Rice Diet

From ArticleWorld

The Rice Diet is a rapid weight-loss program that emphasizes the consumption of little fat and salt. This diet focuses on the consumption of healthy foods, like fruits, grains, beans, olive oil, non-fat dairy, lean meat and vegetables. It encourages participants to walk and to take time for themselves. It emphasizes variety and, despite its name, is not focused on rice. It is, however, primarily vegetarian. Developed at Duke University in the 1930s, the diet is also sometimes referred to as the Duke University Rice Diet.

Practice

This rapid weight-loss program is conducted under medical supervision through the Rice Diet Program, an outpatient clinic in Durham, North Carolina. Patients at the Rice Diet Center are attended to daily by a caring staff to monitor their weight loss. They eat planned, calorie-controlled meals and participate in stress management, yoga, group therapy and nutritional lectures.

There are two phases. In the first phase, the program incorporates grains and fruits. It requires medical supervision. The second phase includes vegetables, beans, fish, carbohydrates and more. Experts recommend vegetarian eating until the weight loss goals are obtained, and then slowly add non-fat dairy, fish and meat.

Benefits

The Rice Diet claims to specialize in the prevention and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, renal disease and other illnesses. It also reduces the need to medicate for these problems. Although primarily vegetarian, there is plenty of variety in the foods and it focuses on creating a lifestyle change in severely obese patients.

Criticism

Any rapid weight-loss diet should be strictly medically supervised. It is not recommended to try the weight diet at home. That said, this diet focuses on positive, long-term lifestyle changes. Many critics, however, site the high cost of the program as a downside.