An Overview of the Mayo Clinic Diet and Its Benefits and Drawbacks
Jan 31, 2023 By Nancy Miller

Dietary trends come and go, but nutritionists and scientists believe that the best way to maintain a healthy weight is to make healthy eating and exercise habits permanent. The Clinic Diet, designed by medical professionals at the illustrious clinic specializing in weight reduction and nutrition, is one of the most popular plans that conform to this philosophy. U.S. News & World Report's annual study of the best diets for health and weight reduction places the Clinic Diet near the top yearly. (1) As of January 2023, the book detailing the Clinic Diet is in its third edition. 1

Explain The Mayo Clinic Diet And Its Benefits

The Mayo Clinic Diet is not a fad diet (no juicing or fasting involved) but rather an overall lifestyle change that encourages increased physical activity and the adoption of healthier eating habits. This may explain why U.S. News placed it at No. 5 in its 2022 rankings of the best diets, No. 9 in its Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and No. 4 in its Best Diabetes Diets.

This is because the Clinic Diet does not involve major dietary restrictions or overemphasize particular nutritional groups. The Clinic Diet has two phases: "Lose It!" and "Live It!" each with somewhat different requirements. Phase 1 is designed to get you started on the road to weight reduction, while Phase 2 is about keeping you there.

Cast It Away! Phase 1 of the Clinic Diet: What to Expect

With the aid of Lose It!, you can shed the recommended 6-10 lbs. According to Harvard Health Publishing, reducing your calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 per day will result in a weekly weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds.

For the next two weeks, you'll be working on 15 habits: five new ones, five dropped ones, and five bonus ones. Eating in front of the TV is only one bad habit you'll kick, and you'll pick up the habit of going out for 30 minutes every day. (4) To kick-start weight reduction and healthy habits, the Lose It! phase is more restricted than the Live It! phase.

Engage In It! Details about the Clinic Diet's Second Stage

During the Lose It! stage, you'll learn how to implement healthy eating habits and start getting more active, laying the groundwork for a long-term approach you can sustain. The Live It! stage aims to help you feel this way.

In this stage, you won't have to eliminate any particular foods from your diet; rather, you'll work on eating less of everything. The Clinic's Healthy Weight Pyramid is a general reference for serving sizes. This can be used to assist you in staying within your calorie range. You may learn about healthy eating, meal planning, and maintaining an exercise schedule.

Are the Claims Made About the Clinic Diet True?

Nutritionist with Missouri State University's athletics department in Springfield, Natalie B. Allen, RD, claims that the Clinic has only studied the Clinic Diet. She notes that the results of the associated studies may be skewed because there is no independent investigator for the plan.

An analysis published in JAMA that looked into numerous popular diets, on the other hand, found that cutting back on fat and carbohydrates was helpful for weight reduction.

The review's findings also lend credence to the idea that any diet that a person can and will stick to over the long run is likely to be effective for that person in terms of weight reduction.

To Whom And Why Might You Suggest the Clinic Diet?

Many people find it feasible to follow the program and achieve their weight loss and health improvement goals because of its emphasis on eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, increasing physical activity, and adopting better habits.

There aren't any crazy rules to follow, and the broad ideas will teach you a lot about healthy eating and cutting out bad habits. It does an excellent job of encouraging you to rely on your intuition and pay attention to what you're eating.

Keeping to the Clinic Diet plan is also rather cheap. You may get a standalone digital copy of the book on Amazon. The aforementioned monthly price is for an online subscription; however, having one is not required to follow the program.

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