Adults living in the United States shell out approximately 40 billion dollars on diets to help them lose weight and live healthier, BusinessWeek.com reports. However, they add that very few diets work over the long haul. The Earth Diet is a diet plan that aims to boost your health by consuming natural foods produced by Mother Earth.
Background
The Earth Diet was developed by the health-conscious actress Liana Werner-Gray. She developed the diet after consuming only natural foods in the run-up to the 2009 Miss Earth competition. After her blog documenting her experience gained popularity, Werner-Gray decided to refine the plan and promote it to the masses via her website, EarthDiet.org. Werner-Gray states that sticking to the Earth Diet will reduce chronic disease risk and promote weight control.
Principles
The foundation of the Earth Diet is to consume only minimally-processed natural foods. This excludes common foods such as candy, grains, processed meats, snack foods and frozen foods. Foods recommended by the diet include beans, lean meats, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits and nuts. The diet is also free of preservatives, MSG and heavy metal toxins, including mercury in fish. Additionally, you're asked to start the Earth diet with a three-day cleanse that includes consuming lemon, ginger tea and an abundance of fresh produce.
Evidence
No studies have directly investigated the effects of the Earth Diet on health and body weight. However, the Earth Diet's principles are similar to the popular Paleolithic Diet, which also bans processed foods and only allows natural foods. Research published in the April 2009 "Cardiovascular Diabetologa" found that adopting a natural food-rich diet promoted body fat loss and improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors such as blood pressure.
Considerations
As with any new diet, check in with your doctor before trying the Earth Diet. Dietitian Susan Moore, R.D., warns against diets that include a detox or fast. She notes that detoxes aren't backed by science, don't help with weight loss or health, and may be dangerous for some people.
References
- BusinessWeek.com: The Diet Industry: A Big Fat Lie
- EarthDiet.org: Earth Diet Home
- "Cardiovascular Diabetologa"; Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study; T Jonsonn et al.; July 2009
- MSNBC.com: Experts warn of detox diet dangers
- EarthDiet.org: Liana Werner-Gray
- EarthDiet.org: Daily 365 Day Blog
