Ornish Diet: Eat More, Weigh Less -Review

 

University of California professor Dean Ornish, M.D. (author of Eat More Weight Less, The Spectrum) is often referred to as the first physician to prove that cardiovascular disease can not only be prevented, but can be reversed by serious changes to diet and lifestyle. This is accurate in that Ornish is the first medical doctor to demonstrate this theory, but inaccurate in that he was the pioneer - Nathan Pritikin espoused the same philosophy, and garnered similar results, with his "Pritikin Principle" program for health. Regardless, both gentlemen were correct in that heart disease - which, at the time, was considered irreversible and guaranteed to shorten lifespan - could, in fact be slowed and/or stopped by means other than drugs and surgery. It's important to note that the Ornish Diet - like Pritikin - was not conceived of as a weight loss vehicle. Weight loss on Ornish was merely a (positive) by-product of treatment of cardiovascular health.

So the foundation of Ornish's theory is that the treatment of heart disease should be rooted in its primary causes, which are poor diet, stress and an essentially sedentary lifestyle. Though his approach - improved diet, stress reduction and exercise - sounds simple and sensible, and his short term study groups showed improvement, his theory was not accepted by conventional medicine for some time. Ultimately it was a long term study he conducted - wherein the Ornish Diet group were treated with a low fat diet, yoga, meditation and social support groups, and a control group was treated conventionally - that registered the results that put Ornish on the map. 82% of the Ornish Diet group showed significantly less blockage in their arteries, and 91% reported a drop in chest pain. The study was published in the British medical journal Lancet, and the Ornish legend was born.

A quick heart disease primer: Blood pumping through our coronary arteries supplies our hearts with oxygen. Arteries become narrowed - and often totally blocked - when plaque deposits build up on their internal walls. And plaque deposits are caused by cholesterol, the bad actor found in animal products (like eggs) and also produced by our bodies from the saturated fats in our diets. When our arteries become too blocked to allow for the proper flow of oxygen to our hearts - the result is a heart attack.

With that in mind, the first order of business on the Ornish Diet is to banish cholesterol from your diet. This includes the bad (meats, dairy) fats and so-called "good" (avocados, oils, nuts) fats alike. Understand that this is essentially a vegetarian diet. Under Ornish's terms, the level of fat in your diet is reduced to 10% of your total calories per day. To circumvent binge eating you are allowed to eat as much of the permitted foods as you wish all day - provided you stay at 10% fat intake or below. Bear in mind that the American Heart Association recommends up to 30% of calories per day from fat, and experts say that the standard American diet contains about up to 50% fat. This first step alone will be a significant sacrifice for most people.

By the numbers, the Ornish Diet is 10% fat, 20% protein and 70% carbohydrates. The standard American diet is 45% fat, 25% protein and 30% carbohydrates and - (this is scary), nearly 500 mg of cholesterol per day. Ornish's 70% daily carbohydrate intake are complex carbs high in fiber - fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. (A great deal of science does now exist which proves that high fiber diets are effective at lowering cholesterol.) Simple carbs - like alcohol - are restricted but not totally eliminated. Egg whites (for protein) and non-fat dairy are also allowable in moderation. The Ornish Diet has proven its effectiveness at lowering cholesterol levels and reversing obstruction of the arteries, so it is an excellent solution if you're looking for a non-invasive/non-pharmaceutical treatment for heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the prevention of strokes.
And what about the weight loss? Well, heart disease is generally related to being overweight, and a longtime diet high in fat.

As mentioned above, the Ornish Diet has also proven to be an effective weight loss vehicle for its adherents. Because obviously, a vegetarian diet made up of only 10% fat is going to contribute to weight loss no matter what else you're doing. But Ornish - to his credit - insists that weight loss is only part of the picture of total, optimum health. And the picture can only be complete through a combination of diet, exercise and lifestyle changes related to stress reduction and stress management. (Ornish is a huge fan of meditation.) And we all know, of course, that both overeating and cravings for junk and high sugar/high fat foods are often driven by stress and other emotional triggers. Researchers have shown that poor/interrupted sleep patterns (so often the result of stress) also contribute to weight gain, and a slowed metabolism. (Slowing our abilities to lose weight.) And researchers have also shown that exercise not only contributes to weight loss by burning calories, but that it aids stress reduction by releasing endorphins (the "happy" hormones which combat stress hormones.) So Ornish is spot on here.

Ornish still has his critics among the medical establishment on the safety and effectiveness of a low protein/high carb diet versus a high protein/low carb one. Ultimately, it's a personal choice you should make based on advice from your physician or at the very least, which approach you think will be more reasonable for you to sustain without losing your mind. (Ornish has also published a companion cookbook, "Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish.") While we are fans of the overall philosophy of Ornish - that there are multiple pieces to the weight loss/health puzzle - we feel that his dietary recommendations are extreme, and will be difficult for all but the most zealous to follow for the long term. Sustainability is not built into the dietary equation here: you'll have to work that one out on your own.