If you have been trying to lose weight, it is likely that you are tired of vague advice like: “Eat healthier.” Honestly, what does that even mean? Also, when it comes to weight loss, there are all kinds of scam products out there that claim to help you lose weight in just a matter of days. First of all, weight loss alone shouldn’t ever be your goal alone. The ideal goal has to be an improvement in overall health and fitness which results in shedding a few pounds. Ahead, you will find 9 extraordinarily easy diet plans for weight loss and overall better health.

When it comes to diet plans, every influencer comes up with their own version of trendy diet plans. For some, a healthy diet plan means refraining from potatoes while for others it might mean shunning all kinds of sugar or simply avoiding dairy and gluten. While these diets might help you lose weight but if not substituted with healthier alternatives, these unplanned restrictive diets might leave you undernourished or lead to certain deficiencies.

Healthy eating

Healthy eating can be far more simpler and systematic than you may think. Good diet plans don’t just promote weight loss. They are in fact a gateway to incorporating healthier habits, creating a routine for overall better health, and integrating a healthier lifestyle. Again, when it comes to healthy eating, there are a million kinds of diet plans. To find out a diet plan that is suitable, sustainable, effective for you, and easy to follow at the same time, all you need to do is read on.

9 Easy diet plans that offer so much more than just weight loss:

1. Plant-based diets

A Flexitarian diet which is properly referred to as a plant-based diet is one of the easiest diets. Vegetarian and vegan diets are the two most incorporated versions of plant-based diets. The only goal is to refrain from animal products and by-products. In fact, if you cannot completely eliminate animal-based products, you can go for flexible versions of flexitarian diets where you can incorporate animal products in moderation. The plant-based diet or a flexitarian diet is more a lifestyle change than a just dietary restriction. Its basic principles include:

• Incorporating vegan protein sources
• Integrating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains
• Substituting processed food with more natural forms of foods

Health benefits of plant-based diets

Studies show that plant-based diets when incorporated with suitable substitutes can have plenty of health benefits like:

• Balanced weight loss
• Overall metabolic health and better immunity
• Blood pressure management
• Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes

2. Intermittent fasting

If you have been looking for diet plans for weight loss, it is likely that you have heard of intermittent fasting. This dietary strategy cycles between periodic durations of fasting and eating. There are various forms of intermittent fasting. One of them is the 16/8 method, the idea behind the 16/8 method of intermittent fasting is to limit calorie intake to just eight hours a day. Another method of intermittent fasting is the 5:2 method. This method works by restricting the daily calorie intake to 500 to 600 calories twice a week. The basic principle of this diet plan includes limiting the time, you are allowed to consume food. This is one of the easiest methods to incorporate timely eating while managing calorie intake.

Health benefits of Intermittent fasting:

While intermittent fasting is primarily one of the most favored diet plans for weight loss, it has several other health benefits that include:

• Anti-aging effects
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Better brain health
• Promotes heart health
• Enhances overall immunity and metabolism
• Extends lifespan
• Systematic weight management

3. Low-carb diets

When it comes to diet plans for weight loss, a low-carb diet is one of the most preferred diet plans out there. There are many different kinds of low-carb diets. A few popular ways to incorporate low carb diets are ketogenic or keto diet, Atkins diet, and low carb, high fat, or LCHF diet. Low-carb diets work on the basic principle to limit your daily carb intake and substitute it with proteins or good fats. A protein-rich diet can work to

• naturally, limit your appetite,
• boost your metabolism, and
• conserve your muscle mass

The Health benefits of low card diets are:

Research shows that low-carb diets when incorporated with suitable alternates can have a ton of health benefits like:

• Weight loss, particularly belly fat.
• Reduction of risk factors for heart diseases
• Cholesterol management
• Blood pressure management
• Helps with diabetes in the management of blood sugar levels and insulin levels

4. The DASH diet

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension also known as the DASH diet is a systematic diet plan that’s particularly designed for the treatment as well as prevention of high blood pressure, clinically known as hypertension. The DASH diet stresses the incorporation of more fresh fruits, green vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats into the daily diet. Moreover, anyone following a DASH diet is advised to reduce the intake of salt, red meat, sugars, and fat. Although the DASH diet is not primarily a weight loss diet, it improves overall health which helps in the reduction of weight. The basic principle of a DASH diet is accommodating specific servings of different food groups while managing the calorie intake. Here’s what a person on a DASH diet would eat in a day:

• 5 servings of vegetables
• 5 servings of fruit
• 7 servings of healthful carbs like whole grains
• 2 servings of fat-free dairy products
• 2 servings of lean meats

Along with nuts and seeds at least 2 to 3 times a week.

Health benefits of The DASH diet

Incorporation of the DASH diet has a number of health benefits including

• Management of blood pressure levels
• Reduction of heart disease risk factors
• Minimizes the risk of certain cancers including breast cancer and colorectal cancer
• Weight management and weight loss.
• Potentially helps in the reduction of depression symptoms

5. The Mediterranean diet

If you are looking for Diet plans for weight loss and overall health boost, the Mediterranean diet is the one for you. Not only this diet can help in weight management, but it is also an excellent diet for boosting immunity, improving longevity, and delivering a fit, well-nourished body. The term ‘Mediterranean’ stems from the fact that this diet plan ensures the incorporation of food traditionally consumed in Greece and Italy. They include,

• vegetables
• fruits
• whole grains
• fish
• nuts
• lentils
• olive oil

Food items like poultry, eggs, red meat, and dairy products are consumed in moderation when on a Mediterranean diet. Additionally, it restricts the consumption of food items like

• refined grains
• trans fats
• processed meats
• added sugar
• other highly processed foods

Health benefits of The Mediterranean diet

Since the Mediterranean diet focuses on minimizing the consumption of processed foods it delivers a number of benefits including:

• Aid in weight loss and healthy weight management
• Reduces the risk of multiple chronic diseases
• Increases longevity or life expectancy
• Protects against certain cancers
• Lowers risk of heart diseases risk
• Fights inflammation and oxidative stress because of antioxidant-rich foods
• Decreases the risk of mental disorders, like cognitive decline or even depression

6. The MIND diet

The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay also known as the MIND diet is a diet plan that’s a perfect combination of Mediterranean and DASH diets. The idea behind the MIND diet is to create a diet plan to boost brain and heart health instead of calorie counting. The diet plan focuses on the intake of lean proteins. Despite not being one of the diet plans for weight loss, this diet plan can promote weight loss as it introduces you to an overall healthier approach to eating.

Unlike a flexitarian or plant-based diet, the MIND diet does not promote a strict meal plan, instead, it focuses on incorporating ten very specific food items that work to boost brain health. Here is a weekly plan for a healthy adult on a MIND diet:

• 6-7 servings of green, leafy veggies
• At least 1 serving of non-starchy veggies
• 5-6 servings of nuts

Other food items that are encouraged multiple times a week are:

• berries
• beans
• olive oil
• whole grains
• fish
• poultry

Health benefits of the MIND diet

According to research, the MIND diet offers a number of health benefits like

• Improves overall cognitive health and reduces the risk of developing cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
• Delays cognitive deterioration and boosts cognitive health in elderly
• Studies show the MIND diet delays the onset of the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease
• Promotes weight loss when incorporated with mindful eating.

7. The Volumetrics diet

Created by Barbara Rolls, a Penn State University nutrition professor, the volumetrics diet is a long-term lifestyle change instead of a strict diet plan. The idea behind this diet plan is to increase the incorporation of nutrient-rich food items that are low particularly low in calories and high in water content. In addition to that, it limits the intake of high-calorie food items including cookies, candies, oil, nuts, and seeds. According to the basic principle behind the Volumetrics diet, the intake of food is divided into four categories based on its calorie density. These categories are:

1. Category 1: The first category of volumetrics diet includes food items particularly low-calorie density including non-starchy fruits and vegetables, non-fat milk, or broth-based soup
2. Category 2: The second category of volumetrics diet includes food items that are low in calories like starchy fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat meat, legumes, and low-fat dishes like chili and even breakfast cereal.
3. Category 3: The third category of volumetrics diet includes food items that are medium calorie-rich foods. These include meat, cheese, bread, and even ice cream.
4. Category 4: The fourth category of volumetrics diet includes food items that are high in calories. These food items include crackers, chips, chocolates, candies, nuts, butter, and oil

When consuming means according to the Volumetric diet the goal is to incorporate categories one and two in abundance along with food items in limited amounts from categories three and four. The best part about this diet is you can consume everything but in moderation.

Health benefits of the Volumetrics diet

When it comes to easy Diet plans for weight loss and overall health boost the Volumetrics diet is one of the best diet plans out there. The diet is full of low-calorie nutritious foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and fibers. That is precisely why it protects against any nutritional deficiencies. Apart from that, it offers benefits like,

• Risk reduction of certain cancers
• Protection from heart disease
• Helps in weight loss
• Improves overall metabolism and immunity

8. WW (Weight Watchers)

When it comes to diet plans for weight loss in a healthy way the WW diet which was formerly known as Weight Watchers is another popular weight loss program known worldwide. Anyone who follows a WW diet doesn’t need to refrain from any food groups altogether. The goal is to eat everything but within a set number of daily points according to the goals set to achieve their ideal weight.

The basic principle of the WW diet is following a point-based structure that systematically assigns multiple foods and beverages a specific value. The value assigned depends on various factors like calories, fat content, along with fiber content of the food. Once the goal is set, you are supposed to eat within the daily point allowance assigned.

Health benefits of the WW diet

Clearly, one of the major health benefits of the WW diet is weight loss. It is one of the most effective diet plans for weight loss and an all-around health boost. Apart from weight loss, the diet plan also helps in weight maintenance. The best part about this diet plan is it carefully caters to individual needs and it is very easy to follow.

• Weight loss
• Weight management
• Custom designed
• Easy to follow

9. The Mayo Clinic Diet

Another diet plan specially curated by The Mayo Clinic which is a well-known medical organization is called The Mayo Clinic diet. This diet plan is not only one of the best diet plans for weight loss but is specially designed to improve your overall lifestyle. The Mayo Clinic Diet stresses substituting unhealthy daily habits with easy but healthy habits that promote longevity and delivers an overall health boost.

The diet plan has a basic principle where no food items are banned. However, the plan encourages a healthy dose of exercise along with the incorporation of healthful food items including, fruits, and vegetables. Physical activity is one of the major contributing factors to this plan. Diet, incorporates a healthy dose of carbs and protein along with dairy, fats, and sweets in moderation. The Mayo Clinic diet plan consists of two basic phases.

• Phase 1: This initial phase is a 2-week plan particularly devised to start your weight loss journey. The plan aims to incorporate five healthier habits and encourages leaving behind five unhealthy habits.
• Phase 2: The secondary phase of the Mayo Clinic diet plan encourages to enforcement of healthy lifestyle changes to deliver long-term benefits. The diet plan educates about healthy food choices, portion sizes, and the health benefits of being physically active.

Health benefits of The Mayo Clinic Diet

This diet is particularly designed to help you lose 10 pounds in just the first 2 weeks, and up to 2 pounds in the second phase. While the Mayo Clinic Diet is one of the most exceptional diet plans for weight loss it has plenty of other benefits including:

• The diet plan is rich in fiber with increased satiety and a feeling of fulness.
• It decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• This low-calorie diet is easy to follow and delivers long-term results.

When it comes to diet plans for weight loss, there are many diet plans that not only help you with weight management but offer plenty of health benefits as well. Whether it is the Mediterranean diet, the WW diet, or even intermittent fasting, the goal is to incorporate them while taking into consideration the unique needs of the body. All the above-mentioned diet plans have the power to help in effective weight loss without any weakness or deficiencies for a healthy adult. However, if you have a diagnosed condition or severe allergies, you must consult a professional healthcare adviser like a doctor, nutritionist, or dietician.