The Mayo Clinic diet is a protocol designed for people who have attempted different diets in the past. The goal is to encourage healthy, permanent lifestyle changes that result in significant weight loss. The program is a two-phase protocol designed for anyone. It involves following dietary recommendations developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture along with exercise most days of the week. Those who succeed in losing weight can lower blood pressure levels, reduce cholesterol and improve overall heart health.
Diet Overview
The Mayo Clinic diet has two phases. The first phase involves losing excess fat and the second phase teaches you how to maintain that weight loss and continue dropping 1 to 2 lbs. a week until you reach a weight appropriate for your height, age and sex. Your goal is to choose low-calorie foods that make you feel full longer, including fruits, vegetables, lean protein and dairy, heart-healthy fats and grains. The diet also encourages you do be as active as possible by doing physically challenging chores, like mopping and dusting, as well as regular physical activities like going to the gym most days of the week or biking, swimming or walking.
Steps to Improving Heart Health
Following the Mayo Clinic diet can improve your heart health in two ways: through diet and exercise. Eliminating unhealthy fats and lowering your sodium intake reduces your chances of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other chronic illnesses that can lead to cardiovascular disease. Regular exercise strengthens the heart muscle and also reduces your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
Diet Benefits
Eliminating saturated and trans fats are key components to reducing blood cholesterol levels and coronary artery disease risk. Saturated fats should make up less than 7 percent of your total calories and trans fats should make up less than 1 percent. You should also stick to foods with less than 300 mg of cholesterol. You should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber while being low in calories. Fiber will make you feel full longer. The Mayo Clinic reports that substances in fruits and vegetables may help prevent heart disease. Eating more of these foods may also help to limit your intake of snack foods and other high-fat, high-calorie foods. Eating whole-grain foods helps regulate blood pressure.
Updates
The Mayo Clinic diet was based on MyPyramid, a healthy-eating guideline developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1992 and revised in 2005. In 2011, the food pyramid was replaced by ChooseMyPlate. The new symbol, the image of a plate divided into four categories, including fruits, grains, proteins and vegetables, along with a smaller side dish for dairy, is meant to untangle the confusion of a multitiered pyramid that attempted to communicate several ideas at once. MyPyramid was developed, in part, to be consistent with expert recommendations for controlling diseases including obesity, heart disease, stroke and hypertension, according to a 2011 report published by the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." The recommendations, which extend to the new ChooseMyPlate campaign, are similar to those endorsed by the American Heart Association and the National Committee on High Blood Pressure.
References
- MayoClinic.com; The Mayo Clinic Diet: A Weight-Loss Program for Life; April 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease; March 2011
- "U.S. News & World Report"; Why the Mayo Clinic Diet Includes Quick Weight Loss; Katherine Hobson; January 2010
- Tulsa World; Farewell Food Pyramid: USDA Updates Nutrition Guide with New Icon; Shannon Muchmore; June 2011
- MSNBC.com; Food Pyramid Dumped for 'My Plate'; Mary Clare Jalonick; June 2011
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; How Does MyPyramid Compare to Other Population-Based Recommendations for Controlling Chronic Disease?; Susan M. Krebs-Smith; May 2007
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