LAURENT BANNOCK
THE HOOK: A customized diet based primarily on ancestry.
THE DIET: A familiar balance of protein, fats, and carbs, but from a detailed food list tailored to your DNA.
NO. 1 LESSON LEARNED: Each of us can find a diet that works. And it's awesome.

You can't beat having a nutritionist prescribe foods that your genes have equipped you for. If my own experience is telling, your blood profiles will improve, your body will get leaner, you'll sleep more soundly, and you'll enjoy consistently high energy levels throughout the day. That was the case when I tried this plan two years ago, and I got the same results when trying it again for this project.

Bannock has spent years refining diet strategies based on ethnicity. As our ancestors diverged around the globe, he says, their systems developed to thrive on the foods at hand. Bannock makes specific adjustments for individual circumstances—weight, allergies, activity level, etc. But for the most part, if you're of East Asian descent, your diet will look a lot like the Okinawa Program. And if you share my Irish heritage, Bannock will tell you to eliminate or dial back, among other things, chicken, tomatoes, coffee, soy products, and all dairy.

The biggest drawback: eating out. With such a long list of banned foods, it's almost impossible to find anything in a restaurant. Thankfully, Bannock is a proponent of occasional cheating.