ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses many of the diets that are popular currently. These diets include many that can be described as healthy as they include a variety of different foods known to provide high quantities of health-promoting nutrients. Less healthy diets, though popular, often eliminate food groups and may not have adequate research on long-term adherence. The pros and cons of these dietary patterns are described in an effort to educate the patient. Dietary patterns discussed include DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), Mediterranean, MIND (Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), Nordic, USDA Healthy Eating Index, vegetarian, prudent, Asian, Western, ketogenic, and paleolithic diets. A discussion of the various dietary patterns and disease risks is included. Often patients are concerned with eco-friendly and sustainable dietary patterns which are also considered in this chapter. It is important to choose dietary patterns that focus on improving health, in particular cardiovascular disease risk, diabetes, and obesity, all of which impose economic burdens across the population. The focus on healthy dietary patterns needs to begin in childhood since the impact on adulthood tends to be carried over. A short discussion of meal patterns is included since there are those who believe that the timing of meals also impacts health. Hopefully, this chapter will help to better define options for diets that serve to improve health and longevity to promote a better quality of life for individuals.
