Pritikin Principle
Low-fat weight loss diet
Full Name: The Pritikin Principle
Origin: Created in the 1970's by Nathan Pritikin, when he found he needed to lower his cholesterol level. Pritikin teamed up with doctors to establish the 'Pritikin Longevity Centre', and wrote nine books detailing his diet. Nathans's son Robert has recently tweaked and re-released the diet.
Description: Low-fat, calorie-reduced meal plan
Likes: Apples, oatmeal, barley, brown rice, potatoes, beans, strawberries, bananas, onions, low-fat dairy, fish
Dislikes: Fried foods, fatty sauces, nuts
Looking for: A dieter who is looking to make a lifestyle change
Works Well With: Vegetarians
The Pritikin principle is a low-fat diet that predominately consists of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Developed in 1976, the Pritikin weight loss diet initially attempted to create a healthy and balanced plan to help those with high cholesterol and diabetes. Since then, it has been used by many others who were simply overweight. Pritikin's son has altered the diet to incorporate what he calls 'The Calorie Density Program'. It states that dieters should be consuming foods that fill them up, but which are also low in calories such as oatmeal and apples.
The diet recommends six small meals spread throughout the day, with each meal consisting of foods that are low in fat and low in calories. It's quite a different spin from the typical carb-reduced diet plan. The Pritikin diet aims to cut fat, which means eating vegetarian-style meals and consuming very small portions of lean meats and fish. There is no specific meal plan to follow, but foods are listed in 'better', 'better still' and 'best' lists. The dieter can determine what foods they should and shouldn't include in their plan based on the lists.
This diet does include both calorie-counting and fat-restriction. Although it does promote heart-healthy foods such as fruit and whole grains, it is a little too low in fat to maintain long term.
