Ornish Diet Review
What You Should Know
The Ornish Diet is an extremely low-fat program which leans toward the vegetarian model. Originally created to help reverse heart disease in at risk patients, the Ornish Diet has the added bonus of promoting weight loss by encouraging the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes while completely restricting all sources of fat.
Dr. Dean Ornish, the author of the diet program, has studied the effects of nutrition and exercise on the heart and health for over 20 years. He is a medical professor at the University of California and is president of The Preventive Medicine Research Center, as well as the author of several books on diet and heart health.
List of Ingredients
Not Applicable.
Product Features
The Ornish Diet is the creation of Dr. Dean Ornish, a renowned cardiologist and expert in preventive heart health. Originally designed to aid patients with serious heart disease, it has also attracted attention because of its potential to facilitate weight loss. The Ornish Diet follows vegetarian guidelines with the added restriction of limiting almost all fats. The program relies heavily on fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grain products, and items in the legume and bean family. Non fat dairy items are allowed occasionally; but meat, fish and poultry are to be avoided, as are all sugars, nuts and all oils. The Ornish Diet recommends daily exercise of at least 30 minutes as well as employing stress reduction techniques such as meditation or yoga. To aid with use of the plan, Dr. Ornish has written a few books, Eat More Weigh Less is the most popular. There is also a website for the consumer who would like to follow the plan online.
Advantages
- The Ornish Diet helps lower cholesterol and cut the risks of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
- There is no calorie counting with the Ornish Diet.
- When followed precisely, the Ornish Diet has been shown to lead to weight loss.
Disadvantages
- The Orinsh diet is extremely restrictive and might be difficult to stick to.
- The Ornish Diet relies on unprocessed and organic foods which can be very expensive.
- Eating small frequent meals is a must on the Ornish Diet, this may not work with some peopleĆs schedules.
- The Ornish Diet is low in fat and protein so some experts feel it may be missing essential nutrients.
Conclusion
The Ornish Diet began as a form of intervention for heart patients who were facing surgery or possibly death. Focusing on those kinds of daunting outcomes is going to be incredibly motivating to the patient considering the plan. But for someone who is looking to simply lose a bit of weight, it may be hard to work up enthusiasm for a program that is this restrictive. If the program is strictly followed it can lead to outstanding weight loss results, but very limited food choices and major lifestyle changes will be the price to consider.
