The UltraSimple diet, developed by Mark Hyman, M.D., is a diet plan to lose weight and revitalize the body. Hyman, medical director of the UltraWellness Center in Massachusetts, emphasizes nutritional medicine as a systems or functional medicine approach. This means that core systems of the body are viewed as functional systems within an ecological or environmental context, states Hyman's UltraWellnessCenter.com website. This diet lasts seven days and has specific instructions about food and exercises for each day.
Toxicity and Inflammation
According to Hyman, the culprits leading to weight gain and/or the inability to lose weight are toxicity and inflammation in the body, according to DietsInReview.com. However, eliminating cumulative toxins can help you lose up to 10 lbs. in seven days, claims Hyman's official website. The theory is that the body can heal itself once foods that are defined as inflammatory or toxic according to this diet are avoided. For example, inflammatory foods might include beef, pork, and all flour products, while foods with high allergy potential, such as dairy and peanuts, may produce toxic reactions in the body. The detoxification process supposedly helps reduce inflammation, which, in turn, helps with losing weight, explains DietSpotlight.com.
Program
This diet is highly restrictive in that certain foods that are readily available -- such as caffeine, junk and fast foods, sugar and processed foods -- are not allowed. The program involves consuming three meals as well as frequent snacks per day, so that food is ingested approximately every three hours. Also, relaxation techniques to reduce stress as well as journal writing are recommended as part of a holistic approach.
Negative Foods
This diet is specific about what you need to eliminate from your diet. This includes alcohol, caffeine, citrus fruits, dairy products, fast foods, hydrogenated or trans fats, junk foods, processed and refined carbohydrates and sugar. Dairy, eggs, gluten, peanuts and yeast are identified as negative foods which can also be eliminated from the diet because they are common food allergens. Other foods that are eliminated due to their inflammatory potential include beef, pork, lamb, all flour products and all processed products, according to the American Dietetic Association.
Positive Foods
A sample of foods to be added are beans, brown rice, fish, lean white-meat chicken, fresh vegetables, non-citrus fruits, nuts, seeds, tofu and vegetable broth. Organic foods should be eaten when possible to avoid pesticides and toxins; also, between six to eight glasses of filtered water should be drunk each day to aid in flushing toxins from the body.
Meals
The meals are the same for all seven days, according to the American Dietetic Association. In the morning, you'll have green tea, lemon juice, Protein UltraShake for breakfast and UltraBroth and UltraShake mid-morning. For lunch, you'll eat 2 cups steamed vegetables with 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of fruit or berries and an UltraShake. In the mid-afternoon, you'll drink UltraBroth and UltraShake. At dinner, you'll eat 4 to 6 oz. of lean fish, chicken or tofu or legumes, 2 cups steamed or sauteed vegetables with1/2 cup brown rice and UltraBroth.
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