Some swear by low carb, others feel better on a more vegan style of eating.
So, what is the best "diet" for heath. Well, the answer to this may be any of them.
Latest research is now showing how important nutrition is to good health. Nutrition can affect many aspects of our health including immune function, mood and can even alter the way some genes are expressed.
Good nutrition also lowers the risk of almost all types of chronic disease including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. However, it is less clear to many what good nutrition actually involves because there is so much conflicting information online.
Current research looking at the effect of all of these different "diets" shows that all of them can improve health, to a certain degree.
This is because, each of these types of eating patterns have certain benefits when compared to the standard Western diet, which is associated with increased rates of chronic disease, due to its high makeup of ultra-processed food and refined carbohydrates.
The other "diets" share some key beneficial features.
For example, they all encourage consumption of more whole unprocessed foods, discourage refined carbohydrates (such as white flour products and sugar) and are more plant-focused, with an emphasis on fibre, colour and healthy fats.
By consuming a wide variety and large number of whole plant foods will provide beneficial micronutrients and antioxidants that the body needs to stay healthy and repair damaged cells.
No matter which "diet" you choose, the one that the best "diet" for health is the one that you can stick to and is sustainable in the long term.
• Dr Liz Williams is an internationally Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician and GP at Aurora Health Centre in Dunedin.
