By Melanie DesChatelets, BSc(h), ND • August 16th, 2011

There are numerous diet plans out there, all touting to be the best.   Some are better than others but how do you decipher this information?  Lists that rank and discuss pros and cons of the most common commercial diets are available and always subject to the authors’ biases.  Beyond all the marketing of slender figures there are some less sexy, black and white documents found in the databases of PubMed that have looked at this clinical question objectively.

Background 101: How to dissect a commercial diet for weight loss.

1. By the ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrate.  Let’s call this Macronutrient proportions.
2. By the amount of caloric restriction.
3. By its impact on health risk factors.

In order to dissect a diet plan you need to assess it for these 3 main characteristics.  First, understanding the recommended proportions of macronutrients, is it low carb, low fat/high carb or some other perfect mix.  Secondly, understand the caloric restriction expected.  What was this number based upon; will exercise be encouraged or discouraged?  Thirdly, what are the beneficial or detrimental side effects this diet will so generously provide.  Is weight loss the bottom-line or are things like life expectancy worth taking a look at too.

Numéro un: Macronutrient proportions head to head

• Low carb diet: The low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet was based on the Atkin’s Diet
• High carb/low fat diet: The low-fat, restricted-calorie diet was based on the American Heart Association guidelines.
• Mediterranean diet: The moderate-fat, restricted-calorie, Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables and low in red meat, with poultry and fish replacing beef and lamb.

The major difference in most diets are the way in which they may emphasize or de-emphasizes certain macronutrient groups.  To analyze the diet you want to embark on you must understand their rational, if any, for they’re magical weight loss secret.

When these 3 diets were put head to head in a controlled study setting here were the results.  The fastest amount of weight loss occurred in the first six months of this 2-year trial for all diet types.  At six months the low-carb diet (Atkin’s) showed the most significant weight loss.  At the end of the trial, 2 years later, the Mediterranean diet and the Atkin’s diet demonstrated equal average weight loss of 4.4kg and 4.5kg respectively.  These results highlighting that...

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Location:  Vancouver, CA

Mélanie DesChâtelets, BSc(h), ND, is a licensed Naturopathic Physician committed to recognizing and attending to the fundamental antecedents of illness. Using the synergistic power of groundbreaking scientificevidence and long standing historical evidence in natural medicine, Mélanie strives to empower individuals to...