An individual's diet is the sum of food and drink that one habitually consumes. Dieting is the practice of attempting to achieve or maintain a certain weight through diet. People's dietary choices are often affected by a variety of factors, including ethical and religious beliefs, clinical need, or a desire to control weight. Not all diets are considered healthy. Some people follow unhealthy diets through habit, rather than through a conscious choice to eat unhealthily. Terms applied to such eating habits include "junk food diet" and "Western diet". Many diets are considered by clinicians to pose significant health risks and minimal long-term benefit. This is particularly true of "crash" or "fad" diets – short-term, weight-loss plans that involve drastic changes to a person's normal eating habits. Only diets covered on Wikipedia are listed under alphabetically sorted headings.
Belief-based diets Some people's dietary choices are influenced by their religious, spiritual or philosophical beliefs.
Buddhist diet: While Buddhism does not have specific dietary rules, some Buddhists practice vegetarianism based on Mahayana Buddhism's strict interpretation of the first of the Five Precepts. Hindu diet: It is popular for followers of Hinduism to follow lacto vegetarian diets (though most do not), based on the principle of ahimsa (non-harming). Consuming beef/cattle is forbidden or at least taboo among followers due to cow veneration. Most Hindus in India do intentionally limit their meat consumption one way or another. Jain diet: Due to how the Jain faith interprets ahisma, vegetarianism is considered mandatory for followers; a lacto-vegetarian diet or vegan diet in particular is considered appropriate for Jains. Most Jains also abstain from consuming root vegetables in order to prevent harming insects, worms and microorganisms when they are uprooted. Most also partake in some form of fasting. Some variants of Jainism further discourage or forbid the consumption of honey, fungi, alcoholic beverages and fermented foods. Islamic diet: Muslims follow a diet consisting solely of food that is halal – permissible in Islam. The opposite of halal is haraam, food that is Islamically impermissible. Haraam substances include carnivores, pork and other non-ruminant animals, and any meat from an animal that was not killed through the Islamic method of ritual slaughter (Dhabihah). If an otherwise Halal animal was subject to torture by humans, its meat can still be considered non-permissible for Muslims. I-tal: A set of principles that influences the diet of many members of the Rastafari movement. One principle is that natural foods should be consumed. Emphasis is put on consuming produce that is fresh, organic and ideally grown at home or locally. Another principle involves avoiding "unclean" types of food; the definition of which is influenced by Biblical teachings. In order to preserve "life energy" Rastafarians encourage teetotalism, and many Rastafarians interpret I-tal to advocate vegetarianism or veganism as well. Many followers do view seafood as an acceptable addition to an I-tal diet but they restrict which kinds they permit; fish over a foot long are typically avoided and all shellfish are eschewed as they are not kosher animals—unlike finned-fish with scales. Kosher diet: Food permissible under kashrut, the set of Jewish dietary laws, is said to be kosher. Some foods and food combinations are non-kosher, and failure to prepare food in accordance with kashrut can make otherwise permissible foods non-Kosher. Seventh-day Adventist diet: Combines the kosher food rules of Judaism with prohibitions against alcoholic beverages and (sometimes) caffeinated beverages. There is emphasis on consuming whole foods. Meat-consumption is heavily discouraged but not necessarily disallowed; about half of Adventists are lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Vegan and pescetarian diets are also more popular among Adventists compared to the general public but other Adventists are still willing to eat Kosher meats. Word of Wisdom diet: The name of a section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of scripture accepted by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dietary advice includes (1) wholesome plants "in the season thereof", (2) eating meat sparingly and only "in times of winter, or of cold, or famine", and (3) grain as the "staff of life". Unlike injunctions against tobacco, alcohol, coffee and tea—compliance with meat-avoidance has always remained optional among the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and emphasis on refraining from meat has largely been dropped. An official church publication states, "modern methods of refrigeration now make it possible to preserve meat in any season".
Calorie and weight control diets
A desire to lose weight is a common motivation to change dietary habits, as is a desire to maintain an existing weight. Many weight loss diets are considered by some to entail varying degrees of health risk, and some are not widely considered to be effective. This is especially true of "crash" or "fad" diets. Many of the diets listed below could fall into more than one subcategory. Where this is the case, it is noted in that diet's entry.
Low-calorie diets
5:2 diet: an intermittent fasting diet Intermittent fasting: Cycling between non-fasting and fasting as a method of calorie restriction. Body for Life: A calorie-control diet, promoted as part of the 12-week Body for Life program. Cookie diet: A calorie control diet in which low-fat cookies are eaten to quell hunger, often in place of a meal. The Hacker's Diet: A calorie-control diet from The Hacker's Diet by John Walker. The book suggests that the key to reaching and maintaining the desired weight is understanding and carefully monitoring calories consumed and used. Nutrisystem diet: The dietary element of the weight-loss plan from Nutrisystem, Inc. Nutrisystem distributes low-calorie meals, with specific ratios of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Weight Watchers diet: Debuting in 1961, foods are assigned point values; dieters can eat any food with a point value provided they stay within their daily point limit.
Very low calorie diets A very low calorie diet is consuming fewer than 800 calories per day. Such diets are normally followed under the supervision of a doctor. Zero-calorie diets are also included.
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