Pritikin Diet Plan Review
What Is The Pritikin Diet?
The Pritikin Diet is a low fat diet that is primarily based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains making it a mostly vegetarian diet. The diet was originally created by Nathan Pritikin in his efforts to improve his cardiovascular health but it has also been proven to help with weight loss.
When following the Pritikin Diet you will eat around six small meals a day rather than a smaller number of larger meals. The diet cuts out foods such as white bread, pasta, instant rice, eggs and most fats and replaces them with food that are low in cholesterol and high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
What Can You Eat On The Pritikin Diet?
Since the Pritikin Diet follows the basic principal that weight loss is achieved by eating fewer calories than you burn each day the recommended foods are all low in fat and therefore contain fewer calories. The preferred foods include brown rice, barley, oats, onions, potatoes, apples, pears, strawberrys and bananas. Some processed whole grain foods such as oatmeal or white flour pasta can be acceptable provided that they are combined with vegetables to bring down the total number of calories in the meal. You can also eat small portions of lean beef, chicken, fish and low fat dairy products.
You are limited to just one beverage containing caffeine a day but as an alternative decaffeinated tea is acceptable. Alcohol must be consumed in moderation, if at all. Since it is a mainly vegetarian diet meat lovers may find it restrictive.
Pros of the Pritikin Diet
- Encourages healthy food combinations such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
- Proven to help with weight loss.
- Long-term health benefits including improved heart health.
Cons of the Pritikin Diet
- Low fat diets can often leave you feeling unsatisfied and hungry.
- Many people will find that the diets restricts what they can eat too much.
- Can be inconvinient for people that enjoy dining out.
Conclusion
Many people may find the Pritikin Diet very challenging since it can leave them feeling hungry and unsatisfied after a meal. There is very little dispute that the diet is very effective at helping to lose weight and provides many long-term health benefits, but after ceasing to adhere to the diet the likelihood of putting weight back on can be quite high.
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