The word “diet” actually means ‘food or drink, in general’, however, with the focus shifted to health and fitness these days, its meaning has actually morphed into one that refers to a particular “eating and drinking regimen” that either helps in weight loss or prevents weight gain.

In the last few decades, several diets have been released by experts that have either remained in mainstream news or have fallen by the wayside. So, here are four diets that continue to find popularity amongst people who take very good care of their health:

Vegan/ Vegetarian

There are many types of vegetarians but they can be broadly classified into vegans (stricter dieting restrictions) who do not touch eggs, dairy products and honey and vegetarians, who not only stick to a vegetable-only diet but also eat the aforementioned animal-based foods as well.

Atkins

This diet focuses on controlling the insulin levels in one’s body by cutting down on foods that are carbohydrate-based. The rise of insulin levels often results in the body storing away the energy (derived from these foods) as fat while also preventing the body from burning fat that has already been stored. Most dieters using the Atkins’ diet focus on eating as much protein as possible that will not only burn fat but also build muscle as well. However, it is important that one does eat a certain amount of carbohydrates.

The Zone

While the Atkins’ Diet attempts to eliminate carbohydrate-based food from one’s diet, this diet attempts to achieve nutritional balance of 40 % carbohydrates, 30 % fat and 30 % protein. However, the similarity between this diet and Atkins’ is that they both seek to control the rise and fall of insulin levels in one’s body as this has shown positive results.

Raw Food

One can be called a Raw Foodist especially if two-thirds of their food is uncooked and are plant-based, unprocessed and produced organically. Not surprisingly, many vegans are actually raw foodists and vice versa.