Dr. Nicholas Perricone is a dermatologist and author of many books, including "The Wrinkle Cure," "The Perricone Prescription," "Forever Young" and "The Perricone Weight-loss Diet: A Simple 3-part Program To Lose The Fat, The Wrinkles, And The Years." His earliest books claim that healthy eating prevents and eliminates the signs of aging on your skin. Later books build on this principle to provide a diet that fights aging and promotes weight loss.
Perricone Diet Basics
According to Dr. Perricone, inflammation is responsible for aging, obesity and poor health. An anti-inflammatory diet that consists of antioxidants, omega-3 fats and protein will prevent or reverse inflammation. Perricone recommends eating wild Alaskan salmon at least five time a week and as often as twice a day. Other fish are also allowed, as are egg whites, low-fat dairy products, nuts, green vegetables, some fruits and soy products. Perricone also uses the the glycemic index to determine if foods are healthy; he recommends that only foods that score below 50 be eaten. His diet excludes foods made from flour, sugar, fruits high on the glycemic index and starchy vegetables such as potatoes.
Metabolic Miracle Diet
Introduced in "Forever Young," the Metabolic Miracle Diet is a 10-day eating plan that is "based on the consumption of the purest, most ideal form of protein, albumin from liquid egg whites." It's a simple eating plan that restricts your diet to organic egg-whites, wild salmon, fresh watercress, broccoli, berries, organic virgin coconut oil, lemons, vinegar, olive oil and fresh spring water. You eat a combination of these foods for all of your meals for 10 days. In addition, you take Perricone's special metabolic formula "nutriceutical" supplements, which are available from Perricone's website.
Pros of the Diet
The diet emphasizes nutrient-dense foods and limits sugar, saturated fats and processed, refined grains. It's a protein-rich, low-calorie, low-carb diet that encourages daily physical activity and eating to stabilize glucose levels. The plan calls for three meals and two snacks, evenly spacing food intake throughout the day. Perricone has his own list of "super-foods" high in antioxidants that fight free-radical damage and inflammation. These foods include acai, blue-green algae, wheat grass and sprouts. Staying hydrated is important; Perricone recommends that you drink at least eight glasses of water and green tea daily.
Cons of the Diet
The Perricone program requires a lot of supplementation, which can get very expensive. Some supplements can interfere with prescription medications, so it's important to talk to your doctor about possible drug interactions before beginning the diet. Because the diet encourages the consumption of so much fish, there is a risk of contamination from mercury, PCBs and other toxins. Also, according to Diet.com, "There is also very little scientific research to substantiate most of his claims regarding the anti-aging aspects of his diet."
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