The Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minnesota, released "The Mayo Clinic Diet" in January 2010. The book is more of a lifestyle guide by editor-in-chief Donald Hensrud, chair of the Mayo Clinic's Preventive and Occupational Medicine division. The diet offers practical tips and reasonable ways to change your lifestyle to achieve a healthy weight for a lifetime.
Considerations
The diet is not a prescription for weight loss. Rather, it offers tools that you can use to individualize and customize to your own personal needs. According to editor Donald Hensrud, M.D., the diet uses the expertise of Mayo Clinic staff to create a sustainable plan that is healthy, practical and enjoyable.
Features
The diet features a two-phased approach. Part one lasts for two weeks and promises six to 10 lbs. of weight loss if you quit habits like sitting in front the television and adopt new ones like eating breakfast and increasing your intake of whole grains. Part two focuses on establishing a more gradual rate of weight loss of one to two pounds per week. The book also addresses issues such as stress, eating out and meal planning to help you maintain your weight loss.
Benefits
The diet emphasizes achieving a healthy weight, rather than obtaining a bikini-body. Physical activity in the form of simple daily activities and structured exercise is encouraged to help to retain lean muscle while burning calories and dropping weight. The diet does not encourage deprivation and offers ways to still enjoy your food while losing weight.
Types of Foods
The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes a Healthy Weight pyramid, with the base focusing on foods high in nutrition but low in calories such as fruits and vegetables. You are to eat less of the foods featured in the more narrow regions of the pyramid. These foods contain a higher calorie density and include whole grains, lean protein and dairy, unsaturated fats and some sweets.
Misconceptions
An unhealthy fad diet named after the clinic became popular before the official endorsement of the Mayo Clinic Diet. The imposter diet emphasizes grapefruit, salad and protein, while offering very little in the way of carbohydrates. The fad promised a loss of 50 pounds in 10 weeks says Every Diet. When looking up the Mayo Clinic Diet, be sure it is the one officially endorsed by the institution.
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