In today’s world of billion dollar supplement companies and international health food chains, it can be difficult to find the right diet. There is so much advice floating around that the easiest thing for most people to do is exactly what they’ve been doing the whole time.

A diet is simply a meal plan that aims to improve or maintain one’s health by altering the foods they take in every day. Many people adhere to a specific diet, such as athletes, the elderly and people with medical conditions.

Here are 5 of the most popular diets:

1) Low calorie

Weight loss comes down to a simple equation: use more calories than you take in. For people looking to lose weight, a low calorie diet may be the best option.

Most people consume far too many calories, certainly more than is needed to fuel their bodies. Calories are like gasoline. They propel your body-vehicle. But if the nozzle is not controlled and too much gas is poured in, it can start to overflow, creating a dangerous situation for the driver.

Low calorie diets keep tight reins on the amount of food people can put on their plates. These diets give specific calorie levels, usually in the range of 1,250-1,500 per day. This strict measuring approach ensures that the person will not add anything extra to their body.  But make sure you eat the right foods to lose weight.

2) High protein, high carbohydrate

For people who really push their bodies day-to-day, like athletes or manual labor workers, a high protein, high carbohydrate is beneficial. Their bodies require more fuel, in the form of protein, a muscle builder, and carbohydrates, a muscle energizer.

If they do not receive enough of these nutrients, their bodies will weaken, slow and fatigue. In a single day, a high protein, high carbohydrate eater will consume around 200g of protein and 300g of carbohydrates. For people on this diet, eating a lot of protein and carbohydrates isn’t a choice. It’s a professional necessity.

3) Dairy-free

A lot of people that eat dairy products are actually allergic to them. This intolerance goes unnoticed because they put so many other unhealthy things in their bodies that they cannot determine what is causing them harm and what is harmless.

A dairy-free diet is ideal for people that cannot handle lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Dairy-free diets include lots of greens, grains, beans and fish.

4) Detox

So much of today’s food is injected with hormones, steroids and other unnatural production-agents. In order to remove these toxins from the body, people will undergo a detox diet.

Detoxes remove waste and excess from the body by introducing strict, healthy foods that help to flush out the system. A detox diet can be a shock to the system, so it should be introduced gradually and, if possible, should be designed by a professional nutritionist. Most detox diets are built on whole, raw foods like vegetables and fruits.

5) Vegetarian

A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat. It is a relatively easy diet to follow. Vegetarians boast some of the best health statistics. They tend to live longer, healthier lives than traditional meat-eaters. There are many variations of the basic vegetarian diet, but most follow the same edict: don’t eat animals.

There are as many diets out there as there are people attempting to sell them. The difficult part can be just trying to wade through the scams and misinformation. But when you do choose the right diet, it can not only make you healthier, it can make you happier as well – the truest sign of wellbeing.