PRITIKIN PRINCIPLE
The Pritikin Principle is another well-known diet from years ago- founded in the 1970's by Nathan Pritikin. Pritikin had a high cholesterol level and discovered an effective solution to lowering it, losing weight in the process. Pritikin then teamed up with doctors and established the 'Pritikin Longevity Centre' in conjunction with authoring diet books. Nathans's son Robert has recently revised and updated some parts of the diet. The diet still emphasizes a low-fat lifestyle that is rich in vegetables, grains and fruits, but the revision includes planning to eat less calorie-dense foods. Although this diet is not vegetarian, it does emphasize a lot of fruits and vegetables, and therefore is an appealing plan to many vegetarians.
Foods Emphasized: Apples, low-fat dairy, fish, oatmeal, barley, brown rice, strawberries, bananas, onions, potatoes, and beans
Foods Discouraged: Fried foods, fatty sauces, and nuts
Premise and Guidelines: The Pritikin principle is primarily a low-fat diet that consists of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Developed in 1976, the diet initially attempted to help those with high cholesterol and diabetes by providing a healthy and balanced eating plan Since that time, it has been effectively followed by many others who used the plan for weight loss.
Pritikin's son has recently revised the diet to incorporate 'The Calorie Density Program'. This program emphasizes the importance of eating low-density foods that will give a full feeling and do not overwork the body. Pritikin gives the example of eating ‘per pound’, such as a pound of cookies is more dense and less healthy than a pound of apples. The apples are lower in density, less in calories, and will not cause the same weight gain that the pound of cookies would, even though they are both equal in weight. Other foods such as oatmeal and brown rice are low-density foods recommended during the diet.
The diet consists of six small meals throughout the day, with each meal consisting of low-fat and low- calorie foods. This takes a different approach from the typical carb-reduced diet plan. The Pritikin diet endeavors to cut fat byeating vegetarian-style meals and consuming very small portions of lean meats and fish. While no specific meal plan is predetermined, foods are listed in ratings such as 'better', 'better still' and 'best' lists. The dieter can make the choice about which foods they should and shouldn't include in their plan, based on the lists.
This diet does embrace both calorie-counting and fat-restriction. Although it does promote heart-healthy foods such as fruit and whole grains, it could be too low-fat to maintain long term and be sustainable nutritionally.