A three-day heart diet is a quick way to lose weight while protecting your heart health.
This is a diet that will help you lose up to 4,5 kg in just 3 days. However, it has been strongly criticized as an overly restrictive diet, ineffective and dangerous.
It is said to enhance weight loss and enhance heart health. It is also known as the Birmingham Diet because it is rumored to have been developed at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, although there is no evidence to support this. Some say it was created to help people with heart disease lose weight quickly in the face of surgery.
The program sets strict rules for the food you should consume for 3 consecutive days during the week. During the remaining 4 days, you can enjoy whatever food you want.
This cycle should be repeated at the beginning of each new week as many times as needed until you reach your goal.
The meal plan provides detailed information about which foods to eat at which meals, as well as the amounts of each food allowed. During the 3 days, no other ingredients are allowed, nor can substitutions be made.
The number of calories is extremely low, only 800-1.000 calories per day.
Diet does not set guidelines for lifestyle changes, such as physical activity or hydration.
This diet places strict restrictions on the foods you can eat during certain meals. Meals generally consist of a source of protein in combination with fruits, vegetables, toast or savory crackers.
Salt and pepper are the only spices allowed. For dessert, plain vanilla ice cream is allowed once a day during dinner. No other ingredients or substitutions are allowed.
The foods you can eat during the three days are:
Fruits: grapefruit, bananas, melons and apples
Vegetables: beans, carrots, cauliflower, beets, cabbage and broccoli
Dairy products: vanilla ice cream, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese
Protein: tuna, eggs, skinless poultry, peanut butter and lean cuts of beef and pork
Seeds: toast and savory crackers
Drinks: black coffee, tea, water and baking soda
If a food does not appear in the list above, you can assume that it is prohibited in the diet.
It is supposed to help you lose up to 4,5 kilos quickly, while improving heart health.
Because as a diet pattern it is very restrictive and limits the amount of food you can eat, it is very low in calories and can lead to short-term weight loss.
Keep in mind that almost any diet with a daily number of calories of 800-1.000 will lead to rapid weight loss. This is because you will be consuming fewer calories than your body burns, which will definitely result in weight loss.
However, excessive calorie reduction can lead to side effects such as hunger, nausea, headache and fatigue.
In addition, dietary restrictions apply only 3 days a week. The other 4 follow a normal diet, which means that your weight can vary widely from day to day.
Therefore, the heart diet is not sustainable in the long run and is very likely to lead to weight recovery once you fatally stop it at some point. This is because it fails to promote long-term lifestyle changes or healthy eating habits.
Although there is no evidence to support the view that the three-day Heart Diet is good for heart health, it does limit processed foods, which can be beneficial. That said, although it cuts out most processed and high-sugar foods, it allows for large portions of beef, white bread, "diet" soft drinks and ice cream, which have been linked to adverse cardiovascular effects.
According to a large study of more than 105.000 people, those who ate larger amounts of processed foods had a higher risk of heart disease over 5 years.
Also, the three-day Heart Diet is only followed for short periods, with no instructions on what to eat during the rest of the week. Therefore, additional research is needed to determine how other components of the diet may affect heart health.
As a dietary pattern it is associated with many possible disadvantages and side effects.
One of the biggest drawbacks is that very little scientific evidence supports it. There are no strong studies supporting the claims that you can quickly lose 4,5 pounds or improve heart health with this diet. In fact, it eliminates many foods that support heart health, including whole grains and many fruits, vegetables and legumes.
This diet plan can be classified as a destructive diet that is not based on good science.
The three-day Heart Diet includes a very limited selection of foods in small quantities. Substitutions are not allowed, making it difficult to monitor the diet.
In addition, you may be at risk for nutrient deficiencies if you follow several cycles of this diet, especially because the diet may not be tailored to people with different body sizes, activity levels or nutritional needs.
Remember that the Heart Diet provides an average of 800-1.000 calories a day, which is well below the healthy amount most adults need.
This can not only make you feel hungry, but also cause you fatigue, nausea and headaches.
The 3-Day Heart Diet requires you to carefully weigh foods and follow strict guidelines, which can be difficult and time consuming.
In addition, it is extremely restrictive and does not offer flexibility, which can burden social situations, travel and family meals.
Therefore, it is difficult to maintain in the long run, compared to other dietary patterns.
You can drink plain coffee or tea with breakfast, while diet soft drinks are partially allowed.
Breakfast: half a grapefruit and 1 slice of toast with 1 tablespoon (16 grams) peanut butter
Lunch: 1 slice of toast with 1/2 cup (73 grams) of tuna
Dinner: 85 grams of lean meat, 1 cup (180 grams) of cooked beans, 1 cup (130 grams) of carrots or beets, 1 small apple and 1 cup (150 grams) of plain vanilla ice cream
Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 1 slice of toast and half a banana
Lunch: 1 cup (225 grams) cottage cheese or 1/2 cup (73 grams) tuna and 5 savory crackers
Dinner: 2 pieces of beef, 1 cup (90 grams) cooked cabbage or broccoli, 1/2 cup (65 grams) turnips or carrots, half a banana and 1/2 cup (75 grams) plain vanilla ice cream
Breakfast: 1 boiled egg and 1 slice of toast
Lunch: 28 grams of cheddar cheese, 1 small apple and 5 savory crackers
Dinner: 1 cup (146 grams) tuna, 1 cup (100 grams) cooked beans or cauliflower, 1 cup (130 grams) carrots or beets, 1 cup (160 grams) melon and 1/2 cup (75 grams) plain ice cream .
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