New Year 2020 has just begun and we are all game to experiment with our diet in the quest for weight loss. Nutritionists and dieticians have come up with new ideas for diets and weight loss plans. While the debate continues around diets such as keto diet and intermittent fasting, a famous Hollywood couple has come up with a diet of their own. Heather and Terry Dubrow, who are known to be famous on reality TV in the US, have given birth to this unique weight loss program.
The diet plan is not unfamiliar to people who have tried dieting and recent emerging diets before. It combines intermittent fasting with a concept that the couple term as time-restricted fasting. This means that food can only be taken during a certain part of the day, known as 'refuel' and the remaining part of the day when nothing is eaten is called a 'reset' period. The Dubrow Diet runs in three phases - beginning with a severe fasting period (16 hours), followed by a subsequent period (12 hours) which is easier to sustain.
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Although the Dubrow couple does not recommend counting calories for every meal, what they do suggest is a prescribed amount of each nutrient to be had in a single day. Their emphasis is on eating more of protein and fat, rather than carbohydrates. Dairy, fruits and vegetables are also a part of the diet; as are nuts, seeds and snacks. Low-sugar alcoholic beverages are also part of the diet. The third phase of the diet, which is the final phase, has five days of 12-hour fasting and two days of 16-hour fasting. The diet also permits a cheat day, in the form of a meal or even an entire day.
So, is this diet ideal for the Indian palate? Bangalore-based Nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood, said that at its very basic concept, this diet makes sense. "The diet is well-thought of as it goes by the basic principle of not letting your metabolic rate drop. Eating smaller quantities of food and eating more frequently makes your digestive system work more efficiently, thereby burning more calories in the digestive function and helping maintain the metabolic rate."
One disadvantage of the diet is that though it advises against counting calories, the diet in itself does not include too many calories. Plus, it only allows eating during a certain time period which may result in participants of the diet feeling low on energy. "We need 60-70% of energy from carbohydrates, 15-20% from protein and 10% from fat. But does the diet follow this? The protein content of this diet is slightly higher, and energy component is largely missing. The body thus has to work three times as hard to extract energy, which results in overtaxing your organs, liver and kidney," warns Dr. Sood.
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But not all is a sad picture, as Macrobiotic Nutritionist and Health Practitioner Shilpa Arora ND feels that each diet has its own benefits. "Both keto and fasting have their own benefits, if done correctly; however, any eating plan is not sustainable or useful in the long run. Key to weight loss and health is - sustainable and healthy eating habits, regular exercise and activity, and sleep to calm and rejuvenate the body. A fancy name every season is not the solution to long-term health," concludes Shilpa Arora.
The Dubrow Diet, thus, may have its strong points in the form of emphasis on eating during a certain time period only and focus on proteins. The diet still needs some work when it comes to the inclusion of carbs into it for reasonable amounts of energy. Do consult your doctor or nutritionist before taking up the diet.
(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)