They shout at you from your television and store shelves. Eat whatever you want and still lose weight! Or Lose 10 pounds in 10 days! There are a lot of diets waiting to bombard you with many fabulous promises. But is there any truth to these claims? Here we break down some of the most popular diets out there.

COMBINATION DIETS
Combination diets usually promise that you can eat whatever you want, so long as you only eat foods in certain combinations and don’t eat foods in other combinations—for example, you can eat bread with vegetables, just don’t eat bread at the same time as meat.

DOES IT WORK?
Our bodies are good at doing their job, and they’re not so easily fooled. The theory that certain foods are digested at different speeds, keeping some foods from being turned into fat, simply isn’t true. Additionally, these diets are usually very high in fat. They’re preferable to some diets, in that they allow for more kinds of foods to be eaten, but the difficulty of keeping track of which foods you can eat in what combinations all but guarantees that you won’t be able to stay on this diet for long.

“GOOD FOOD, BAD FOOD” DIETS
Diets that judge foods as good or bad usually have some very simple principles behind them: the fatty, calorie-dense foods we enjoy are usually on the bad list, and the healthy foods that garner less enthusiasm end up on the good list.

DOES IT WORK?
At first, this method might work. You’re limiting what foods are acceptable to eat, so you’re eating fewer calories overall, and at first you might succeed in eating healthier just by sticking to the good list. But as everyone knows, telling someone what they can’t have only makes them want it more, making this diet incredibly hard to stick to. Besides, you probably already know which foods you should eat more and less of. And with diabetes, you’ve already got enough restrictions and rules to work around—why add more?

LOW CARB DIETS
Low carb diets have gained incredible popularity over the last few years and are highly controversial within the diabetes community. This diet encourages extreme limits on the amount of carbohydrates you eat, often replacing them with high-protein foods. This is supposed to help fight everything from weight gain to insulin resistance.

DOES IT WORK?
Villainizing any kind of food is dangerous, and pinning the blame on carbohydrates is just silly. Carbohydrates are essential—there are some parts of the body that only get energy from them, like the brain. This kind of diet does cause water loss, making the apparent weight loss seem more immediate and efficient. It also limits many foods normally available, including vegetables, fruits and whole grains, making it hard to stick with.

SO WHAT WORKS?
Weight loss is achieved by burning more calories than consumed, which is rather lucky—it’s such an easy formula to remember. A steady, balanced diet that incorporates all food groups will bring you the most success in your quest for weight loss and glucose control. Not only is this balanced approach healthier, but you’ll enjoy food more and have more fun—no deprivation required.

MORE GREAT WEIGHT LOSS TECHNIQUES FROM NESTEA®

• Eat breakfast
• Get moving—at least 30 minutes every day
• Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day
• Control portion sizes
• Get 7–8 hours of sleep every night