Beverly Hills Diet

A high carbohydrate, low protein diet in which specific foods must be eaten in a strict order. For example, in the first week the dieter is allowed to eat only specified fruits, such as pineapples, which are claimed to have fat-burning properties. Most nutritionists and doctors dismiss claims made in the diet as having little scientific basis. Weight loss may occur as a result of water losses associated with the laxative effect of eating large amounts of fruit. It may also occur because the reliance on one type of food produces effects similar to fasting. There is no scientific evidence, however, that weight loss occurs because enzymes from the fruit burn excess body fat. The laxative effects of eating large amounts of fruit are so great that the diet became commonly known as the ‘diarrhoea diet’. Needless to say, the diet is not generally recommended by dietitians.

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KEY TERMS Dietary supplement—A product, such as a vitamin, mineral, herb, amino acid, or enzyme, that is intended to be consumed in addition to an individual’s diet with the expectation that it will improve health. Mineral—An inorganic substance found in the earth that is necessary in small quantities for the body to maintain a health. Examples: zinc, copper, iron. Type 2 diabetes—sometime called adult-onset diabetes, this disease prevents the body from properly using glucose (sugar), but can often be controlled with diet and exercise. Vitamin—A nutrient that the body needs in small amounts to remain healthy but that the body cannot manufacture for itself and must acquire through diet.

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What is the Beverly Hills diet?

The Beverly Hills diet is a diet created by Judy Mazel. She believes that weight loss can be achieved by eating foods in the proper combinations and in the correct order.

What are the Origins of the Beverly Hills diet?

Judy Mazel says that she was always an overweight child, and beginning when she was nine years old, she went to see doctor after doctor trying to find out why she could not be thin. For 20 years she continued to struggle with her weight and was finally told by a doctor that she was destined to always be fat. Six months after this pronouncement, she went skiing and broke her leg. While she was recuperating, she read a book on nutrition that a friend had given her. From this she developed her ideas about how the body works and what is needed to lose weight and stay thin.

Mazel reports that she used her new theories to lose 72 lb (29 kg), and has kept off the weight ever since. In 1981, she published her diet in a book The Beverley Hills Diet. The original book reportedly sold more than a million copies, and in 1996 Mazel published a revised and updated version of the diet called The New Beverly Hills Diet. Mazel has also written a cookbook designed to go with the diet and The New Beverly Hills Diet Skinny Little Companion, a slim volume designed to provide inspiration and tips to help dieters through their first 35 days on the diet.

QUESTIONS TO ASK THE DOCTOR

• Is this diet safe for me?
• Is this the best diet to meet my long term weight loss goals?
• Do I have any dietary requirements this diet might not meet?
• Would a multivitamin or other dietary supplement be appropriate for me if I were to begin this diet?
• Are there any sign or symptoms that might indicate a problem while on this diet?

Created by: Judy Mazel

The Beverly Hills Diet is a 35-day diet plan based on the premise that certain kinds of foods should not be eaten together. The creator of the diet plan, Judy Mazel, recommends that fruit always be eaten by itself, and that carbohydrates and protein should never be eaten together in order for food to be properly digested and not stored as body fat. During the first 10 days of the diet, only fruit is permitted. On day 11 carbohydrates and butter are added; on day 19, protein is added.