Common Diets: Overview
High Protein Diets-
Nutritional Information
Pamphlet
Quick, easy to read guide going
over various nutritional aspects
to your diet and how it can help
your body
Low Carbohydrate Diets-
Low carbohydrate diets are
characterized by having less than
40% of total energy coming from
carbohydrates. In a 2,000 calorie
diet this would equate to around
200 grams of carbs per day. Some
research finds that this diet is
beneficial in decreasing fat mass.
However, your body uses primarily
carbohydrates for fuel while
exercising, decreasing
carbohydrates will induce a
decreased physiological e ciency
while working out.
Low Fat Diets-
Low fat diets typically have <30%
total energy coming from fats. In a
2,000 calories diet this is around 65
grams of fat or lower. Research
based around this diet varies
depending on the other
macronutrient distributions,
however, in either case, decreases
were found in total fat mass. Low fat
diets are very sustainable as there
are many low fat food options
available. Pairing this with a high
protein diet is ideal for individuals
who want to increase muscle mass
and decrease fat mass.
High protein diets are
characterized by diets exceeding
25% or more energy from protein.
This would equate to around 125
grams of protein minimum in a
2,000 calorie diet. High protein diets
can vary as sometimes they have
high fat or high carbohydrate
content. Ideally, for building lean
mass and decreasing fat mass, an
individual would combine a high
protein diet with a moderate to
high carbohydrate diet. Eating very
lean meats and other low fat-high
protein sources are also beneficial.
This diet can provide for decreased
recovery times and increased
protein synthesis.
Vegan or Vegetarian Diets-
Vegan and vegetarian diets are
diets characterized by their lack of
food produced from animals. Vegan
diets exclude all foods from animals
and vegetarian diets exclude just
meats from animals. Both of these
diets show good signs for weight
loss, however their lack of protein
can be a serious problem when
attempting to increase muscle
mass.
Ketogenic or VLC Diets-
Ketogenic diets are characterized
by having extremely low
carbohydrate levels. In most
ketogenic diets, around 10% of
energy consumed is from
carbohydrates. This equates to
around 50 grams of carbohydrates
in a 2,000 calorie diet. The main
idea around this diet is forcing the
body to use fats as the
predominant energy system when
exercising. By causing the body to
go into ketosis, the body will oxidize
fat at a much higher level,
ultimately decreasing the amount
of fat stores on the body. The main
drawbacks from this diet are its
characteristics of being
unmaintainable. The food
selections specific to this diet are
hard to maintain for long periods
of time.
Smoothie Options: References:
International Society of
Overall, smoothies from ultimate Sports Nutrition. Aragon, A. A.,
fitness can fit into many of these Schoenfeld, B. J., Wildman, R.,
diet categories. With the exception Kleiner, S., VanDusseldorp, T., Taylor,
of ketogenic, or very low L., Earnest, C. P., Arciero, P. J.,
carbohydrate diets, there is a Wilborn, C., Kalman, D. S., Stout, J. R.,
smoothie for every other diet. For Willoughby, D. S., Campbell, B.,
individuals on low-carbohydrate Arent, S. M., Bannock, L.,
diets, one of the low-carb Smith-Ryan, A. E., & Antonio, J. (2017).
smoothies and no-carb International society of sports
supplements will be the best option. nutrition position stand: Diets and
For low fat dieters, choosing PB Fit body composition. Journal of the
instead of regular peanut butter International Society of Sports
would be beneficial in reaching a Nutrition, 14(16).
proper macronutrient breakdown. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0174-y
For those looking into the high
protein diet, choosing 2-4 scoops of
protein may be beneficial. Finally,
vegan or vegetarian dieters can
choose to substitute whey protein
for plant protein powder. This
protein powder contains whole
food plant proteins, ensuring
proper a Amino Acid distribution is
being consumed.