6 Things Successful Diets Have in Common

Many diets have stood the test of time. They became popular a long time ago, but people are still doing them and still getting results. This includes, but is not limited to:

• The Mediterranean diet.
• The low-carb diet.
• The paleo diet.
• A whole-foods, plant-based diet.

People tend to focus on (and argue about) what sets these diets apart. So far, this “debate” has not been productive. Not by a long shot. Perhaps, instead of arguing, we should be focusing on all the things these diets have in common.

Chances are that these are universal laws that work across the board, and can deliver results no matter what the rest of your diet is composed of. The truth is, all the diets (or “ways of eating”) mentioned above, and all diets shown to be compatible with long-term health, do have a few important commonalities.

Here are 6 things that all successful “diets” have in common:

1. They are low in added sugar.

Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the diet. Although some people can tolerate moderate amounts of sugar without problems, most people are eating way too much. When people eat too much sugar, it overloads the liver, which is forced to turn the sugar into fat. Part of the fat gets shipped out of the liver as VLDL cholesterol, raising blood triglycerides, but some of it also remains in the liver. Sugar is believed to be a major driver of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

It has also been associated with many diseases, including some of the world’s biggest killers. This includes obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Sugar is also “empty” calories, because it supplies a large amount of energy with literally no essential nutrients. Pretty much everyone agrees that added sugar is bad. For this reason, most successful diets make it one of the main priorities to cut back on added sugar.

Read Full Article