Reader,
William the Conquerer grew so fat that he had problems mounting his horse. When he fell off and landed head first, he had to pretend he was kissing the ground in joy to save him from embarrassment of his obesity-related impedance. William gave up food and went on a drinking man's diet - all he consumed was alcohol. This was the world's first liquid diet and appeared around 1066 A.D.
The first actual diet book came out in 1558 and is still in print. Luigi Cornaro, the author of the book "The Art of Living Long," was an extremely overweight Italian who, when unable to have sex, limited himself to 12 ounces of food a day and 14 ounces of wine. Cornaro lived to be almost a hundred years old, and toward the end of his life, he only ate egg yolks.
Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters, an American doctor (1873-1930) who once weighed 100 kgs (220 lbs) herself, was probably the first person to quantify energy and her 1918 book, "Dieting and Health: With Key to the Calories," – was the very first ‘calorie’ mentioning publication and sold over two million copies across 55 editions.
BASIS OF DIETS
Diets were determined by beliefs in the bygone eras. It was only later when the modern scientific understanding of nutrition evolved the diets came to be followed on the basis of nutrients consumed and present in various foodstuffs.
Antoine Lavoisier was a French chemist and nobleman in the 18th century. He first discovered the concept of metabolism in 1770 and is known as the father of nutrition or also as ‘father of diet'.
FOOD HABITS DETERMINE DIETS
- 50,000 years ago, our ancestors had adopted an omnivorous diet of cooked starches, meats (including organs), nuts, fruit and other plant foods.
- 10,000 years ago the diet was based on vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and meat.
- 5,000 years ago the city dwellers ate a variety of meats, dairy, grains and other plants.
- 1,000 years ago the majority of calorie intake for most of the population was derived from porridge, gruel and later, bread – and these became the basic staple foods.
REASONS FOR DIETING
WEIGHT LOSS DIETS
CARBS-BASED DIETS
FATS-BASED DIETS
PROTEINS-BASED DIETS
DETOX DIETS
FAD DIETS
DISEASE-SPECIFIC DIETS
SUMMARIZING
The word ‘Diet’ actually comes from the Greek word “diaita,” which means “way of life.”
- Adam and Eve ate a strict plant diet and Jesus had a Mediterranean diet.
- Lord Byron (English romantic poet and peer) was the lead figure of Romantic movement and easily the world's sexiest man in the 1820s. Everyone wanted to look like him – ‘even he wanted to look like him’. His problem was he gained weight easily and had to work hard to remain slim. He invented the vinegar diet, drinking it with water several times a day to flush off his fat - the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet is still around.
- The longest recorded case of survival without food and water is 18 days by Andreas Mihavecz (Austria, 1979), then aged 18 years.
- 75% regain the lost weight, due to diet, in 3 years.
- 40% regain more than the lost weight, due to diet, in 3 years.
- Only 19% can maintain weight loss of 10% for 5 years.
- Overall, 97% of individuals eventually regain their lost weight after the dieting is discontinued.
CONCLUSION
These days, one can’t walk down the grocery store aisle without seeing foods labelled Keto, gluten-free, Superfood, etc. Consumers get bombarded with messaging about trends in nutrition on social media, in commercials, and in books, but much of the time, the advice is conflicting.
- One day, eggs are great to eat. The next day, the dictate is to avoid them.
- Red wine has health benefits, but drinking too much is bad for you.
- Coconut oil is a miracle food, but it’s also really high in saturated fat, which can increase the harmful LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol.
A calorie-deficit diet plan promotes weight loss. But depriving oneself of the foods that are enjoyed to cut calories is almost always likely to backfire. Restrictive diets may help lose weight in the short term, but these are hard to stick to in the long run since completely cutting out items like chocolate, potato chips or ice cream makes one yearn for these even more than before. Deprivation, hence, isn’t a viable long-term solution because it’s not sustainable.
One needs to remember that carbs aren’t an enemy but too much of a tasty sugary item can impact positive health for sure. The bottom line is enjoy the foods one loves, without feeling guilty - whether that’s chocolate, ice cream, or cookies - these can absolutely be part of a healthy diet provided they are rationed.
Pick a palate-suiting diet plan to ensure long-term adherence.
Cheers to enjoying food, but wisely.
DR R K SANGHAVI
Prophesied Enabler
Experience & Expertise: Clinician & Healthcare Industry Adviser
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