The Cincinnati Diet, a collaborative effort between the Jewish Hospital Weight Management Center and the "Cincinnati Enquirer," claims to help you lose weight without abstaining from your favorite Cincinnati-area restaurant foods or having to buy foods that you would not normally consume, according to the "Cincinnati Enquirer." Susan Sewell, a registered dietitian with the JHWMC, developed the program's daily meal and snack guidelines. In January 2001, the "Cincinnati Enquirer" introduced the program to its readers in four consecutive weekly editions. Today, you can participate in the program by following the diet's guidelines found on the newspaper's website.
Theory
The Cincinnati Diet's daily meal and snack plan encourages you to eat three well-balanced, low-fat meals and and one snack at predetermined times throughout the day. This method "resets" your internal hunger response, which causes you to remain satiated between meals and not experience excess hunger or the temptation to overeat, notes Sewell on the "Enquirer's" website. Additionally, the program's daily recommendation that you drink 64 oz. of water each day aids your weight-loss efforts, adds Sewell.
Methodology
To follow the dietary regimen, choose the 1,300-calorie-per-day plan if you are a sedentary or aging woman, or the program's 1,800-calorie-per-day program if you are a man or a young, active woman, according to the "Cincinnati Enquirer." Adhere to the program's sample starch, lean meat, fruit, vegetable and fat meal plans for breakfast, lunch, dinner and the after-dinner snack for the first four weeks, notes the diet website.
After you complete Phase 1 of the program, use the diet's "Limited Exchange Group Choices" to construct your own meals and snacks of recommended Cincinnati Diet foods, according to the diet website. For example, choose lean meats such as turkey breast; starch-containing carbohydrates such as bran cereal; dairy products such as cheese and oils such as butter to create your own individualized morning, midday and evening meals and nightly snacks. Remain on Phase 2 of the diet indefinitely to maintain your ideal weight, notes the "Enquirer" website.
Considerations
Although the Cincinnati Diet claims its construction conformed to the latest medical nutrition research at its time of publication, the diet website does not list which clinically proven nutritional model Sewell mimicked to formulate the program's meal portions or recommended caloric intake. Furthermore, the USDA's food plate, established in June 2011, recommends nutritional guidelines that conflict with the Cincinnati Diet's program guidelines. For example, the USDA food plate directs you to fill half of your meal or snack plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter of your plate with proteins and a quarter of your plate with grains. In contrast, under the Cincinnati Diet's 1,300- and 1,800-calorie plans, protein sources are omitted from daily breakfast choices. Additionally the diet often recommends that you eat the same amount of proteins, fruits and vegetables for lunch, dinner and your daily snack.
Warning
Speak with your doctor about how the benefits and drawbacks of the Cincinnati Diet before you begin the program. Your doctor might suggest that you follow another clinically proven diet plan that adheres to the USDA food plate and supports your individual medical condition and weight-loss objectives.
References
- "The Cincinnati Enquirer"; The Cincinnati Diet: Working the Meal Plan Structure Into Your Daily Life; Peggy O'Farrell; January 2011
- "The Cincinnati Enquirer"; The Cincinnati Diet: Following This Plan Lets You Lose Weight While Eating Regional Favorites; Peggy O'Farrell; January 2011
- "The Cincinnati Enquirer"; The Cincinnati Diet: Week One Meal Plan; January 2001
- ChooseMyPlate.gov
- CBS News; USDA Food Pyramid Out, Food Plate In; Ryan Jaslow; June 2011
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