The Hormone Diet is a weight loss plan based on the theory that weight gain can be controlled -- and reversed -- by getting hormone levels into balance through three phases: eliminating foods that negatively affect your hormone levels, eating foods that maintain hormonal balance, and participating in regular exercise. Developed by a leading Canadian natural health consultant, the Hormone Diet features a number of advantages; however, critics worry that the diet is not based on solid scientific evidence and emphasizes the use of too many dietary supplements to be affordable for all dieters.
Background
The Hormone Diet was developed by Natasha Turner, a Canadian naturopathic doctor and natural health consultant. According to the main Hormone Diet website, Turner based the weight loss program's guidelines on her clinical experience with clients struggling to lose weight in addition to becoming stronger and more youthful. Turner originally published the plan in her 2010 book "The Hormone Diet: Lose Fat, Gain Strength, Live Younger Longer."
Aspects
The Hormone Diet is a six-week program that is divided into three distinct phases: a detoxification phase, a hormonal balance phase and a phase that introduces a moderate exercise program. Each of the three phases lasts for two weeks. During the detoxification phase, Turner recommends a strict anti-inflammatory detoxification diet that eliminates foods that, according to Turner, disrupt healthy hormone balance: alcohol, caffeine, most types of processed foods, sugar and all artificial sweeteners. In the second phase of the program, you begin centering your daily diet on the foods thought to promote and maintain proper hormonal balance, as well as taking a variety of dietary supplements from multivitamins to probiotic supplements to intestinal cleansers. During the Hormone Diet's third phase, you begin an exercise program that incorporates two cardiovascular workouts, three strength training workouts and yoga weekly.
Recommended Foods
During the initial detoxification phase of the Hormone Diet, the only allowed foods are soy products; eggs; only gluten-free grains; all types of nuts and seeds; fish; lean meat; all vegetables with the exception of corn; any non-citrus fruit that has been neither dried or canned; nondairy milk; feta or goat cheese; and oils like canola, flaxseed, olive and avocado. During the second phase of the plan, more foods are allowed, however, the following items are still restricted: peanuts, raisins, farmed salmon, any non-organic meats, non-organic coffee, dates and any food items containing nitrites, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and refined sugars or grains.
Advantages
The Hormone Diet emphasizes fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains and recommends cutting most processed foods out of the diet. Turner provides recipes, sample meal plans and shopping lists in the book. Additionally, supporters point out that one of the Hormone Diet's biggest strengths is that it helps control stress, sleep problems and mood swings, all factors that can influence an individual's ability to successfully lose weight and keep it off.
Disadvantages
Many health professionals reject the Hormone Diet's premise that weight gain is significantly linked to hormonal imbalances; the Healthier Food Choices site reports that the fitness and diet expert Dr. Pamela Peeke says the diet's benefits cannot be scientifically proven. The initial phase of the program, the detoxification phase, may be difficult for many people to accomplish because of its restrictions on coffee, alcohol and sugar. Although exercise is included in the third phase of the Hormone Diet, some critics believe the program would be stronger if it emphasized the importance of exercise in sustainable weight loss from the beginning of the plan instead of linking weight gain almost exclusively to hormone imbalances. Additionally, the large number of supplements Turner recommends may make the plan prohibitively expensive for some dieters. And, since the program lasts only six weeks, there is the possibility that you may simply regain the weight you lost on the plan when it concludes.
