Popular diets like the keto and paleo aren't good for your heart, a survey claims

Analysis of different foods has given lower numbers to some of the most popular foods to steer away from healthy eating guidelines for the heart.

Ketogenic and Paleo diets may be trendy, but they won't benefit your heart," says a report by the American Heart Association, which analyzed many popular foods and ranked them based on their impact on heart health. The authors of the report aimed to combat the widespread dissemination of inaccurate information about nutrition on social media platforms, including food books, blogs, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, where posts promoting Keto and Paleo diets have increased in recent years. The quantity of false information about nutrition spreading on social media platforms has allegedly reached a "tipping point," according to Christopher D. Gardner, head of nutrition research at the Stanford Prevention Research Centre and chair of the group that prepared the paper. More specifically, he said that "many laypeople and healthcare professionals may be confused about healthy eating, and unnecessarily so." He said, "Many individuals think they don't have the time or knowledge to evaluate the crucial aspects of various cuisines.

Ranking diets for heart health

The classification of food for heart health was published in a circulation journal on Thursday by a team of nutrition scientists, cardiologists, dietitians, and other health experts who analyzed various food samples. To estimate the nutritional value of food for heart health, it was evaluated how closely they adhere to guiding principles of healthy eating, which are based on evidence from numerous randomized controlled trials, epidemiological studies of infectious diseases, and other research. The report also considered factors such as whether the food allows for flexibility, so that people can prepare it based on their cultural and personal preferences and budget. The American Heart Association's guidelines include recommendations for different types of fruits and vegetables, whole grains like brown rice, bulgur, and steel-cut oats, lean cuts of meat, olive oil, vegetable oils, and seafood as healthy sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids for heart health. The group recommends limiting foods that are high in salt, sugar, heavily processed or made with white flour, and other unhealthy ingredients. These consist of soft beverages, white goods including cold cuts, hot dogs, and spaghetti, as well as cookies, cakes, and pastries. As far as alcohol is concerned, there is evidence that it provides heart benefits. The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not drink should not start, but those who do should not exceed moderate amounts.

Popular low-carb diets scored lowest

The low-carb diet scored the lowest according to the Heart Association, using a scale of 0 to 100. Some cowardly foods that are commonly used on social media received high scores, including extremely low-carb diets such as Atkins and Ketogenic diets (31 points) and Paleo diet (53 points). To follow this kind of diet, it is generally necessary to limit your daily calorie intake to less than 10% of your carbohydrates. The diet is promoted for weight loss on a large scale and endorsed by many celebrities. "People are very afraid of carbs, and this is one of the things you see on Instagram -- that carbs are bad," said Lisa Young, a nutrition expert at New York University who was left out of the study. "But this is misinformation. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans are good for you - these are healthy carbohydrates. They are the foundation of a healthy diet." The report states that there are some beneficial properties in Atkins and Ketogenic diets: they limit sugar and refined grains, for example, and encourage the use of non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens, and cauliflower. However, they often require limiting many "healthy" carbohydrates that the Heart Association's dietary principles recommend.

Colette Heimowitz, Vice President of Nutrition and Education at Atkins, has stated that a new report on the Atkins diet failed to properly convey the diet's food recommendations, which include three different levels of carbohydrate limits. One approach, which is frequently used as a temporary weight-loss foundation, only permits 20 grammes of carbs each day. Another version of Atkins allows for 40 grams of carbohydrates per day, and a third approach permits people to eat up to 100 grams of carbohydrates per day, including small amounts of fruit, starchy vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. It is obvious that Americans interpret their carbohydrate consumption differently, according to Heimowitz. "Therefore, an Atkins-style diet that focuses on carbohydrates has never been more relevant."

The four winning heart diets

"Heart Association" gave the DASH diet pattern, which stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension", the highest score of 100, meaning "nutritional point of view to prevent high blood pressure". The DASH diet was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Health in the 1990s and has been endorsed by doctors, nutrition experts, and other food experts on a large scale. However, it is not entirely ineffective among famous personalities and social media users. The diet emphasizes on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and low-fat dairy, while people are encouraged to limit salt, meat with high fat, excess sugar, and better quantity of anaj (grain). The DASH diet was grouped with the DASH-Sodium diet and three other high-scoring individuals into a group called "Tier 1" by the Heart Association. Other individuals in the Tier 1 group included the "Pesco-Mediterranean Diet" (92 points), the "Mediterranean Diet" (89 points), and the "Vegetarian Diet" (86 points).

Although there are small differences in these diets, they share some common denominators - promoting fresh produce, whole grains, fruits, and other plants, and supporting overall healthy eating. The pescatarian diet is similar to a vegetarian diet but allows for seafood. The Mediterranean diet promotes moderate wine consumption, while the DASH diet allows for alcohol but does not emphasize it as a health booster. According to Gardner, "the bottom line is that they're all good and very consistent with heart-healthy eating."

Vegan and low-fat diets

The report emphasized that food decisions were made based on how they are followed, not necessarily on how some people adhere to them or explain them. For example, a vegetarian can drink Coca Cola for breakfast without meat and eat potato chips and McDonald's egg McMuffin, and Gardner said that this is vegetarian food, but it is not necessarily a healthy vegetarian diet. They said, "It's not in our minds when we say people should act on plant-based food." These research have shown that individuals frequently pursue food in the wrong way: they do so on the basis of false information. Two more food sample values were included in the report. Because they promote the intake of fiber-rich plants, fruits, and vegetables while restricting the consumption of sugary meals and alcoholic beverages, vegetarian and low-cholesterol foods were classified in the second level. However, the report indicates that they are somewhat limited and can be difficult for many people to follow. Vegetarian food, in particular, can increase the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and other problems.

The third tier of the food score obtained the second lowest range. This group includes low-carb approaches such as South Beach and Zone Diets, which limit carbohydrates to 30-40% of daily calories, as well as low-fat meal plans such as Ornish, Esselstyn, and Pritikin Programs, which limit fat. Daily calories are also used less than 10%. The report stated that these foods receive a low score because they limit or eliminate multiple healthy foods. For example, people who eat low-carb foods eat low-fiber and highly processed chicken, while people who eat very low-fat foods need to reduce all types of fat, including healthy Unsaturated fats are present in nuts, avocados, and olive oil. Despite giving some foods a low score, the report found that there are four positive things that are common in all foods of every tier: they encourage people to eat whole foods, more starchy vegetables, less added sugar, and less refined grains. Every healthy eater will be far ahead if we can get Americans ready to do these four things, according to Gardner.