What Health Needs Should Your Diet Assist?

There are plenty of diets to choose from, but only certain ones will help you get other health problems under control. Diets that target specific health conditions or diseases can make it easier on your body to lose the weight because the diet is focused on whole body health.

By selecting a diet that treats the whole body, you're more likely to have long term success because you'll be getting and feeling healthier as you lose weight. The focus of a diet that shows you how to eat well and get fit will be on improving your lifestyle rather than as a quick fix.

Heart Disease

A lot of people struggle with health issues that can cause heart disease. One of the symptoms of this health issue early on can be high blood pressure readings. So, if you have a problem keeping your blood pressure under good control, you'll want to look for a diet that can help you with that.

One of those diets is the DASH diet. This is an acronym for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and it's one of the diets that the National Institutes of Health recommends for people who have hypertension.

You can either use the regular DASH eating plan or the one that's geared toward lowered sodium meals. There are no special foods to buy - you simply eat healthy ones like fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy and lean meats.

If the DASH plan isn't what you wanted, there are other diet plans beneficial to heart disease reversal and prevention. Other diets beneficial for the heart are the TLC diet, the Ornish diet, Flexitarian diets, a vegan or vegetarian diet, and many more.

Diabetes

The DASH diet also helps people with diabetes. Another health issue you want to look at when you're searching for the right diet plan for you is your glucose control.

If you've been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes, you want that stabilized to either prevent getting full blown diabetes or getting it under control to stave off long term health effects that diabetes can sometimes cause.

You can use the DASH diet for treating diabetes as well, but another healthy diet for treating this condition is the Weight Watchers program. Weight Watchers puts an emphasis on making healthy food choices, though you're allowed to eat whatever you like.

The plan will give you well rounded meals that include healthy foods and will give you the guidelines to help you with the portion sizes as well. This plan also focuses on something that impacts diabetes - and that's exercise.

By choosing a diet plan that promotes exercising, you can bring your diabetes under control and have A1c levels within recommended ranges. If you don't want to try the DASH diet, there are others - including the Biggest Loser diet, the Engine 2 diet, the Mayo Clinic diet, the Glycemic Index diet and more.

Anti-Aging

The foods that you eat can take a toll on your organs. If you eat a diet that's high in fat and red meats, not only does it show up on your skin, but it can cause cellular aging within the body, too.

Diets that can help with anti-aging have one thing in common. The diet is centered on foods that are natural and will result in a safe rate of weight loss. The foods in any anti-aging diet will include whole grains because fiber helps your blood vessels stay in good shape.

A diet that's rich with anti-aging properties will also have fish and lean meats as the protein suggestions for your meals. Fish is rich in Omega-3 and can also assist users with maintaining cognitive skills including fighting against memory loss.

The anti-aging diet will also have you eating plenty of antioxidant bearing fruits and vegetables. Not only do you get the benefit of eating foods that help in the fight against cancer, but these foods help your eyes fight against conditions that would attack your eyesight.

Cancer Prevention

It used to be that cases of cancer were less common than they are today. Some of the reasoning behind that is because we have better early detection tests, but some of it is because more and more people rely on a diet that's loaded with foods that don't give their bodies the benefits of cancer fighting foods.

It's easy to fall into the habit of grabbing whatever is fast and convenient. But eating healthier really doesn't take any more time - it simply takes commitment and planning ahead.

The long-term benefits to your body are well worth that. Look for diets that will help your body give you a boost up on cancer prevention. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a story that showed the benefits of one diet against the risk of getting breast cancer.

That was the Mediterranean diet. In this diet, users avoid the saturated fats and processed foods that contain ingredients that aren't good for the body. Instead, people who follow the Mediterranean diet can help keep cancer at bay by eating foods rich in antioxidants and fish containing Omega 3.

If you're looking for a diet that will give you long term benefits, this is a good one - especially if you have a family history of certain cancers.

Inflammation

Some people struggle with inflammation. Whether it's short or long term, inflammation in the body can make you feel miserable. You want to have an eating plan that will give your body relief from inflammation.

Diets that contain sugary foods or foods that are high in saturated fats can trigger certain inflammation. If you've been struggling with any kind of inflammatory disease or you have arthritis in your joints that seems to get worse, what you're eating could be what's triggering your flare ups.

Diets that help treat inflammations are diets that suggest avoiding white foods like sugar and white flour. Vegetarian diets are good diets for people who have inflammation.

Even eating a vegetarian meal plan a few times a week can make a difference in how you feel. Select foods like whole grains, baked fish, dark leafy greens, almonds, low-fat dairy, tomatoes and beets.

All of those foods are good as part of a balanced meal to help you lose weight, but you'll notice that you feel better when you eat foods that target inflammation. One of the diets that you might want to check out if you're struggling with inflammation or arthritis is the Paleo diet.

Energy

If you seem to struggle with not having enough energy to get through the day, you'll want to look for a diet that can help to boost your energy levels. The kinds of diets that can help you to get your stamina back are diets that are loaded with high fiber foods and foods that help keep your energy level up during your waking hours.

If you're looking to boost your energy, then you need to be careful around low carb diets because carbs give you energy and the more complex the carb, the higher amount of energy it gives you as it turns the carb into fuel for your body.

If energy is a side health issue for you, then you might benefit from a diet plan that requires multiple small meals throughout the day. That helps keep your metabolism boosted so that you can function better.

Infertility

Carrying too much extra weight can make it more difficult to conceive. If you need to lose weight and you're struggling with infertility, there are diets that can help you with that health issue.

Certain foods affect your hormonal levels and can help you with ovulation. The nutrients in some foods play a role in your reproductive ability and your hormones need these nutrients in order for you to conceive.

You want a diet that's rich in green, red and yellow vegetables and you want to choose organic foods whenever possible. Eat a lot of fish and stay away from processed foods.

Get your servings of fiber because that helps your hormones get the balance that they need. A good example of a diet for infertility would be the Mediterranean diet.

Other Health Concerns

Sometimes habits we have can really do a number on our health. But there are diets that can help us stop continuing with bad habits. Smoking can be curbed through a diet and the foods in a healthy diet can help repair damage done to the body from smoking.

To stop smoking, look for a diet that offers up plenty of hard, crunchy food. Some foods that aren't good for you actually make smoking taste better while other foods, such as apples, make a cigarette taste worse.

Stress is another health issue that some dieters deal with. There are diets that can help you fight stress. These diets suggest stress fighting foods such as oatmeal, complex carbs, fruits and vegetables.

For those with allergies, eating right while dieting can sometimes be challenging. There's some truth to the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are good in diets for allergies and so are red grapes. Nuts, onions and garlic can also fight allergies. Look for a diet that includes these helpful foods.

Indigestion is never fun. Normally, a diet that suggests lots of fruits and vegetables is beneficial for all users - but not for people with indigestion. If you suffer from this, you'll want to stay away from diets that are filled with acidic foods, which worsen indigestion.

Avoid citric and tomato-based foods as well as coffee, garlic and spicy foods. Sometimes, you'll only need to cut them out in the evening hours, but you can enjoy them early on in the day.

If you want to leave insomnia behind, you can do it naturally through diet. There are foods that contain tryptophan, which helps you sleep. Diets high in whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products can help you stop tossing and turning.

If you want a diet that helps you heal from skin problems, diets that are heavy in fish, especially salmon, can help. Blueberries are great at correcting skin problems, too.

You want to avoid pineapples because they can cause flare-ups; so can certain spices. So diets that focus on spices as a way of preparing meals wouldn't be good for you.

Did you know that certain foods can actually trigger a headache? They can - because some foods contain tyramine and can bring on a headache. Foods containing tyramine are processed meats, beans, soups, nuts and many cheeses.

For people who deal with headaches, avoiding these foods can stop the cycle. With the exception of eating beans, a vegetarian diet can help eliminate headaches.

You never want to choose a diet plan solely based on how many pounds it can help you whittle off your body in the shortest amount of time. Instead, you want to look good and feel great!

You want longevity and good health with your new, trim figure. So, it's important that you base your diet plan choice on its health-benefiting traits according to what you need for your body.