It's unclear where the Metabolism Diet started, but it's known by many as a quick-fix solution for dropping a few extra pounds before a special event. The theory behind the diet is that combining specific foods in a particular meal pattern will kick your metabolism into high gear. Over the course of seven days, you'll rid yourself of dangerous toxins while losing up to 10 pounds in the process. The Metabolism Diet has very strict guidelines for which foods to choose, when to eat them and how they should be prepared. For example, on Day 3, you'll wake to a breakfast of black tea or coffee sweetened with an artificial sweetener. Lunch is two hard-boiled eggs, a cup of green beans and a cup of tomatoes. You'll round out the day with a meal of 8 to 10 ounces of lean ham and two cups of a green bean and tomato salad. Herbs, salt, pepper and certain condiments are allowed in unlimited quantities throughout the week.
What to Look for
The foods included in the Metabolism Diet are all pretty basic and should be easy to find in any grocery store. Fruit salad is allowed on Day 7, but the rest of week permits only vegetables such as leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes and green beans. The diet doesn't specify, but I imagine that fresh, rather than canned green beans and tomatoes are what the diet's creators had in mind. Your protein for the week will come from eggs, steak, ham, chicken and fish. Portions may be as large as 10 ounces at some meals, so try to find cuts that are on sale at your market. Unless you're up to cooking an entire ham, look for lean ham steaks. Steaks should be round, tenderloin or sirloin cuts to minimize saturated fat and cholesterol.
Common Pitfalls
Diets like this don't magically give you a quicker metabolism. Weight loss comes from severe calorie restriction and much of it will be water that you'll quickly regain once you return to your normal eating habits. Any diet that eliminates entire food groups and comes in under 1200 calories per day is nothing more than a temporary fix. Seven days of the Metabolism Diet probably won't do long-term damage if you're in good health at the start, but it's not the answer to achieving the body of your dreams. That only comes from a healthy, balanced diet based on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein, along with regular physical activity.
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