While stay-at-home recommendations are easing across the country, many people are facing new weight-related healthcare concerns. Many factors, including gym closures, increased time at home cooking, anxious eating, and the closure of many outdoor spaces, haven’t helped the country’s collective waistline. Take advantage of our diet and exercise resources to educate your patients about ways to get back on track.
You’ve probably heard about the keto diet. When people talk about the “keto diet” they are usually referring to a high-fat, very low-carb diet (typically less than 50 grams of carbs daily). It works by tricking a person’s body into thinking it is fasting. This causes the body to use fat rather than carbs for energy. Anti-inflammatory diets are also growing in popularity. Despite what you might hear, there isn’t just one specific “anti-inflammatory diet.” It’s a style of eating that minimizes foods that can cause inflammation and maximizes foods that can reduce inflammation. The Mediterranean diet, the Paleo diet, and the Zone diet are all examples of anti-inflammatory diets.
While many diets have shown at least some benefit for weight loss in clinical research, moderation and individual preference should be the most important considerations when choosing a dietary strategy. Long-term adherence and weight loss maintenance are key. And make sure to discuss dietary supplement use with patients who might be considering products marketed for weight loss. Most of these supplements don't work, and many can be unsafe. We have two CE courses available that tackle research in this area - Weight Loss Supplements and Dietary and Lifestyle Interventions for Overweight and Obesity. Also make sure to review our chart on Diets and Dietary Modifications.
The information in this brief report is intended for informational purposes only, and is meant to help users better understand health concerns. This information should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Users should consult with a qualified healthcare provider for specific questions regarding therapies, diagnosis and/or health conditions, prior to making therapeutic decisions. Copyright © 2024 NatMed. Commercial distribution or reproduction prohibited. NatMed is the leading provider of high-quality, evidence-based, clinically-relevant information on natural medicine, dietary supplements, herbs, vitamins, minerals, functional foods, diets, complementary practices, CAM modalities, exercises and medical conditions. Monograph sections include interactions with herbs, drugs, foods and labs, contraindications, depletions, dosing, toxicology, adverse effects, pregnancy and lactation data, synonyms, safety and effectiveness.
