Diet (nutrition)

Diet (nutrition)

A diet refers to the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. The word diet often implies the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons (with the two often being related). Although humans are omnivores, each culture and each person holds some food preferences or some food taboos. This may be due to personal tastes or ethical reasons.

Types of diets

There are various types of diets that individuals may follow, including:

• Vegetarian diet - This diet primarily includes plants such as vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruits, and avoids meat.
• Vegan diet - This diet excludes all animal products, including dairy, eggs, and honey.
• Low-fat diet - This diet restricts fat intake, often for weight control or for managing cholesterol levels.
• Low-carbohydrate diet - This diet restricts carbohydrate intake, often for weight control or for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
• Fasting - This involves abstaining from all or some foods or drinks for a set period of time.
• Detox diet - This diet aims to eliminate toxins from the body.

Health effects

Diet can have a significant impact on health. A healthy diet may help to prevent certain long-term (chronic) diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It may also help to reduce your risk of developing some cancers and help you to keep a healthy weight.

See also

• Nutrition
• Healthy diet
• Food group
• Dieting
• Dietary supplement

External links

• NHS Eatwell Guide

Diet (nutrition) Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? WikiMD's DocFinder can help find general and specialist physicians.	Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials.