The Ornish Diet was created by Dr. Dean Ornish, a cardiologist, to help people lose weight and improve their health status. The Ornish Diet aims to add more health-promoting foods to the diet, such as vegetables, fruit and grains, and remove those that he considers disease-producing -- foods containing cholesterol, saturated fat and oxidants. This is supposedly accomplished through a very low-fat diet that restricts all meat and high-fat dairy. The Ornish Diet is essentially a low-fat vegetarian eating plan. As with any diet, it is important to consult your doctor regarding its safety before beginning.
Allowed Foods
The Ornish Diet allows unrestricted consumption of what Dr. Ornish terms "whole foods" -- those that have not been refined and occur in their natural form. This includes most fruits, vegetables, brown rice, whole wheat sources, legumes and unprocessed soy products. His recommendation for eating is that "if you change the type of food you don't have to reduce the amount of food," and by eating foods that provide the body with healthy substances, such as antioxidants, phytochemicals and isoflavones, the quantity does not need to be measured.
Restricted Foods
Foods not allowed on the Ornish Diet are any that contain fat - either saturated or unsaturated -- and cholesterol. This includes beef, chicken, turkey, fish, whole eggs (although egg whites are allowed), any milk or dairy containing fat (fat-free dairy is allowed), oils, nuts, seeds, avocados or refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, white bread and white pasta.
Diet and Cancer
The Ornish Diet has been promoted by Dr. Ornish as being able to prevent heart disease and cancer. The diet does contain foods with naturally occurring substances that may help ward off cancer. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of the antioxidant vitamins A and C, which may help prevent the oxidation of cells, possibly leading to cancer development. High fiber foods, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, may help prevent several forms of cancer as well. These food items are the centerpieces of the Ornish Diet. According to the American Cancer Society, vegetarian diets have been linked to decreased risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, thoughal more research is needed to prove their effectiveness.
Fad Diets
The difficulty with highly restrictive fad diets is that they are hard to maintain over long periods of time. The American Heart Association, or AHA, takes the stance that a healthy, balanced diet includes a variety of foods to be able to reap the benefit of the nutrients provided in each. Variety is the spice of life, and the AHA further notes that eating -- even healthy eating to achieve weight loss --should be enjoyable. The restrictiveness of the Ornish Diet, coupled with a lack of research supporting the effectiveness of vegetarianism in helping prevent cancer, may cause the diet to fall short for being recognized as a healthy one.
References
- "Eat More, Weigh Less"; Dean Ornish, MD; 2001
- EveryDiet: Ornish Diet
- PBS: Interview Dean Ornish, MD
- American Cancer Society: Vegetarianism
- American Heart Association: Quick Weight Loss or Fad Diets
