1. Premise of the Shangri-La Diet
The Shangri-La Diet was designed by an assistant professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley by the name of Seth Roberts. Dr. Roberts theorized that the metabolic rate is based on a set point and can be traced back to prehistoric time. Along with that he explains in his book that according to medical terms, set point is a plateau or a saturation point within the body's metabolism which occurs naturally.
2. The Shangri-La Diet and the Connection of the Set Point Theory
The Shangri-La Diet is based primarily on lowering the set point of your body's metabolism, in order to loose or maintain weight. The Shangri-La Diet is in theory quite probable, meaning that during feast or famine times, the body adjusts the metabolism accordingly. When food is plentiful, you eat sometimes more than your body really needs and you can gain significant weight in the process. But if food becomes scarce, the body tends to adjust just as easily to the meager food offerings, and you will in return lose weight. When you set out to lose (or gain) weight, your body has to establish a new set point each time weight is lost (or gained).
3. Discourages Association With Flavorful Foods
When following the Shangri-La Diet you are advised to stop associating flavorful foods with the need for nourishment. For example, if you enjoy the taste of carrot cake, you are more likely to find yourself eating it more often than not when it is offered to you, which in turn will increase your set point. However, Dr. Roberts believes that by consuming a bland diet you decrease your desire to indulge in flavorful foods that will in turn influence your eating habits, which will decrease your consumption of certain foods and your body's metabolism will reestablish a new set point.
4. Appeal of the Shangri-La Diet
While this diet is not the most balanced or preferred diet, most find it appealing because of its non-restrictive component. Even though you are encouraged to follow a low glycemic diet comparable to the South Beach Diet, in the end you are persuaded to follow a plan that focuses on the association between taste and calorie consumption.
5. Reasons to Avoid the Shangri-La Diet
Even though the Shangri-La Diet is based on a few scientific studies, success stories from dieters, and most of all Dr. Roberts own experiences, it is not a diet to follow short or long term for overall health. The Shangri-La Diet is just another "fad diet," which encourages you to focus on association of food flavors and consuming sugar water or flavorless oil between meals, in order to influence the body's response to taste and hunger, which does not aid in helping lose or maintain weight in the long run. It may cause you to make short-term changes that do affect your metabolism and set point, but long term it is just setting you up for yo-yo dieting.
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