The Aztec diet is a plan that was created by Dr. Bob Arnot. It utilizes a number of weight loss approaches, but the most important is the chia seed. So is it worth a shot? You be the judge.
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The Azetec diet explained:
It is said to mirror the Aztec approach to eating which is basically a paleolithic type regime (+ grains). You eat low carb foods for the most part and drink healthy smoothies, but add in chia seeds to every meal to help curb hunger. Chia seeds are a super food and an excellent supplement to this diet. Without the chia seed, the Aztec diet is really nothing more than a standard approach to weight loss.
The basic thesis of the Aztec diet is that the current western diet is responsible for a host of terrible conditions and diseases. Not to say this hasn’t been proven/said before in other diets, but basically Dr. Arnot goes in-depth into this and how the Aztec diet and particularly the chia seed can help restore the body’s health. The whole premise of this plan is to help you detoxify your body via eating right and thus changing your eating habits to a more healthy alternative.
How it works:
There are 3 primary phases to the Aztec diet. The total length of the diet is 2 weeks.
Phase 1: The chia challenge. Meant to help the body “cleanse itself”of bad carbs. How much weight you lose in this phase varies.
Phase 2: Accelerate. You basically start eating healthy foods (listed below) and help this become your normal routine on a daily basis.
Phase 3: You are shown how to incorporate the Aztec diet into your lifestyle. This is meant to be a long term/permanent phase.
Here is a sample menu from the Aztec diet:
Quinoa, beans, chia seeds, fish, turkey, corn (questionable), bulgar (grains), and fruits.
These are the major foods which comprise the Aztec diet.
Breaking down the chia seed. Is it really that special?
It certainly is. In fact one can say the chia seed is the heart of this diet. When eaten, the chia seed is said to expand several times it’s size in your stomach, thereby helping you feel fuller, longer. It’s basically a super high satiety food, meaning, there aren’t a lot of calories in chia seeds, but it still feels like you ate a huge meal.
In addition to that, chia seeds hold excellent nutritional properties such as high concentrations of omega 3’s which greatly help with blood circulation. There are other health benefits, but in general the high satiety and omega 3’s are what define the chia seed.
In fact, most people who become interested in the Aztec diet do so because of the chia seed in the first place. In reality you can remove the entire diet, still eat the chia seeds and get results. They are expensive, but you can get for a decent price in places like Amazon.
Pros:
- Utilizes chia seeds.
- Healthy approach to weight loss.
- Endorses healthy eating and fitness lifestyle.
Cons:
- Not really that great without the chia seed.
- Chia seeds are not for everyone. If you are pregnant. nursing or taking medication for high blood pressure, consult with your doctor before taking chia seeds as they lower blood pressure.
Aztec Diet Score
2.5 stars out of 5. Good healthy diet, but difficult to adopt for life.
Aztec diet alternative:
This diet isn’t simple to do and it really just tries to use the popularity of chia seeds. However, it’s still healthy, but there are easier solutions, such as the 3 week diet, the #1 rated diet:
Why the 3 Week Diet works so well.
Is the Aztec Diet for you?
It certainly can be. But if you already have a history of not being able to stick to diets that will basically force you to commit to them, then most likely the Aztec diet will end up going the same route for you. This is actually a very good diet, founded on good intentions and healthy eating approaches, but it’s something a lot of people may have issues maintaining for the long run.
You can certainly try this diet out for short term results and see how it works out for you, and certainly you can try to do it long term. You may very well be able to do it and if that’s the case, more power to you. If not, at least try to incorporate the chia seed into your current eating regiment and stick to these principals and you should be fine. The chia seeds are what really stand out in this plan. Everything else is really…secondary.
Even though this diet got 2.5 stars, the biggest factor was it’s lack of flexibility. Everything else is pretty much solid, especially in the health department. Ideally most people want a diet that offers them short/long term solutions without really forcing them to make major changes in their life. Certainly that’s difficult to do, but one diet comes closer than any other in that regard. Here it is.
People should always strive to make the best changes possible to their health and the Aztec diet is certainly one of the many ways to make it happen, but it isn’t a quick fix. It’s a long term diet. If you are ready to commit to it, go for it. If not, here is an alternative option that’s much easier to do and doesn’t require major changes to your current lifestyle.
But I’d like to hear from you. What do you think of the Aztec diet?