Gavin Wren; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
A food policy expert who is trying a different diet each month in 2024 told Business Insider that the vegan and Mediterranean diets are his favorite so far. They were easy to follow, good value for money, and made him feel great.
Gavin Wren, who is based in the UK and shares his food policy insights on TikTok, is trying to find the way of eating that works best for him and sharing the results on social media. He judges this based on his mood and mental health on each diet, how easy it is to maintain a social life and function normally, and its value for money.
So far this year, Wren has tried veganism, UK-based weight loss company Slimming World, only eating Huel products, intermittent fasting, paleo, and the Mediterranean diet.
His overarching message to his followers is that diets aren't one size fits all, and people should experiment to find what works for them.
"We all react quite differently to these diets, and it's so subjective to how much time you've got, what you do at the weekends, if you do any sport or not, or if you love pizza or not," he said.
"The healthiest diet is a balanced one that you can maintain long term," he said in one TikTok video. This chimes with what dietitians have previously told BI, including Elena Paravantes who said it's best to make gradual changes when trying to eat more healthily.
Wren said most months of the challenge have followed a similar pattern. The first week is often quite exciting as he adjusts to a new diet, but by week two, he starts to encounter challenges in how he's feeling and how easy it is to socialize. Week three is typically where things go wrong, such as on the paleo diet when he had no energy and feelt terrible.
But this wasn't the case for veganism, as he "started feeling fantastic" in week three.
"My energy levels on the plant-based diet were fantastic, and I felt like I was recovering really well from training" for triathlons, he said.
The vegan diet was also the most cost-effective diet he's followed so far. He focused on making as many of his meals from scratch as possible, using pulses, lentils, legumes, and vegetables, rather than opting for expensive plant-based processed foods such as fake meats and cheeses.
He encountered some issues in social settings, though, because the options for pre-prepared food and takeout were limited, and friends served him animal products, which did "remove some of the fun of eating," he said in a TikTok video.
But, overall, he told BI, "I felt really good on that diet. I really enjoyed it and it was the most personally rewarding out of all of them."
Wren might enjoy some health benefits if he continues with the diet. BI previously reported on a 2017 study that found that vegans tended to have a lower body mass index, lower cholesterol levels, and lower risks of developing cancer than meat eaters.
Wren found the Mediterranean diet to be really cheap and easy to follow, since "it's largely vegetarian with lots of fresh fruit and veg," he said.
One of the most misunderstood parts of the Mediterranean diet is that it's more of a lifestyle than a diet, he said, including plenty of socializing and physical activity as well as certain foods.
The Mediterranean diet has been voted the healthiest diet for seven years in a row by the US World News & Report. And, according to a 2023 study, the Mediterranean lifestyle people who follow it are less likely to die of any cause, including from cancer and cardiovascular disease, BI previously reported.
The Mediterranean diet also appeared to be best for his mental health, he said in a TikTok video.
Importantly, though, Wren was on holiday in Italy in June when he followed the Mediterranean diet.
This meant that fresh food was easier and cheaper to source than in the UK, he worked less and exercised more, enjoyed wonderful weather by the sea, and socialized more than he would have at home.
So the positive effects may have been down to other lifestyle changes he made that month, he said in the video.
