According to Elson Haas, M.D., Director of the Preventive Medicine Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition (Celestial Arts), the following diets may prove effective for both weight loss and weight management as part of a general health maintenance program.
The Fish-Fowl-Green Vegetable Diet includes fresh ocean fish, tuna, shrimp, and trout, plus organic poultry, and green vegetables, both raw and cooked. These can be eaten in any quantity desired, within reason. One piece of fresh fruit and one cooked egg are also suggested daily. Some bran and/or psyllium can be used to support bowel function. Salad dressing should be limited to one or two tablespoons daily of vegetable oil, such as olive, with some fresh lemon juice or vinegar. If no oils are used, an essential fatty acid supplement should be taken.
Daily fluid intake should be eight to ten glasses (eight ounces) of spring or distilled water and/or herbal teas. Two glasses should be drunk first thing in the morning and then again thirty to sixty minutes before each meal. Some clear soup broths are also acceptable. “A general multivitamin should also be used daily for health insurance. Several pounds a week can be lost fairly easily with this diet even with only moderate activity, but the diet should go no longer than one or two months at the most,” says Dr.Haas.
The High-Fiber Starch Diet can be a good weight-loss plan for overweight vegetarians, especially if they avoid excessive sweets, according to Dr. Haas. “Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes, pasta, potatoes, and starchy vegetables are eaten at the beginning of a meal in order to provide bulk, thus decreasing the appetite and giving a feeling of fullness,” he explains. “These foods are relatively low-calorie foods if they do not have sauces, gravies, butter, or oil added to them.” Vegetables can also be consumed as desired, at least several cups daily. Dr. Haas also suggests a couple of pieces of fruit daily. “Dairy foods, red meats, and any fried, fatty, or refined foods should be avoided, as should sweets,” he says.
Water intake should be maintained at eight to ten glasses daily. A multivitamin can also be taken, along with some extra B 12. Care should also be taken that iron and calcium intake are adequate.These and other minerals might be supplemented though most should be found in sufficient amounts’ in this diet.
The Allergy-Rotation Diet is becoming more popular for weight loss as well as for general health, especially when there are food allergies present. Any foods shown to be a possible problem should be eliminated from the diet for one to two months, depending on the degree of sensitivity. ‘If we seem to be addicted to any foods, that is, we crave them and eat them every day, sometimes even at every meal, those foods should be completely removed from the diet for at least several weeks before testing them, although avoiding them even for only four days will allow our body to be sensitive to their true effects,” says Dr. Haas.
To desensitize to other possible food allergies, a rotating diet means setting up a four-day rotation plan. “Any food eaten on one day must be excluded from the diet for the next three days,” Dr. Haas explains. “For example, if apples, corn, or peas are eaten on Monday, we would not eat them again until Friday. Eliminating allergenic foods also reduces water retention through reduced immune reactions and secondary inflammation and may allow us to feel much better while we slim down.”
The Ideal Diet is a well-balanced diet that incorporates aspects of all the previous diets. It is a rotation diet, good for food allergies; it has a high fiber content from the whole grains and vegetables,: it is low in fat; and it contains good quality protein.– The diet is as follows:
- Early morning: one or two pieces of fruit. Breakfast: starch, such as cereal grain or potatoes
- Midmorning: snack of fruit most days and occasionally nuts or seeds
- Lunch: protein and green and other vegeta bles
- Midafternoon: snack, vegetable, or fruit
- Dinner: starch or protein with vegetable
- Evening snack: vegetable or fruit, if needed
Water should be consumed as usual, eight to ten glasses per day, mainly drunk about one hour before meals, and a basic multivitamin/mineral supplement can also be used. “Additional water and fiber and more filling low-calorie foods will help in decreasing the appetite,” Dr. Haas says. “They mu. also support good colon function, which is itfelPful to detoxification and reducing food cravings.