Below is an excerpt from Precision Nutrition’s article “Paleo, vegan, intermittent fasting… what’s the best diet?”:

There are so many diets out there – paleo, plant-based, no-carb, gluten-free – but how can all these different diets actually work?

How can such wildly different nutrition programs all lead to positive results?

They’re not as different as you might think.

Most effective nutrition programs are more similar than different.

When done properly, Paleo diets, plant-based diets, high carb diets, low carb diets, eating small meals frequently, eating larger meals infrequently, etc. all accomplish the following:

 

 
1. THEY RAISE NUTRITION AWARENESS AND ATTENTION.

2. THEY FOCUS ON FOOD QUALITY.

3. THEY HELP ELIMINATE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES.

4. THEY HELP CONTROL APPETITE AND FOOD INTAKE.

5. THEY PROMOTE REGULAR EXERCISE.

Different well-designed dietary philosophies – even when they seem oppositional and antagonistic on the surface – can all promote good health, body composition, and longevity.

Which is why …
Choosing a single diet camp makes no sense.
1. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS ONE, UNIVERSAL “BEST” DIET.

2. MOST POPULAR DIETS ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.

3. COACHES SHOULD NEVER LOCK INTO A SINGLE PHILOSOPHY.

4. HABIT-BASED COACHING IS BETTER THAN DIET-BASED COACHING ANYWAY.

Read more about Precision Nutrition’s philosophy on dieting here.