Famed as the chosen diet plan of singer Adele, the sirtfood diet claims to help you lose weight without starving. There are hundreds of diets to choose from but creators say that followers of this diet will lose seven pounds per week with minimal effort.
Most diets cut out all unhealthy foods including your favourite glass of wine but the sirtfood diet allows you to have one glass or red wine and some dark chocolate. Foods allowed are all, as the name suggests, sirtfoods which could help ageing, the metabolism and inflammation.
With any diet, health should be a priority over weight loss as seeking fast slimming can be detrimental to your mental health and body. Always check with your GP before embarking on a diet if you have any known illnesses or afflictions.
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For the sirtfood diet, it works by eating food with high levels of polyphenols which activate our bodies’ sirtuin, aiding weight loss. The key superfoods of this diet are citrus fruits, green tea, and kale as well as seasonings like turmeric and capers.
This includes diet-approved squares of dark chocolate and glasses of red wine along with large amounts of green juice. Small amounts of chocolate with over 85% cocoa can be beneficial to your health when eaten in moderation.
In the first week, dieters are encouraged to cut calories down to 1000 per day, this is below the recommended daily intake for an adult, and eat one Sirtfood meal a day. At this stage you drink three green juices per day, which drops to two a day in the later stage of the diet.
Juices are a mix of lemon, kale, celery and green tea, although the amount suggested exceeds the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals. While there is no explicit exercise plan, the website says weight loss does not take away any muscle mass, only excess fat.
After the first week, dieters enter the maintenance phase, which is where the majority of the steady weight loss occurs. Long term plans for this diet recommend three sirtfood meals a day with one green juice.
Speaking to GoodFood, Dietitian Emer Delaney said: “In terms of weight loss and boosting metabolism, people may have experienced a seven pound weight loss on the scales, but in my experience this will be fluid.
“Burning and losing fat takes time so it is extremely unlikely this weight loss is a loss of fat. I would be very cautious of any diet that recommends fast and sudden weight loss as this simply isn’t achievable and will more than likely be a loss of fluid.”
This is designed as a long term diet plan but, as with most diets, once you begin to eat normally the weight will creep back on. Rather than a fast weight loss diet, it is best to eat balanced healthy meals, drink plenty of water and increase the amount of exercise you do.
For people struggling to lose weight, consult your GP or a nutritionist to get a tailored plan for your needs. Steady weight loss is always healthier and easier to maintain than a fast diet which cuts out food groups.
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