The Mayo Clinic Diet: a healthy eating plan

by Diethics · April 15, 2017

At Mayo Clinic, one of the largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world, “the needs of the patient come first.” In this clinic, more than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers and 46,000 allied health staff put themselves in the service of the patients’ health.

Since nutrition is an important of a good heath, the Mayo Clinic developed and promoted a healthy eating diet, known as “The Mayo Clinic Diet”. This diet is a scientifically sound, healthy approach to long-term weight management and teaches people how to eat right, get fit, and lose weight. This diet is described in detail in the The Mayo Clinic Dietbook.

The Diet has two phases. The first one, “Lose It!”, lasts two weeks and helps you lose 6-10 pounds.

During this phase the dieters are instructed to adopt new healthy eating habits. For this purpose, the sections “Habits to make“ and “Habits to break” draw the general guiding principles of this part of the diet. If you decide to follow the diet, you should add five habitslike:

Eat a healthy breakfast, but don’t eat too much;
Eat at least 3 to 4 servings of vegetables and fruits a day;
Eat whole grains, such as whole-grain bread;
Eat healthy fats, such as olive oil and nuts;
Walk or exercise for at least 30 minutes a day,

and break five habits:

Don’t watch TV while eating, and spend no more time watching TV than you do exercising;
Eat no sugar except what is naturally found in fruit;
Eat no snacks except vegetables and fruits;
Limit the amount of meat and low-fat dairy that you eat;
Eat no restaurant food unless it fits in the diet program.

As a bonus, you will receive other 5 advices for a healthy lifestyle:

Keep records of what you eat.
Keep records of your physical activity.
Walk or exercise at least 60 minutes a day.
Eat mostly fresh foods and healthy frozen or canned foods.
Write down your daily goals.

The second phase, called “Live It!” provides you the tools and the techniques needed to sustain the healthy habits you’ve learned in the first phase. This phase is a lifelong approach to diet and health. At this moment, you will learn how to set a goal weight and how to develop long-term healthy-eating patterns. You will receive more information about food choices, portion sizes, menu planning and sticking to healthy habits. You can lose 1 to 2 pounds a week until you reach your goal weight.

Once you’ve reached your ideal weight, you can make it permanent by continuing the healthy lifestyle habits you adopted. Regular physical activity remains a central part of this phase.

The Mayo Clinic Diet provides several calorie levels. You can choose from diet plans ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 calorie-a-day, depending on the weight you need to lose, your age or gender. A typical 1,200 calorie daily diet plan includes:

Breakfast. A fruit yogurt parfait (1 cup fat-free yogurt mixed with 1 serving fruit).
Lunch. 1 serving tuna and pasta salad (combine 1 can water-packed tuna, 4 cups cooked shell pasta, 2 cups diced carrots and zucchini, and 4 tablespoons low-calorie mayonnaise — serves 4); 1 small orange.
Dinner. One-third of a 12-inch crust cheese pizza; green salad (2 cups lettuce with 1/2 cup sliced tomatoes, red onions and mushrooms); 2 tablespoons fat-free salad dressing.
Snack. 1 small apple, sliced.

Good things about Mayo Clinic diet:

The Mayo Diet isn’t exactly a diet, but a healthy eating plan designed to be followed for life.
It is generally considered one of the most nutritionally sound diets around.
The weight loss rate is low (especially in the second phase), but healthy.
It promotes eating of a wide variety of foods, inspired by the Eating Pyramid.
The Diet is based on everyday foods, so you will not need any special ingredients.
It teaches you good habits, which can help you control your weight for a lifetime.
It is not a rigid plan. You can design your own eating plan, following the instruction of the diet.
Exercise is strongly advised.
SOURCE:”The Mayo Clinic Diet”
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