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Functional Diets

A functional diet is one where your goal is to safely lose weight slowly or to maintain your ideal weight. Extreme diets that deprive you of nutrition or calories or rely too heavily on one or two specific foods can damage your body. A functional diet, such as Vegetarianism or the Glycemic Index, focuses on incorporating as many natural, unprocessed foods into your daily routine without depriving you of the pleasure of eating.

  1. Vegetarian Diet

    • A vegetarian diet relies heavily on plant based foods. This diet is functional if dieters are conscientious about incorporating enough protein into their daily meals. Protein in a vegetarian diet can come from beans and legumes, tofu, and lower fat dairy products. Olive oil and avocados can provide mono-saturated fat and a feeling of fullness in a plant-heavy meal. Fruit can be substituted for the sweetness of table sugar, as can agave syrup and small amounts of honey. This diet is easy to stick to because of the large amount of possibilities. Vegetarianism is a functional diet because it stresses natural foods, whole grain carbs and limited white sugar.

    Glycemic Index Diet

    • The Glycemic Index is a chart that rates how certain foods interact with levels of glucose in the bloodstream. This glucose controls the body's production of insulin. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes, can occur when the body quits being able to process insulin, which can spike when consuming too many carbohydrate rich foods. This diet stresses choosing most of your food from the lower end of the index and is functional because it contains an unlimited option of choices and encourages cutting out starchy and sugary foods from your diet.

    American Heart Association Heart Healthy Diet

    • This plan focuses on removing foods that contain saturated fat or partially hydrogenated oil from your diet. The American Heart Association stresses controlling your blood pressure and having your cholesterol levels checked. This diet also encourages eating dark, leafy greens and incorporating foods rich in omega oils, like salmon, into your weekly meal plan. This diet is functional because it stresses wholesome foods, like whole grain, and a reliance on plant-based options, lower fat dairy products and lower fat meat options, such as chicken and fish.

    No Sugar Diet

    • A no sugar diet aims to control both weight and blood sugar and can be effective in staving off adult onset Type 2 diabetes. This diet aims to cut out most processed foods, especially foods containing high fructose corn syrup, such as most salad dressings, condiments like ketchup and barbecue sauce, and even most packaged crackers. This diet is functional because it encourages dieters to be conscientious about only consuming unprocessed foods and never adding sugar. Sweeteners can include a spare use of honey, fruit sweetener and agave syrup.

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