Ornish Diet

By Anna Lynn Sibal

Have you heard of the Ornish diet plan? Basically, the Ornish diet plan is a weight loss program that lets you eat as much of certain types of food as you want and still reduce your pounds. This diet plan was named after Dr. Dean Ornish, author of the books Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease and Eat More, Weigh Less.

Dr. Ornish is a renowned cardiologist. His diet plan was initially formulated to serve people with heart problems. It was geared towards removing blockages in the heart through radical changes in diet and eating habits. Since it was effective in alleviating heart disease as well as promoting weight loss in his patients, Dr. Ornish figured that others could use his diet plan. A lot of diseases, after all, could be prevented through effective weight loss.

The Ornish diet is an almost vegetarian diet. You can eat all you want in the Ornish diet, as long as these foods belong to the category that the diet plan has deemed as Eat-Freely foods. Such foods are vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Dairy falls under the category “Eat Moderately” and the sort of dairy products that you can only eat in the Ornish diet plan are those labeled non-fat or very low in fat.

On the other hand, the Ornish diet restricts the intake of meat, fish, nuts, oils and seeds. Simple carbohydrates such as sugar, honey and alcohol are also no-no’s in the Ornish diet. You may, however, eat egg whites, but not the yolk.

Dr. Ornish stresses the importance of exercise in order to make his diet plan work. Strenuous exercise is not truly necessary; you just have to get moving on a regular basis to make the Ornish diet plan take effect and help you lose weight. In the Ornish diet plan, you can also eat as much as you want, but only when you are hungry and as long as the food you are eating falls under the “Eat Freely” category.

Following the Ornish diet plan is a good way to shed off those unwanted pounds. It really does work. Moreover, it does not put too much focus on calorie counting and does not restrict the amount of food eaten just as long as the food being eaten is an Eat Freely food type.

But just like any other diet plan, the Ornish plan has a few disadvantages. For one, some people find it too restrictive because it limits the kind of food that should be eaten in following this plan. It forces the people using this diet plan to give up a lot of favorite foods, and it makes dining out a real challenge. Most importantly, the Ornish diet plan misses out on essential nutrients that can be found in fish and in meat, such as the Omega 3 fatty acid.

The Ornish plan is a good diet plan, and it can be very effective in helping you shed pounds and become healthier. Just be prepared to give up a few things in order to gain the advantages this diet plan offers.