Pritikin diet
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The Pritikin Diet was created by Nathan Pritikin and enhanced by his son Robert Pritikin. It is a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. (cf. Atkins diet)
The Pritikin Program was often described by Nathan Pritikin, its creator, as “mankind’s original meal plan.” That’s because the focus of the Pritikin diet is unprocessed or minimally processed straight-from-nature foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as black beans and pinto beans), whole grains such as brown rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams, lean meat, and seafood.
The Pritikin Program also emphasizes another key characteristic of humankind up until the last century: plenty of daily exercise, including at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise like brisk walking, weight training two to three times weekly, and stretching, optimally every day.
This return to basics may be precisely what’s needed to return affluent societies to good health. In several studies published since 1975, scientists at UCLA and other research institutions have found the Pritikin Program effective in preventing the major diseases that afflict modern society, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. The Pritikin Program has been documented to improve cholesterol profiles better than cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins, and has also been found to lower blood sugars, normalize blood pressure, and shed excess weight.
[edit] Practicing the Pritikin Diet
The practice of the Pritikin Diet holds that in order to feel satisfied and stop eating, a human being needs to consume enough food, of any sort, until he has ingested a certain amount of bulk, that is, physical weight. Fat, as a food source, is not unhealthy in itself; it is necessary to good health. Fat contains more calories per pound, however, than carbohydrates, and therefore eating fat is essentially choosing more calories for the same amount of "fullness" according to Pritikin's hunger satisfaction theory. The result: a given quantity of fat adds more calories for the same amount of fullness provided by an equal weight of food from other sources.
The stomach and the body, according to Dr. Pritikin's theory, do not "know" whether the bulk ingested consists of fat or anything else. The body knows only whether it has obtained sufficient bulk to feel sated. Hence the Pritikin principle advocates a low-density, high-bulk diet. This means a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, lean meats and fish, and plenty of nonsoluble fiber, all of which generally promote good health. Processed, high-fat foods, on the other hand, should be avoided--not simply because they have additives and artificial ingredients--but rather because they are low-bulk and high-calorie.
The Pritikin Diet was most popular in the 1970s and is less so today. The Pritikin Diet calls for balanced meals with foods of recognized nutritional value: fresh vegetables, fruit, and above all fiber--which reduces the risks of colon cancer and helps the body remove cholesterol.
