The Standard Process Diet is a combination of natural foods and diet supplements promoted by whole food supplement supplier Standard Process. The program emphasizes raw foods and organic meats, and observes the same guidelines for healthful eating as recommended by the Harvard School of Public Health's new food pyramid.
Vegetables
Eating vegetables in great abundance is a core feature of the Standard Process Diet. The diet allows unlimited amounts of approved vegetables, though it recommends against dried or canned veggies. They recommend eating at least half of your veggies raw. Their list of approved vegetables is long and comprehensive. Some representative examples include artichokes, bean sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, spinach and Romaine lettuce.
Oils
Unlike the USDA food pyramid, the Standard Process Diet draws a distinction between unhealthy oils and essential dietary oils. The diet recommends 4 to 7 tsp of essential oils per day, including plant oils and excluding animal fats. According to Walter Willett in "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy," these oils contribute to circulatory health by producing healthy HDL cholesterol.
Water
Like many diets, Standard Process recommends drinking water, which contributes by helping clean out toxins and making portion control easier. The Standard Process diet goes further than many by specifically recommending at least one 8-oz serving of spring water per day.
Fruit
Standard Process is fruit-friendly, but recommends eating half as many servings of fruit as you do vegetables. This is because fruits are significantly higher in calories than most veggies. As with the veggies, the Standard Process list of permitted fruits is long and varied. Some examples include apples, avocados, bananas, berries, figs, tomatoes and pomegranates.
Carbohydrates
The Standard Process Diet is decidedly low-carb, recommending only 1/2 cup to 1 cup of carbohydrates per day. They specifically list only lentils, wild rice and brown rice as permitted sources, and list lentils as a superior choice to the rice.
Protein
An 11-day purification period is part of the Standard Process program, during which you are encouraged to eat no protein not part of the fruits and veggies lists. After the purification, they recommend two to four servings of fish or lean meat per day, with at least half of your meat coming from fish. They also recommend taking protein supplements, specifically recommending their branded Whey Pro Complete.
References
- Standard Process Diet: Program Diet
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett MD, et al; 2006
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