The best diet is one that you will follow and enjoy in the days, months, and years ahead. Improving your health and incorporating these changes as new habits is part nutrition and part psychology. There are many diets and programs that can deliver results, but what has worked best for me is keeping it simple and focusing on what I can add to my diet to make it more nourishing instead of focusing on restricting calories or specific categories of food. It’s true that you need to be eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight, but I believe you can eliminate your calorie surplus by focusing on adding more nutritious things to your diet.
Produce
Most American’s do not eat enough produce which is a shame. Produce is generally high in fiber and nutrients which make it filling, but it is low in calories. The best place to start developing healthier habits is adding more produce to your diet. How much produce should you eat? Eating 5 servings a day, instead of 2, has been shown to reduce the risk of death from any cause by 13% [1]. Eating 500g of produce a day had a 22% reduction in mortality [2]. If your goal is to lose weight, the 800g Challenge is a great way to lose weight by focusing on adding fruits and produce that you enjoy eating. There seem to be several variation of the 800g challenge now and lots of ebooks to buy, but the general principles outlined on 4BFit capture the essentials.
Bottom Line: Try to eat between 500g and 800g of produce per day.
Protein
Protein is essential fuel for your muscles and is key to building your strength. Protein is also very satiating. As a macro, try to eat a minimum 0.7g of protein per lb that you weigh. A 200lb man should eat at least 140g of Protein per day. If your goal is to build muscle, you should consider increasing to 1g of protein per lb that you weigh.
References
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/how-many-fruits-and-vegetables-do-we-really-need
[2] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/servings-of-vegetables-per-day