Very Low-Fat Diets for Weight Loss
The Life Choice Diet
Author Dean Ornish, MD, suggests people make lifetime changes that include very low-fat eating habits, exercise, and stress management.
Basic concept
Ornish promotes low-fat vegetarian eating to reverse or prevent heart disease. Exercising and managing stress are equally important in this lifestyle program.
How it works
There are two versions of the Life Choice Diet. The "reversal diet" is for people who have diagnosed heart disease or high cholesterol levels. Because you are trying to reverse damage to your body, you must follow strict guidelines. The "prevention diet" is less structured. You still eat a diet very low in fat, but you have more flexibility in what you can eat.
Guidelines for both versions of Ornish's diet include eating a vegetarian diet high in complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in their natural forms). About 10% of your calories come from fat in the reversal diet. You may have more fat in the prevention diet as long as your weight or your cholesterol levels don't begin to rise. Oils are limited to 3 teaspoons a day. Mostly, you eat foods that have less than 3 grams of fat per serving, and stay away from saturated fat and sugar.
On the menu
- High-fiber grains, legumes (beans and peas)
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nonfat dairy products
- Egg whites
- Small amounts of alcohol
Off the menu
- Meat and all animal products
- Caffeine
- Nuts, seeds, olives
- Chocolate, coconut
- Avocado
- Oils, except for small amounts of canola oil for cooking
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: February 23, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Diabetes Educator | |
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| Topic Contents | |
| Overview | |
 | The Life Choice Diet |
| Pritikin | |
| Related Information | |
| Credits | |