Ultra Simple Diet Plan

The UltraSimple Diet: Kick-Start Your Metabolism and Safely Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 7 Days is

the third book in the series by Dr. Mark Hyman, who is a medical doctor and the editor-in-chief of Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine. Previous books include:

- Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss

- The UltraMetabolism Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes that Will Turn on Your Fat-Burning DNA

This best selling author has done an excellent job of targeting the two main causes of weight gain and obesity in this book: toxicity and food allergy. The book aims to help people lose weight and keep off unwanted fat by eliminating these factors.

The Ultra Simple Diet Plan: An Overview

The book starts with a seven day preparation phase when you prepare the body to kick toxins like sugar, caffeine, flour, alcohols and hydrogenated oils.

The preparatory phase is followed by the 7-day diet, which is Dr Hyman’s recommendation for flushing out toxins and eliminating food allergies. This phase requires strict food control. Followers will give up refined carbs, sugars, high fructose syrups, artificial sweeteners, fast foods, foods containing trans fats and additives, and of course, alcohol. Common food allergens are also kept out of the system for these seven days, including wheat, yeast, gluten, peanuts, dairy, eggs and citrus fruits.

So, what is there to eat? In addition to plenty of filtered water, you may indulge in green veggies, fresh vegetable broth, legumes, flax seeds, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, non citrus fruits, whole grains and brown rice. It’s nice if the food is organic and cultivated locally. This ensures that there are no harmful chemicals finding their way into the body.

Dr Hyman has also devised a number of strategies to facilitate complete detoxification of mind and body. These include:

-         UltraBroth and herbal laxatives (to aid elimination)

-         UltraShakes (to fight inflammation)

-         UltraBath (relaxes the body and mind)

-         Journal keeping (to record your feelings and learning)

Detailed meal plans are provided. A typical day starts with lemon juice and hot water, followed by Green Tea. This may be followed by a cup of UltraBroth. Lunch consists of slightly steamed vegetables, brown rice and some fresh berries. Dinner may contain 4-6 ounces of fish or skinless chicken over and above the vegetables and rice.

The diet plan prescribes an average of 4 cups of UltraBroth (the recipe is provided) and 2-3 cups of UltraShake, depending on hunger levels.

The book also stresses the importance of simple exercises like a 30-minute brisk walk. Mild exertion speeds up the detoxification process and puts the metabolism in high gear.

The Ultra Simple Diet Plan: A review

The good doctor provides highly detailed meal plans. In short, he makes it impossible for followers to go wrong. Other aspects like emotional and mental well being are also given due importance.

For the program to be effective, it is important to follow diet stipulations to the word. However, this is a short term plan intended for 7 days and may be extended to 20 days. No body can sustain this plan for long periods and the book is not meant to be a weight loss manual.

UltraSimple Diet Pros and Cons

Pros:

-         Written by a doctor

-         Medically tested and proved effective

-         Aids detoxification and eliminates food allergies

-         Easy to follow

-         Simple but detailed meal plans with recipes

-         Short, doable program

-         Mild exercise is given importance

-         Provides additional benefits other than weight loss (like improved skin and hair texture as a direct result of detoxification)

-         Weight loss is incidental

-         Allows a variety of foods

Cons:

-         Not a long term program

-         Requires strict discipline

-         Requires intake of supplements

-         May not be feasible for working people

-         Some foods are hard to find

-         Any weight loss could be temporary as this is a detox diet not a weight loss diet

-         May lead to post diet bingeing as the food plan is restrictive

-         Food preparation requires time

In Conclusion:

Dr Hyman’s book is a wonderful way to give the body a break. Yes, it is complicated and requires a good deal of discipline and some amount of hard work. But, if you believe that your body needs a fresh lease of good health every once in a while, this fantastic detoxification program is for you. The weight you lose is a bonus, as are other fringe benefits like lustrous skin, excellent hair texture, lack of water retention, disappearance of flatulence and so on.