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Food Diets
An honest look at popular ways of eating — what each involves, who it suits, and what the evidence says.
What to look for
Each entry below describes what the eating pattern involves and what published research reports about it — no rankings, no endorsements. Every page ends with references linking to the original trials, position papers and clinical references so you can read the evidence yourself.
Top picks
Nine of the most widely studied eating patterns, each summarised from published sources.
Eating pattern
Mediterranean Diet
An eating pattern built around olive oil, vegetables, legumes, fish and whole grains, studied in the PREDIMED randomised trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Learn more ↗Eating pattern
DASH Diet
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — a pattern developed and tested in NIH-funded trials and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Ketogenic Diet
A very-low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet described in the National Library of Medicine’s StatPearls reference, originally developed in the 1920s for epilepsy.
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Intermittent Fasting
Time-restricted eating and alternate-day fasting, reviewed by de Cabo and Mattson in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019.
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Vegetarian & Vegan Diets
Plant-based eating patterns covered by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ published position paper.
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Paleo Diet
An eating pattern based on presumed pre-agricultural foods, assessed in a systematic review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Low-Carbohydrate Diet
Carbohydrate-restricted eating, compared head-to-head with low-fat dieting in the DIETFITS randomised trial published in JAMA.
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High-Protein Diet for Athletes
Protein intakes for training covered by the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s published position stand.
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Flexitarian Diet
A mostly-plant eating pattern with occasional meat, reviewed in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
Learn more ↗This section reports what published research says; it is general information, not medical or dietary advice. Speak to a qualified clinician or registered dietitian before making major changes, especially if you take medication or have a health condition.
