The Heart Foundation Diet has circulated on internet for several years in the form of a one page sheet that claims you can lose 10 pounds in 3 days. It is also known as the ‘Greenlane Diet’ or the ‘British Heart Foundation Diet’. This so-called diet plan is a poor quality fad diet that has nothing to do with the British Heart Foundation. It has become popular in the UK and some other countries, but its exact origins are not known.
Indeed, the Heart Foundation Diet is not only worse than useless, it is actually a harmful diet and will do nothing to help you lose weight. Here is a summary of Heart Foundation Diet, followed by commentary on its effectiveness.
The heart foundation diet is a three day diet program that claims to make you lose 10 pounds after three days. At day one, the suggested breakfast meal includes black coffee or tea, 1/2 grapefruit, a slice of dry toast, and 2 teaspoons of peanut butter. For lunch, the suggested foods are another cup of black coffee or tea, 4 ounces of tuna, and a slice of dry toast. For dinner, the recommended foods are two slices of any cold meat, 1 cup of string beans, 4 ounces of beets, 1 small apple, 4 ounces of vanilla ice cream, and water.
During the second day breakfast consists of black tea or coffee, 1 boiled or poached egg, a slice of dry toast, and half a banana. For lunch, the meal consists of 4 ounces of cottage cheese and five crackers. For dinner, the foods include 3 ounces of broccoli, 2 ounces of carrots, 1/2 banana, 2 hot dogs, and 4 ounces of vanilla ice cream.
On the third day, breakfast includes black tea or coffee, 5 crackers, a slice of cheddar cheese, and one apple. At lunch, the meal plan includes 1 hardboiled egg plus a slice of dry toast. For the evening meal, the foods include 4 ounces of tuna fish, 4 ounces of beets, 4 ounces of cauliflower, half a melon, and again 4 ounces of vanilla ice cream.
According to so-called experts, this diet plan will result in losing ten pounds body weight. When dieters stick to this plan and see that they have lost 10 pounds weight they think this is great, it really works! Unfortunately, the body weight is virtually all based on a loss of body fluids. It is biologically impossible to lose 10 pounds of surplus body fat in three days, whatever you do.
The Heart Foundation Diet is nothing more than a bad and temporary calorie-restriction diet that cannot be continued for more than 2 or 3 days. As soon as you go back to your usual diet, you will quickly regain the lost body fluids. Furthermore, you are likely to put on extra body weight as a consequence of the calorie restrictions.
When food intake and calories are restricted, the body’s metabolism slows down so as to preserve and build up stores of fat (this is a kind of survival mechanism). Later, when you go back to eating normally, your metabolism will continues to stay at a lower rate for a while, thus making you gain even more weight than you started out with.
A truly effective weight-loss program must not be based on any kind of calorie restrictions. Also, it must be enjoyable to eat and it must leave you feeling full and satisfied. Above all, such a diet must be truly nourishing, so that you get the full gamut of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for good health.