What is a diet? And what are the main reasons to follow one?
By definition, the English word "diet" means dietary form, the foods and beverages that a person eats on a regular basis. However, the German word Diät is also associated with a restriction of calories, carbohydrates, fats or other nutrients in order to achieve a goal, often related to health or weight loss. In this respect, there is often a mixing of two concepts here.
Common reasons for dieting or eating a certain way are:
- Weight management
- Ethical/ecological considerations
- Wellbeing and concentration
- Hormonal Balance & Skin Care
- Lifestyle
- Longevity
- Strengthened immune system
- More energy for the whole day
- Disease prevention
What are the most popular diets? Which benefits do they have?
There are many diets and we know that can be confusing at times. In this section, we'll give you an overview of some popular diets and their benefits when it comes to keeping your blood sugar stable.
- Intermittent fasting or interval fasting is a great way to increase your metabolic flexibility and thus improve your blood sugar control. However, we recommend that you follow this diet along with a balanced diet and skip dinner instead of breakfast. Even with this diet, there is a risk of the yo-yo effect if you end it abruptly.
- The Mediterranean diet is a great approach to improving female health. It is a good approach to better control your blood sugar levels. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet appears to play a protective role in blood sugar control by lowering HbA1c and fasting glucose levels and reducing insulin resistance. However, if not followed properly, it can lead to weight gain if more than the recommended amount of fat (e.g., in olive oil and nuts) is eaten.
- Intuitive eating can help you control your meal times and avoid overeating and cravings for sweets, helping you achieve stable blood sugar levels.
- Calorie counting can help you avoid high-calorie foods like sweets and snacks, lose weight, and improve your blood sugar metabolism. However, calorie counting is all about balance, and not every low-calorie diet is healthy and provides your body with all the nutrients it needs.
- The ketogenic diet (keto) is a type of diet that pushes your body to its limits. It has a quick and noticeable effect on body weight, fasting glucose levels, and fasting insulin levels. However, in the long run, it can lead to increased fat intake, which can have unintended consequences. Also, the yo-yo effect often occurs when you stop dieting.
- A healthy vegan diet can help you better control your blood sugar levels. However, if you eat a vegan diet and eat a lot of processed foods, this can lead to deficiencies and increased fat and sugar intake.
What diet is best for stable blood glucose?
Many of the diets described above have benefits for controlling blood sugar levels, but all for different reasons. Some diets are generally more beneficial for stable blood sugar levels. It is also important to keep in mind that everyone reacts differently to different foods.
To help you figure out which diet is right for you long-term and supports your health goals, we've put together a list of questions you can ask yourself to prepare:
Why do I want to go on a diet or change my diet? What is my goal?
Proper nutrition cannot be generalized, and each person is unique in what their body needs. A diet that works for some people may not have the same effect on you. That's why we can't offer you a one-size-fits-all solution. By finding out how your body responds to different foods and diets (for example, using a CGM and the Hello Inside app), you can find an approach that fits your body and lifestyle.
A very important point that is often forgotten is the yo-yo effect. The yo-yo effect often occurs in combination with quitting a diet, where people struggle to maintain the goal they have already reached. This effect often occurs when stopping a very restrictive diet to lose weight, but it also affects the overall metabolism. Weight fluctuations, often referred to as yo-yo dieting, are driven by physiological counter-regulatory mechanisms aimed at conserving energy, i.e., decreased energy expenditure, increased energy intake, and impaired communication between the brain and periphery.
To decide which diet fits your current lifestyle, you can ask yourself two questions:
Do I eat out often?
Eating out frequently or ordering food is not ideal for most diets. You don't know exactly what you're eating or how it was prepared. Eating out is usually high in salt, sugar and fat. If you don't cook at home on a regular basis, you should consider what diets allow you to follow this pattern, or if you want to change up your routine a bit and try something new.
What is the most important meal of the day for me?
Intermittent fasting can be a good option for people who have a meal preference. Ideally, you should choose breakfast over dinner if possible. Skipping breakfast is associated with markers of impaired glucose metabolism, including elevated hemoglobin A1c, higher fasting plasma glucose, and impaired fasting blood sugar.
How do my social factors influence my diet?
Social eating norms can be targeted to promote healthier eating. Eating behavior is strongly influenced by the social context. We eat differently when we are with other people than when we eat alone. Our eating habits also align with those of our close social relationships.
Your activity level and the behavior of the people around you also affect your food choices. If you are an active person, you should avoid very restrictive diets. Your body needs to be supplied with carbohydrates, proteins and fats to ensure its best performance and recovery. Intermittent fasting, Mediterranean diet, intuitive diet and vegan diet can be an option as long as they are not accompanied by calorie restriction.
What is compatible with my preferences and what is available?
When choosing a diet, you must also consider what foods you have access to and what you like. Where you buy your food and how you prepare it will also affect which diet is best for you.
If you love to cook, any diet is perfect for you. The more you cook, the better for your overall health! With almost any diet, it's good to know how your food is prepared and what it contains to make sure you're providing your body with all the nutrients it needs.
If cooking isn't really your thing and you need quick and easy options at all times, you may need to plan ahead depending on the diet you want to follow. By preparing snacks that go well with your chosen diet, you can still try out what works for you even if you don't have access to a kitchen all day.
Diets are something very individual. Maybe following a certain diet will help you achieve your health goals, or maybe you'd rather be flexible about what you eat. Find out what works best for you and your body. You can find out what you really need and what's best for your blood sugar by monitoring it with the Hello Inside app and a CGM.
