1. Banish All High-Fat Foods
The Ornish Diet is a strict eating regime that relies only on low-fat foods and avoids anything that has a fat content of more than 10 percent. Since the typical American diet is about 40 percent fat, switching to the Ornish Diet can be difficult for some people. Examples of common high-fat foods that are not permitted in the Ornish Diet include meats, sweets, nuts and seeds, oils (including margarine and butter) and avocados. Things that contain empty calories, such as alcohol, are also prohibited.
2. Become a Vegetarian
Trying the Ornish Diet means adopting a vegetarian lifestyle. Non-fat dairy products can be consumed on this diet, although they must be carefully monitored and worked into the diet in specific amounts and at set times. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables, legumes and grains can be eaten at any time, without limitations. This is good news if you don't want to count calories, but it may be a problem if you gain weight with carbohydrates. You may want to look into vegetarian substitutes for meat, but watch out for highly processed varieties. They can be high in fat and may contain oils and other products that are restricted from this diet.
3. Visit the Produce Section
Since oils and fats are excluded from the diet, you will need to reduce the amount of prepared foods to a minimum. This means little-to-no frozen food, a limited number of restaurant visits and almost no prepackaged items. Instead, you will need to rely on fresh vegetables for the main courses of your meals and fruits for dessert. When it comes to frozen foods, certain items, including frozen vegetables and vegetarian hot dogs and burgers, are acceptable however. Dr. Dean Ornish has cookbooks, such as Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish: 150 Easy, Low-Fat, High-Flavor Recipes, that feature tons of recipes that use natural, low-fat foods as the main ingredients. You can always find help there if you are at a loss for ideas.
Member Comments