The word diet comes from the Greek “díaita”, which means way of living. Maintaining a harmonious way of life was for Greek physicians the proper way to be healthy, and therefore, to maintain the most favorable weight.
Throughout history, these concepts have remained unchanged, but with little practical result.
In general, it can be said that obesity was rare, mainly due to lack of food.
But this has changed in recent decades. Economic improvements after World War II were accompanied by a large increase in food production, and this, coupled with other lifestyle changes, has led to overweight and obesity being the major epidemic in this century.
Scientific criteria have logically been based on calculations of energy intake and expenditure. If you eat more and don’t spend it, you get fat. Therefore, eat less, exercise more and you will lose weight. Very true, but incomplete, because eating is not only adding and subtracting calories.
There are hundreds of examples of diets based on these concepts, with the classic hypocaloric diets of 1000 to 1500kcal per day that are still used, although with progressive rejection by patients.
In addition, there are many dietary variants, such as the grapefruit diet, the blood group diet, the soup diet, the magnetic diet, the apple diet, the lemonade diet, the maple syrup diet, the banana diet, the pear diet, the three-day diet… and many more.
These diets have a very low caloric intake with some peculiar touch more or less appealing and are not very recommendable.
Other diets, much better known, are those that reduce carbohydrates and increase protein content. Here would be the Atkins, Montignac and Dukan diets, which coincide in lowering carbohydrates and increasing proteins, with little limitation in general of fats.
These diets have had a wide diffusion, but also problems due to the excess of animal protein and fat. Their basis is the production of metabolic changes, obtaining the necessary energy mainly from excess fat and not from carbohydrates. They would fall within the ketogenic diets.
At present they are less used and diets that produce ketosis are becoming more widespread, but with a different protein intake; more vegetable protein and animal protein of dairy and egg origin, with an initial absence of meat and fish.
These are the most effective, accompanied by micronutrients, such as water, salt, vitamins and minerals, and dietary products that provide high biological grade protein of mixed-vegetable and animal origin in the form of food.
These are diets prescribed by endocrinologists or experienced doctors, among which ESSENTIAL DIET stands out, which achieve excellent results and require analytical control and medical supervision with the support of nutritionists.
This method controls the anxiety of eating, the “emotional hunger”, and produces detoxification and organic purification without affecting the musculature.
Its good results are very encouraging for patients, helping to change bad dietary and lifestyle habits for maintenance.