The Scarsdale Diet, which became famous in the 1970’s, was developed by Herman Tarnower.
The main concept of the diet is to divide fats, proteins and carbohydrates into accurate percentages. With a total daily consumption of 22.5% fat, 34.5% carbohydrates and 43% protein, the Scarsdale Diet lasts for two weeks.
The diet plan consists of seven to fourteen days of planned meals that describes the daily consumption of every meal.
Breakfast is the same every day. It includes a slice of protein-toasted bread (without spread), half a grapefruit and unsweetened tea or black coffee.
The meal plans for lunch and dinner are listed clearly, which lean towards eating stone-ground whole grains, high-fiber vegetables, lean meat, fish and fruits. Moreover, because the meals should be followed as is, there are no questions on which foods to take and to avoid.
Alcoholic beverages should be consumed in moderation because excess alcohol drinks may upset the entire diet.
While on the Scarsdale program, the dieters are prohibited from eating snacks between meals. However, herbal appetite-suppressants are encouraged to ensure that each dieter receives essential nutrients.
The weak point of this program is it requires you to consume 1000 calories daily, which is too low if you wish to obtain optimum health.
The recommended amount of protein intake is too high. Without proper food moderation, dieters could consume more fat. As a result, gain more unhealthy weight.
Although the Scarsdale Diet provides you with all the menus for the entire period of the plan, it is a very strict diet with controlled food choices. Because of this, some people may feel deprived and could easily break out of the program.
Discipline, which most dieters lack, is the key to the Scarsdale diet because the program emphasizes more on food portions rather than calorie counting.
The Scarsdale Diet supposedly allows a person to lose as much as ten to twenty pounds within two weeks.
However, this drastic weight reduction is only because of the reduced calories. There is no available evidence to prove the plan’s efficiency.
