Hot Latin Diet Review

 

Author Dr. Manny Alvarez is the FOX News national health correspondent, and a former regular on Telemundo. His "Hot Latin Diet" evolved from his observation that immigrants from Latin America were typically thin to healthy weight upon arrival in the U.S., and generally grew overweight to obese after several years in the States subsisting on an American diet.

Being Latin himself, Alvarez understands the culture - not the least of which is the celebration of food and the sharing of meals. Latin culture places a serious emphasis on enjoying life. But how do Latin people stay slim? Alvarez determined that the secret is in what he identified as the foundation of the traditional Latin diet. This foundation is made up of seven "powerfoods" which, when consumed regularly, can speed up your metabolism, lower cholesterol, provide antioxidants to promote detoxification, create satiety and sastifaction and keep you healthy and slim for the long term.

The seven "powerfoods" are:

1. Avocado: A rich source of monounsaturated (good) fats which improves cholesterol balance.
   
2. Garlic: Contributes to cardiovascular health, lowers cholesterol and boosts the immune system.
   
3. Tomatillos: More nutrients than tomatoes, and a good source of antioxidant such as vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid.
   
4. Garbanzo beans: Fiber, fiber, fiber, and a good source of low glycemic index carbohydrates.
   
5. Cinnamon: Lowers cholesterol, settles the stomach and assists with regulation of blood sugar.
   
6. Chiles: Reduces appetite and increases metabolism. Improves digestion, boosts the immune system and contributes to cardiovascular health.
   
7. Cilantro: Helps to detox toxic metals from the body and is reputed to posess some antibiotic properties.
   

Around those seven core ingredients, Dr. Alvarez fashions a good carbs/good fats/high fiber program. Simple and refined carbs are eliminated, and replaced with lower glycemic index (high fiber) carbs like legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Bad fats are eliminated and good fats - from fish, avocados, olive oil and nuts - are emphasized. These healthy ingredients are then are mixed and matched and spiced in so many ways that there is never a lack of flavor - and Alvarez provides recipes (some from renowned chefs) in the book.

The diet is broken out into three tracks, which are as follows:

• Track 1 - For the first 2 weeks eat 5 times a day, for a max 1500-1800 calories per day. Recipes for this track - much seafood and poultry - must be followed, and you can expect to lose 4-6 pounds.
  
• Track 2 - For the next 4 weeks you're allowed a max 1800-2000 calories per day, and you must follow Track 2 recipes (though you can use Track 1 recipes as well) which will add lean meat and garbanzos to your diet. You can expect to lose 12-18 pounds. If you need to lose more weight stay on this track for another 4 weeks.
  
• Track 3 - This is the lifelong maintenance phase. You should hold yourself to 1800-2500 calories of balanced fats, carbs and protein per day, and commit to 90 minutes of exercise at least 3 times a week.
  

With this diet, Alvarez claims that you can reduce hunger by 11%, increase fat burning by 25% and lose up to 20 pounds in 6 weeks. Though exercise is recommended, only general recommendations are provided given that Alvarez' focus here is on the food. Will you lose weight on this plan? Yes. Now, you won't lose it as quickly as you would on plans that limit your calories to 1200-1500 a day, but then those low calorie counts are unsustainable for the long term anyway. But here, with generous calorie counts to prevent starving, and whole, natural foods presented in a nutritionally balanced manner - you can eat this way for life. Develop a regular exercise routine to compliment a diet like this and you're on your way to both looking and feeling better - sustainably. The downside? If you're averse to Latin foods and spices, Hot Latin Diet isn't going to do it for you. But given its basic shared characteristics with Sonoma Diet and Mediterranean Diet - you could go with one of those if it suits you better.