Popular Diets: How Healthy Are They?

Gluten free

No pasta, bread and other products containing wheat, rye or barley. But potatoes, rice, legumes, buckwheat, quinoa and millet. More and more people are swearing by a gluten-free diet. It would help against abdominal pain, fatigue, headache and all kinds of other complaints.

According to Feskens, only people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease clearly benefit from gluten-free. “Only one in a hundred people actually suffer from this condition.” It is not harmful to eat gluten-free, provided you ensure that you get enough dietary fiber to prevent constipation and B vitamins for your resistance, vision and memory. “Choose whole wheat bread made with gluten-free or gluten-free grains such as millet, teff, amaranth and oats with the gluten-free logo on the packaging. If you prefer no bread at all, eat extra legumes, vegetables, semi-skimmed or low-fat dairy products and lean meat. That way you still get enough dietary fiber and B vitamins.”

Products on the gluten-free shelf in the store are more expensive than conventional products and often contain a lot of artificial additives. A product such as bread will otherwise become hard and dry without gluten. So first consult with your doctor or dietician whether a gluten-free diet has added value for you. “Otherwise you make it unnecessarily expensive and complicated,” says Feskens.

low carb

High in fat and protein, and low in carbohydrates, is the rule of thumb for Atkins and other popular low-carb diets like Mayo and Dr. Frank. Bread, grain products, potatoes, rice and pasta are prohibited or restricted. Meat, cheese, eggs, cream, butter and mayonnaise are allowed.

People who eat low-carbohydrate usually lose weight: they consume fewer calories than normal and indicate that they are less hungry. Diabetes patients can benefit from a low-carbohydrate diet, especially if they have to lose weight. “The pancreas becomes more sensitive to the hormone insulin, which results in more favorable blood sugar levels,” says Feskens. If you also suffer from kidney failure in addition to diabetes, you have to be careful. “It is better not to eat too much protein, because that is hard on your kidneys,” she advises. “If you do opt for low-carbohydrate, have your urine tested regularly for the protein albumin. Elevated albumin levels may indicate kidney damage.”

The following also applies to every low-carb trailer: make sure you get enough dietary fiber to prevent constipation. “So eat at least 250 grams of vegetables a day,” emphasizes the nutritionist. “And don’t get too excited about meat, full-fat dairy and cheese. Too much saturated fat is bad for the heart and blood vessels; too high a salt intake can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of colon cancer.”

Vegetarian

For the environment. Because you think eating animals is pathetic. Or because it makes you feel fit. There are all kinds of reasons why people no longer want to eat meat and/or fish. It can’t be bad for your health. “In fact, anyone who consciously eats vegetarian food, with plenty of vegetables and legumes and a daily portion of dairy, does his body a great favor with that,” says Feskens. “You get all the fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals you need.”

A point of attention is vitamin B12, important for the proper functioning of the nervous system and the production of red blood cells. “In the elderly, the absorption from food is less efficient than in young people. As a result, they run a greater risk of a shortage,” explains the professor. Spread yeast extract on your bread or take a supplement, then your intake of B12 will be fine.

For vegetarians over the age of 75, it is smart to use vitamin C – which can be found in citrus fruit or fruit juice, for example – with the evening meal: this increases the absorption of iron from green leafy vegetables such as spinach, purslane and bok choy. Anemia – usually caused by iron deficiency – is quite common in this age group and can lead to hospitalizations, reduced mobility and cognitive decline.

Advice to lovers of ready-to-eat meat substitutes: make sure that there is not too much salt in it, because that is bad for your blood pressure. The Nutrition Center uses less than 1.1 grams of salt per serving as a rule of thumb.

vegan

You can also no longer eat animal products at all; so no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey or E numbers of animal origin. This is called a vegan diet. “In addition to your intake of vitamin B12 and iron, also pay attention to that of calcium, vitamin D and protein,” emphasizes Feskens. “The elderly lose muscle mass as they age. This process can be slowed down by eating extra protein. Animal protein is easier to convert into muscle tissue than vegetable protein. You therefore need to consume 30 percent more of vegetable protein for the same effect.”

Eating a lot of legumes, nuts and seeds is therefore the motto. The professor also advises vegans to take a dietary supplement and to do strength training a few times a week. The latter, in combination with the intake of sufficient protein, stimulates the production of muscle tissue, according to research by Feskens’ colleagues in Wageningen and Maastricht.

The professor advises against following a vegan diet for elderly people with a low BMI (less than 20) or recent unintentional weight loss. “Would you like to do it? Then eat a bowl of cottage cheese a few times a week for the sake of your health.”

alternate fasting

Eat very little or nothing for one to two days and eat as normal for the rest of the week. Eating less than 25 percent of what you need one day, and back to normal the next. Or only eat a few times a day. Intermittent fasting can be done in many ways and you will lose weight. “At least, if you take in less energy with your food in total than you use,” emphasizes Feskens. Researchers are not yet sure whether the lost kilos remain off after fasting.

In any case, alternating fasting seems to lower the concentration of fatty acids in your blood, and thus the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also possible that the levels of total and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol will decrease, and the muscles’ sensitivity to the hormone insulin will increase. The latter contributes to more constant blood glucose levels. “An overweight older person can fast alternately,” says Feskens. “But only do it if you are really overweight (with a BMI higher than 28), and preferably under supervision. The elderly are less able to regulate their energy balance than young people.”

If you follow this diet for more than a month, keep an eye on the days that you normally eat whether you are eating according to the Wheel of Five. Intermittent fasting is less suitable for elderly people with a BMI below 20, emphasizes Feskens. “They are less easily compensated for the energy and protein of the fasting days.”

The Pioppi Diet

There are a number of places in the world where people on average live longer than in the rest of the world. Those places are called the Blue Zones. They are usually quite remote places, where the inhabitants still lead a traditional and quiet life.

Pioppi does not officially belong to the Blue Zones, but it easily meets the criteria. The town (only two hundred inhabitants!) became famous when the British cardiologist Aseem Malhotra wrote a book about the dietary habits of the inhabitants: the Pioppi diet.

Because there is no supermarket in Pioppi, people mainly eat from their own vegetable garden. The inhabitants mainly eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, fish and olive oil. Really the classic Mediterranean diet. The people of Pioppi certainly do not eat lean: they generously pour olive oil on their salads and they also use that oil extensively for baking, they eat full-fat cheese and full-fat yogurt and they love nuts. On the other hand, they eat few snacks and snacks.

This article previously appeared in Plus Magazine November 2018. Not yet a Plus Magazine subscriber? Becoming a subscriber is done in no time!