At the gates of summer more than one in 4 (27%) from the village went on a diet, reveals Coldiretti. What are the most popular regimes of the moment? There is who is ready to immense sacrifices just to go back to last year's jeans (the most clicked diet on Google is the Whole30, which promises drastic weight loss in a month); those looking for a healthy method like the Dash, which not only makes you lose weight, but also teaches you to eat better, e those who want to share with others (even virtually) privations and goals: in two years over 200 thousand people have lost weight by joining the Facebook group of the Social Diet, invented by a villager, and the requests continue to increase.
But let's see in detail the three diets of summer 2018.
1. THE WHOLE30
Millennials love it: a month without snags and goodbye rolls. This is what the Whole30 diet promises, which counts on Instagram almost 600 thousand followers. You lose weight in a flash (up to 10 kilos) and in addition you are cleansed of waste and toxins. So the belly is immediately flat, ready for a selfie by the sea or by the pool.
After 30 days of deprivation you feel as strong as tigers: those who have tried it support it, coining the termine “tiger blood” (strong and invincible), which immediately became a hashtag (together with #thestruggle, the battle of 30 days, and #deathofdignity, the defeat of those who gave up).
Social networks are crowded with testimonies of "before" and "after", while thin celebs like Jessica Biel and Megan Fox swear they've lost weight like this: eliminating packaged and refined foods, all types of sugar, milk, cheese and dairy products, legumes (replaced by animal proteins, i.e. meat and fish). A sort of internal washing for those who eat chips and junk food (like many young people, in fact). The important is stoically endure renunciations for 4 weeks, without breaking the rules, otherwise we start again from the first day.
Useful for short periods, when the body signals (with fatigue, low energy and swollen belly) that it can't take more snacks and aperitifs, the Whole30 has several weaknesses: it is not balanced, it excludes legumes, the healthy food par excellence, and it is too punitive. Furthermore, scientific studies are lacking in support of its validity.
"It is none other than theyet another review of a protein dietHe comments Diana Scatozza, a specialist in food science in Milan, «who exploits the fact that the digestion of animal proteins consumes more calories than fats and carbohydrates, but is relieved by the addition of fruit and vegetables. Unhealthy, not to be done for more than 30 days».
2. LA DASH
The assumptions of the Dash diet, which stands for, are completely opposite "Dietary approach against hypertension": has the acclaim of experts, scientific studies in favor, long tradition behind it. Sister of the Mediterranean Diet, with which it shares many aspects, in 2017 the best diet of the year dall’americana US New & World Reports.
After boom in the United States, has infected Europeans with sound assumptions and long-term goals. The village site dedicated to diet, dietadash. it, proposes personalized courses and ebooks of downloadable recipes.
It aims to reduce the salt which, in addition to fight water retention and cellulite, preparing very well for the costume test, lowers blood pressure decreasing the risk of ischemic stroke by 14%, a Swedish study reveals. Perfect for those suffering from hypertension (remember: a "silent killer" that affects 33% of the men in the village and 31% of women), because helps to normalize values ​​quickly. "You lose weight because, by reducing the amount of salt, less liquids are retained and fats are also indirectly reduced ”, emphasizes Dr. Scatozza.
It foresees, for the first two weeks, the replacement of fats and carbohydrates with proteins, to awaken the metabolism as quickly as possible. This is where you lose the most weight (2,5 to 4 kilos), while the "bad" cholesterol level in the blood plummets (and the heart thanks). From the third week the maintenance phase begins: the proposed diet is balanced and complete and can be followed without time limits.
3. THE SOCIAL DIET
Halfway between the first two proposals is the Social Diet. It is called this because take advantage of the visibility of social networks to disseminate a healthy and balanced dietary approach in a scientific way: the followers are on the Facebook group constantly followed by a team of professionals. The ally is the smartphone, to download the dedicated App, watch the explanatory videos, chat with the experts. The program lasts 21 days and weight loss is assured, but woe to talk about the number of pounds lost.
“It's not a real diet, but a path of health and preventive medicineHe explains Pier Luigi Rossi, specialist in nutrition science and preventive medicine and director of the medical-scientific committee of Dieta Social. "Proof? There is no fixed pattern. Menus and recipes are always changing », underlines the expert.
If you look at change of habits, abandoning the ones that are bad for us (like coffee on an empty stomach), discovering or re-evaluating the good ones (did you know that the savory breakfast makes you full until lunchtime?).
Calorie counting abolished (a study published in February in the Journal of the American Medical Association debunks its validity), the diet focuses on the importance of correct sequence of foods: raw vegetables to open the meal, carbohydrate or protein based main course, depending on the plan provided by the experts, cooked vegetables to finish. Like this metabolism wakes up e the glycemic response is kept under control, two fundamental aspects for the Social philosophy.
"My he sharing remains the true foundation», Concludes the specialist. "It is proven that it helps to reach the goal earlier."
