What Is the Ornish Diet?

The Ornish Diet was developed by Dr. Dean Ornish, a cardiologist who originally sought to help cardiac patients improve their overall dietary habits. His patients experienced weight loss as a side benefit. The Ornish Diet is essentially a vegetarian diet that only allows 10 percent of your calories from fat. As a guideline, Dr. Ornish recommends a diet containing 20 percent protein and 70 percent carbohydrates, according to Diets In Review.

Ornish Diet Types

The Ornish Diet consists of two types of diets that seek to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. The Prevention Diet targets patients without heart disease, but who have cholesterol levels of 150 or higher or who have a ratio of total cholesterol to HDL lower than 3.0. The Reversal Diet is for current heart disease patients who want to reverse the disease's effects and minimize future disease risks, notes the Heart Information Network.

Diet Principles

If you follow the Ornish Diet, you'll need to eat certain foods in varying amounts. When you're hungry, fill up on unlimited quantities of fruits, vegetables, legumes and beans.

Eat in moderation non-fat dairy foods and certain commercial foods that are very low in fat. Such products may include whole-grain cereals, chips, oatmeal, soups, crackers, and non-fat dressings.

Avoid all types of meats, fish and chicken. You'll also need to stay away from seeds and nuts, along with sugar and alcohol, notes website Fat Free.

Lifestyle Changes

Besides dietary guidelines, the Ornish Diet emphasizes lifestyle changes as well. You'll need to practice stress reduction, quit smoking and integrate moderate, consistent aerobic exercise into your life. Nutritional supplements are also recommended, and you are encouraged to obtain peer support regularly, states The World's Healthiest Foods.

Effectiveness

The Ornish Diet has received recognition for its association with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. An October 2007 report from the American Dietetic Association compared components of 10 popular diet plans. The Alternate Healthy Eating Index measured diet factors associated with reduction of heart disease risk. Data was taken from meal plans in the diets' books or websites, and based on this information, the Ornish Diet recorded the top score---64.6 out of 70 points.

Nutrition Considerations

The Ornish Diet has raised concerns about its nutritional components. The diet doesn't include fish, which is usually recommended for reducing heart disease risk. Very low-fat meals can leave you unsatisfied and hungry, raising the possibility that you will overeat the diet foods. Because the program is so different than most Americans' diets, the chance dieters would adhere to the plan over the long term is low, states website Holistic Online.