Live Life Team
Dr. Dean Ornish’s best-selling diet plan detailed in his book “Eat More, Weigh Less” is based upon a very low fat vegetarian diet as part of a lifestyle plan designed to reverse the effects of heart disease.
Dr. Ornish has had significant success using diet to help reverse blockages to the heart without surgery or medications. His plan is straightforward and based heavily upon a diet rich in whole grains and fruit and vegetables. Meat, poultry, and fish are not part of the diet plan, but dieters are allowed to consume low-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt in moderation. He urges dieters to avoid avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, sugar and artificial sweeteners, alcohol, all oils such as margarine and butter, and any type of processed food that contains more than two grams of fat in each serving.
Dr. Ornish’s plan limits calories from fat to less than 10% of one’s daily allowance and he strongly encourages 30 minutes of exercise on a daily basis. He recommends frequent snacking since this particular diet plan tends to make dieters hungry more often. Unlimited consumption of beans and legumes, fruits, grains and vegetables is allowed on the plan.
Dieticians and nutritionists are generally positive about this diet plan since a vegetarian diet such as this one has been clinically proven to help prevent heart disease. The complete lack of oils in the diet, even those that are considered beneficial, concerns some nutritionists. Others in the medical community feel that this might be too radical of a lifestyle change for many dieters to stick with on a long-term basis.
