The Ornish Diet — Is It Healthy?
Is the Ornish diet really healthy for you? Will it work for the average person?
My vote is no, and here’s why.
The Ornish diet is basically vegetarian (which is fine), but also exceedingly low in fat (not so fine). The proteins are basically derived from beans and legumes, but also allows for fat-free and very low fat dairy products.
Now I can buy into the vegetarian diet part of the Ornish diet — vegetarians tend to be of a normal weight and generally don’t have a big cholesterol problem. Vegetarians also tend to take better care of their health — get more exercise, read more labels, etc.
But I cannot say yes to a very low-fat diet that misses out on some good-for-you fats, like the omegas. I’ll be honest — the extremely low fat diets are way overrated.
(Now if your doctor puts you on a very low fat or otherwise restricted diet for a specific health reason — listen to your doctor.)
Humans are omnivorous creatures — we eat proteins, fats and carbs. All are necessary for a healthy diet. But I still maintain that any diet that attempts to exclude any one food group long-term is unhealthy for the average person
Now I know that diets like South Beach and Sonoma really restrict carbs for the first 2 weeks of the program, but it’s two weeks and then you get on a balanced diet.
I’ll have to pass on recommending the Ornish diet, when it comes to weight loss. While it may be what some heart patients need, it’s not totally healthy for the average person.