Today’s article is going to review the Eat to Live book and how serious it’s advice is for real life.
As always we are always trying to stay on top of all the programs available and popular on the market for losing weight and keeping it off.
High calorie, low calorie, carb free or loaded with carbs, the choices are overwhelming but in a way that is a good thing because everybody’s bodies are different.
I know you have heard the following saying over and over and that would be because it is true, but here it is anyway: “What works for one person may not work for another”
That being said maybe this diet program may be the one that does it for you so let’s go take a look at what it is, where it came from and whether or not it is safe to use.
Contents
What is the Eat to Live program?
This is a 6-week program that stresses high protein foods and low calorie counts.
The program boasts not only weight loss and maintenance it also claims better cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure (DASH is also good for this), and a healthier heart.
This program is meat and dairy free for the first six weeks and is low on sugar and carbohydrates and oils.
This does not seem to leave much left when you first read that but in reality, there are plenty of foods allowed with this program.
Where did this diet come from?
The program was designed from a book written by Dr. Joel Furmen back in 2003 so it has been around for quite a while and built up a pretty good track record of good reviews.
It is called a nutritarian diet by the author as he claims by eating more of the right foods you will never feel hungry while losing weight. It is more of an eating pattern than an actual diet.
It is a combination of a cookbook and a diet plan similar to the South Beach diet in that it stresses you must follow a lifestyle change to achieve the results you are looking for.
How does this plan work?
It is a 6-week eating plan that will allow you to eat all kinds of different foods. The following may be eaten in unlimited quantities:
- Raw veggies.
- 4 or more servings a day of fresh fruit.
- 1 cup minimum of any style beans.
- Steamed or cooked veggies of any style, mushrooms, onions, green beans, carrots, and the likes.
The following may be eaten in limited quantities:
- 1 tablespoon a day of flaxseed.
- Half an avocado.
- 1 ounce a day of seeds and raw nuts.
- 1 cup of starchy veggies.
- 1 cup of whole grain.
What is not allowed on this diet for the first 6 weeks:
- Any processed foods.
- Any oils (high fat ones are best).
- Any animal meats.
- Any dairy products.
- No snacking between meals is allowed.
- No alcohol.
After the first 6 weeks, you may reintroduce in small amounts the restricted foods in the list above excluding the processed food. These should be avoided forever.
Many people continue on with the established eating plan one weened off the restricted foods.
Keep in mind if you follow this path you must introduce a good daily multivitamin to ensure you are getting the proper amount of vitamins per day that you may have previously gotten from the dairy and meat products.
Is this a safe diet and is there anything to watch out for when using it?
All very good questions to be asking and in doing research on this program we did find some concerns to discuss.
While most people end up bouncing from diet to diet by tackling this one you must make major lifestyle changes and when you do this you tend to get a whole new outlook on eating and that is the goal of this diet program but you must also be careful when you are modifying your whole food intake.
This diet promises a quick way to lose 20 pounds (six weeks maximum time frame) but it is not a diet for the long haul.
The food and drug administration has daily calorie and nutrient requirements for people and this diet will come up short on meeting these requirements.
While most nutritionists and even the FDA are gearing people toward a more plant-based diet as being the way to go this diet is way too restrictive for using long term.
You can modify it after you finish the program by adding some of the restricted foods or you can keep it purely vegan and pair it with a good multivitamin this diet and then it would meet your nutritional needs.
Also worth noting is people dealing with any kind of bowel issues may have a hard time with all of the fruits and beans and even with some of the vegetables that are required eating in this diet.
One last thing is the cost and time required for meal prep.
It does run a bit higher for the food costs than your average meal and it does require a bit more time in preparation, but we feel it is worth the health benefits you will experience.
Our Word…
We are going to call this diet a vegan diet if ever one existed and we are going to give it a big thumbs up with conditions.
It is important to have an open mind and give yourself the whole 6-week program to adjust your body to a new way of eating and that can sometimes be very difficult, especially if your diet is heavily meat and dairy.
Let your body react and give your taste buds a chance to try this and you may be surprised just how fun this kind of eating can be!
There you have it!
We hope we reviewed this diet plan in a way that both answers your questions and gets you familiar with what it is all about.
We know there are always more questions so please feel free to leave any you may have or just leave us a comment below in the comments section!
Happy dieting!