If you’ve been doing some reading on different ways to lose weight, you’ll inevitably have heard someone say you need to cut carbs from your diet. And while that is true, it doesn’t mean ‘COMPLETELY’. There are actually many ‘good’ carbs you can still consume once or twice per week without fear of failing your diet. It is important to understand and separate the bad carbs (refined pasta, white breat are two good examples) from the good ones (fruit, whole grain, vegetables, fish, etc). Not only are good carbs helpful for weight loss, they give your body a selection of important nutrients to enhance metabolism and also keep you feeling fed longer after having them.

What you should be looking for are diets that provide an optimal balance of protein, vitamins and ‘good’ carbs. That way your body will really change and will start burning through fat at a quicker rate. As a rule of thumb, you should be looking at getting around 40-50% of your calorie intake from ‘good’ carbs, 20-30% from foods that are high in protein, and another 20-30% of healthy fats.

Let us analyze 3 proven diets that will satisfy your natural need for carbs, while allowing you to also lose weight in the process.

The Mediterranean Style Eating Plan

This diet is a great choice for anyone who wants to lose weight but is prepared to do it in a gradual fashion, over a longer period of time. This is perfect if you’re looking for a diet that isn’t extremely restrictive and still allows you to enjoy fulfilling meals. The way it works is it combines foods that check each food group to provide you with the vitamins, nutrients, healthy fats and ‘good’ carbs your body needs. The list includes veggies and fruit, fish and white meat, red wine, cheese, nuts, poultry, herbs, spices and of course whole grains. As you can see it isn’t incredibly restrictive, you can still eat a lot of the things you like, and you can also have the occasional sweet desert or snack. Just don’t over do it.

The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet

Created by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through it’s ‘National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’, the Dash diet will focus on keeping your blood pressure in check at all times through an appropriate diet. This is achieved by ingesting a good amount of calcium, potassium and of course protein and fiber in your regular meals, to successfully fight off hypertension. And obviously, it also works great for losing weight. With the DASH you are encouraged to avoid foods with added sugar, foods that are high in sodium and also red meat. Instead, focus on fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, protein and whole grain products.

The Mostly Vegetarian Diet

Think of it of a vegetarian died that you get to cheat on once in a while. You basically eat mostly vegetarian but sometimes still indulge in the odd steak, hamburger or barbecue. To achieve this, focus on mostly eating fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods and dairy products. Then also consume good alternatives to meats like tofu, seeds, beans, lentils, peas and nuts. Once or twice a month, you can still have a meat based meal as long as it’s within reason. This way you’ll lose weight at a decent rate, you’ll be able to satisfy your meet cravings from time to time and also avoid having the lower BMI which usually occurs in regular vegetarians.

As you may have realized it already, the key is to have a good balance. To understand which are the good carbs and which are the bad that need avoiding. Have a good combination of these nutrients and your diet will make you healthier, thinner, more confident without having to starve yourself or completely give up some foods completely.