Nothing is more perplexing in the world of health and wellness than dieting. Sure, we’re told over and over that diet and exercise are the only things that truly work (and patience). Despite this, we’re still willing to listen and try every new fad diet in the hopes of finding the one that will change our lives. (This isn’t always the case.)

So we decided to clear our heads and find out for sure which popular diets are actually effective. Continue reading to learn about the 7 diets we discovered to be effective. Remember that any diet that eliminates or restricts entire food groups is not healthy. Instead, dietitians advise sticking to a whole-foods diet and eating only when you’re hungry.

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is based on the eating habits of people who live in the Mediterranean region. Fresh, non-processed foods are promoted, such as vegetables, olive oil, fish, and chicken. Processed foods, salt, red meat, and saturated fat must all be avoided.

The most obvious benefit is that the program allows for the consumption of red wine, as well as the fact that the majority of the permitted foods have been linked to the prevention of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

The 5:2 diet

The 5:2 diet, which is most popular in the UK, Australia, and Sweden, consists of two days of restricted calorie fasting followed by five days of normal eating. You can eat your normal diet of 2000 to 2500 calories for the remaining five days of the week. While there are no specific dietary restrictions, you are required to fast two days per week. You must stick to a 500-calorie-per-day diet on those days (600 calories for men).

Because you only have to change what you eat for two days out of the week, the diet is much easier to stick to than most. Fasting also has other advantages, such as lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and metabolic rate.

While fasting for two days can be just as effective as continuous calorie restriction in terms of weight loss, it can also deplete your energy and cause nutrient deficiencies. If you want to exercise, you should do so on days when you aren’t fasting.

Paleo Diet

According to the Paleo diet, modern foods have evolved much faster than our bodies, resulting in health issues. The diet encourages the consumption of foods that may have been consumed by early Paleolithic humans. Grass-fed meats, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils like coconut, avocado, olive, and walnut are all allowed on this diet. Cereal grains, legumes (including peanuts), dairy, refined sugar, refined vegetable oils, potatoes, processed foods, and salt are all prohibited.

Your diet will be cleaner, with fewer processed foods, and you’ll feel fuller for longer thanks to the high protein content. Certain nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, are deficient in the diet. Furthermore, because beans are not permitted, it can be particularly difficult for vegetarians.

Alkaline Diet

An alkaline diet consists of eating alkaline foods to maintain a pH level of 7.35 to 7.45 in your body (14.0 is pure alkaline, 7.0 is neutral, and 3.0 is acidic), while avoiding foods that become acidic when broken down. The diet claims to boost energy levels and improve memory while also preventing headaches and bloating.

Fresh fruits (including citrus), vegetables, nuts, and legumes can all be included in your diet. Wheat, pasta, meat, fish, shellfish, dairy, tea and coffee, sugar, and alcohol are all prohibited.

WW (Weight Watchers)

This diet, which was previously known as Weight Watchers, has been around for over 50 years but underwent a major rebranding in 2018. This diet employs a simplified calorie counting system that takes into account your height, age, weight, and goals.

Each food has a specific smart point value, and you are given a certain number of points per day based on your goal. While there are no major restrictions, keeping track of your food intake and the points you’re eating can be difficult.

Flexitarian Diet

The term “flexitarian diet” refers to a vegetarian diet in which 80 percent of your calories come from plants and 20 percent from animal protein. You’ll still get the health benefits of a plant-based diet—like a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—while still being able to eat the foods you love.

The Atkins Diet

For years, Atkins has been popular; even Kim Kardashian is a fan. According to Clark, “The benefit of some trendy diets is that they encourage people to refocus on their health. The only thing that all trends and lifestyles agree on is that we need to eat more vegetables!

Atkins is no different. This low-carb diet, which dates back to the 1990s, encourages you to eat plenty of lean protein, healthy fats, and low-carb, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Carbohydrate intake should be kept to a minimum on this diet. Breakfast could be an omelette, lunch could be a salad with protein, and dinner could be zucchini pasta with a lean protein. Yum!