Pritikin Diet

A high fibre diet, low in protein and fat, devised by a New York food writer, Nathan Pritikin. It was tested at the Longevity Research Institute, California as part of the treatment for heart patients.

Pritikin believed that we should keep our intake of salt, sugar, fats, and proteins to an absolute minimum. Coffee and tea are avoided, and alcohol greatly restricted. Consequently, the diet consists of 80 per cent unrefined carbohydrates, 10 per cent fats, and 10 per cent proteins. Because the diet consists mainly of vegetable material, you have to eat a large amount of food each day. To supply 700 Calories, about 2 kg (41b) of food are required. Pritikin also incorporated exercise plans in his weight-control programmes.

The Pritikin diet is generally regarded as nutritious but some people complain that the high fibre intake causes flatulence and makes them feel bloated. Others find the diet too bland and restrictive despite the wide range of recipes suggested in Pritikin's books (e.g. (1982) The Pritikin permanent weight-loss manual. Bantam Books). See also F-plan diet.

Definition

The Pritikin diet is a low-fat regimen that promotes eating whole grains, vegetables, and fruit over animal protein, eggs, processed grains, and sugar.

Origins

Nathan Pritikin developed the diet in the 1970s. He was diagnosed with heart disease in the late 1950s but was not satisfied with his medical care. Although he did not have a medical background, he spent the next 20 years researching diet and nutrition, experimenting with a variety of diets, such as eating only meats or only lentils. He recorded the information and his reactions to the various diets along with blood and other medical tests. He finally concluded that a program combining moderate exercise with a diet low in fat and high in fiber was most beneficial, and credits it with reversing his own heart disease.

In 1976, he opened the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Barbara, California, which moved a few years later to Santa Monica, California. Pritikin detailed his program of diet and exercise in his 1979 book, The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise, which quickly became a bestseller. He and his son, Robert Pritikin, have published eight additional books on diet and exercise. Robert Pritikin took over management of the longevity center following the death of his father in 1985.

The Pritikin Program took on new credibility in 1984 when the National Institutes of Health published its landmark lipid study that said lowering cholesterol reduced the risk of heart disease. Robert Pritikin believes the diet is based on basic properties of human biology that go back hundreds of thousands of years. The diet of early man is called the Paleolithic diet and is believed to have consisted of whole grains, plant foods, and occasional lean meat and fish. Proponents of Pritikin suggest that this diet echoes the same types of foods.

Benefits

The consensus among health professionals is that a diet low in fat and high in fiber can prevent a wide range of medical problems, such as heart disease and cancer. It also provides significant health benefits to people who already have these or other health conditions. It can also be effective in weight loss and ideal weight maintenance. Dozens of medical studies have confirmed these benefits.

Description

The Pritikin diet is basically the opposite of another popular program, the Atkins diet. While the Atkins regimen is high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates, the Pritikin program is low in fat and protein and high in whole-grain natural complex carbohydrates. Pritikin believes the reason a large number of Americans are overweight is because they do not eat enough complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain corn, rice, and wheat.

The Pritikin diet is based on a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, beans, and low-fat dairy products. There are four levels to the Pritikin diet, each based on calories. Individuals pick the level they want based on how overweight they are, how much weight they want to lose, and how quickly they want to. The number of calories per day for each level are 700, 850, 1,000, and 1,200. In his book, "The Pritikin Permanent Weight-Loss Manual," Pritikin lists two weeks of sample menus for each level.

The book also contains information on a free-form version of the diet, in which the dieter selects any food that has low calorie density.

The general guidelines are:

• one to three pieces of fruit a day, including one citrus fruit
• a serving of orange or yellow vegetables two or three times a week
• several large servings a day of green vegetables, either raw or cooked
• two small servings a day of whole-grain products, such as bread, cereal, rice, or pasta
• three servings a day of protein-concentrated foods, such as fish, poultry, and non-fat milk, yogurt, or cottage cheese

An important component of the Pritikin program is exercise. Pritikin encourages many types of exercise routines, but aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, and indoor machines that simulate these activities are recommended for optimum weight loss. The suggested routine should include 5-10 minutes of warm-up, 20-30 minutes of workout, and 5-10 minutes of cool-down.

Unlike the Atkins diet, the Pritikin program can be easily followed by vegetarians, including vegans.

Preparations

No advance preparation is required for the diet.

Precautions

As with any diet, overweight individuals and those with serious medical conditions such as heart disease or diabetes who are contemplating the Pritikin diet should first check with their doctor or health practitioner. Persons on certain prescription drugs may find their need for these drugs will decrease and should be monitored by their physician during and following the weight loss period.

Side Effects

The Pritikin diet is not believed to cause any adverse side effects.

Research & General Acceptance

There is general acceptance in the medical community that a diet low in fat and high in fiber is beneficial in preventing a variety of medical conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. It is also useful in weight loss and weight maintenance. Scientific studies show the Pritikin program can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The diet has been shown to be beneficial to people who already have heart disease, diabetes, and colon problems such as Crohn's disease. Several studies show the diet may help control newly diagnosed cases of type two diabetes without drugs. A widespread nationwide study started in 2000 to more clearly define the role a low-fat diet has in preventing type two diabetes. Other studies have shown that low-fat diets are not nearly as effective as elimination diets.

Training & Certification

The diet can be followed by nearly anyone and requires no special training or certification.

Resources

Books

Havala, Suzanne and Pritikin, Robert. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. 1999.

Pritikin, Nathan. Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise. New York: Bantam Books. 1987.

Pritikin, Nathan. The Pritikin Permanent Weight Loss Manual. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. 1981.

Pritikin, Robert. The Pritikin Principle: The Calorie Density Solution. New York: Time Life. 2000.

Pritikin, Robert. The Pritikin Weight Loss Breakthrough: Five Easy Steps to Outsmart Your Fat Instinct. New York: Signet. 1999.

Pritikin, Robert. The New Pritikin Program: The Easy and Delicious Way to Shed Fat, Lower Your Cholesterol, and Stay Fit. New York: Pocket Books. 1991.

Periodicals

Pritikin, Robert. "Go Out and Eat Thin! 32 Slimming Tricks from the Newest Pritikin Diet Program." Redbook (Jan. 1990): 74.

Other

Pritikin Longevity Center. 1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401. 800-421-9911. http://www.pritikin.com.

[Article by: Ken R. Wells]

Created by: Nathan Pritikin

The Pritikin Diet is a very low-fat, primarily vegetarian diet that is based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, aimed to improve cardiovascular health as well as to lose weight. Processed foods such as pasta and white bread, animal proteins, eggs and most types of fats are eliminated in favor of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The revised Pritikin diet encourages the use of "healthy" fats high in omega-3 fatty acids in limited amounts. There is no calorie counting and no limit on approved foods.

The program was devised by Nathan Pritikin who had done research and discovered that moderate exercise combined with a diet low in fat and high in unrefined carbohydrates reversed his own heart disease, diagnosed in the late 1950's. He and his son Robert Pritikin conducted an extensive research study in conjunction with the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Long Beach, CA. There, World War II veterans experienced similar results. As a result of these tests, the Pritikin Longevity Center was opened, where clients eat approved foods and participate in a full exercise program designed to reduce risk of heart disease, adult-onset diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and several forms of cancer.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (January 2008)

The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise was created by Nathan Pritikin. The book based on the diet became a best-seller on the New York Times Bestseller list and was entitled "The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise", and was co-authored by Patrick M. McGrady.

Pritikin was regarded as one of the major diet gurus of the early 1980's, a class which also included Dr. Robert Atkins, Gary Null, and Dr. Tarnower of the Scarsdale 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.

Research supporting the Pritikin Program

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.

• A meta-analysis of 864 type 2 diabetics found that 74% on oral medications left the Pritikin Longevity Center within three weeks free of these drugs, their blood sugars in normal ranges, and 44% on insulin left insulin-free.
• In this same article, another meta-analysis of 1,117 hypertensives found that 55% normalized blood pressure and no longer required anti-hypertensive drugs within three weeks of starting the Pritikin Program. The people in this study were not initially following the diet at home, they were studied before and after several weeks of a residential course where their meals were prepared. However, follow-up revealed that they had continued to follow the diet on returning home. While they had been suggested candidates for bypass surgery before the intervention, five years later the likelihood of them requiring coronary bypass had dramatically decreased.^[1]

• In 2005 UCLA researchers studied the health indicators of overweight youngsters, ages 9 to 15, who participated in a two-week family program at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Florida. Finding that diet and exercise can improve not only the cholesterol levels of children but also a wide range of other biomarkers linked with heart disease. Researchers found improvements in insulin, triglycerides, blood sugar levels, and inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and oxidative stress.^[2]

References

1. ^ [1] Roberts, Christian., and Barnard, R. James. (2005-01). “Effects of exercise and diet on chronic disease.” Journal of Applied Physiology, 98 (1): 3–30. ISSN: 8750-7587. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
2. ^ UCLA Study Shows Diet/Exercise Program Greatly Improves Heart Health of Overweight Kids - Apr 29, 2005

External links

• Pritikin Longevity Center
• Nathan Pritikin Research Foundation Bibliography - Published Research Articles
• Pritikin Eating Plan
• WebMD - The Pritikin Principle
• [2]

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