DIET DECODER
Diet Decoder: Lots of sizzle, little heat
November 15, 2008
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Megan Ogilvie
HEALTH REPORTER
DIET: The Hot Latin Diet: The Fast-Track Plan to A Bombshell Body (Celebra; $26.50)
CREATOR: Manny Alvarez
CREDENTIALS: He's an obstetrician-gynecologist.
CELEBRITY EDGE: "Dr. Manny" is senior medical contributor for the FOX news channel.
CLAIM: Latin Americans enjoy a long life-expectancy and low levels of obesity – good examples of how to eat right and still enjoy life, says Alvarez, a Cuban-American.
He also points to five of the last 10 Miss Universe winners having Latin-American heritage as evidence for his claim. The reason? According to Alvarez's research, it's the power of seven Latin superfoods – tomatillos, garbanzo beans, avocados, chilies, cinnamon, garlic and cilantro – that build strong, slim bodies by flushing toxins out of cells. Alvarez is confident that his plan, the first to draw on the power of these superfoods, will deliver a hot, sizzling body.
PROGRAM: During the first two weeks, dieters consume from 1,500 to 1,800 calories divided between five Latin-inspired meals each day, all of which contain at least one Latin superfood. Devotees are expected to lose up to eight pounds and decrease their body fat by two to four per cent.
The second phase, which lasts four weeks, includes more lean meat and meals made with garbanzo beans that are supposed to help burn the body's excess fat. Weight loss slows to one to two pounds per week and dieters, who still eat superfoods with every meal, get to eat up to 2,000 calories every day.
The final phase has fewer restrictions, and recipes include Huevos Campesinos (farmer-style eggs) with Red Bell Pepper Sauce, and Ensalada Girasol (sunflower salad).
SIDE NOTES: Not only will this diet clean your cells, but it will clean your closets, too. Alvarez suggests tidying clothes closets and kitchen cupboards before embarking on his diet. Dieters are expected to toss out any clothes and shoes that no longer fit – except for a single favourite too-small outfit – to use as a goal garment for weight loss, as well as any unhealthy food in the kitchen. That includes hot dogs, frozen entrees, french fries, ice cream, pastries and white bread.
ALLOWED: It's not exactly clear, but it must include the superfoods and their subcategories: Beans and lentils, fruits and vegetables, especially those from Latin America, seafood, lean meats, and grains and tubers from South America. such as quinoa and yucasp?.
PROHIBITED: Almost everything else.
EXPERT OPINION: This plan lacks all the components that make up a solid diet program – good science, clear directions and easy-to-follow menus and recipes, says Helene Charlebois, an Ottawa-based registered dietitian.
"He lists these superfoods, but what do you do with them? Do you put them in every meal, every day?" she asks. "You get a few recipes, but no menus. I don't know what to do with this plan."
For example, she adds, there are only two breakfast recipes listed for Phase I, which is supposed to last for two weeks. And the recipes themselves are complicated.
"Some of them have one or two recipes inside the recipes," she says. "This is not (a plan) that can be easily incorporated into your lifestyle."
According to Charlebois, many of Alvarez's diet claims cannot be backed up by science – that seafood is easier to digest than other sources of protein, for example – and his diet suggestions go against Health Canada recommendations.
Alvarez suggests people regularly eat albacore tuna and coconut oil.
"But Health Canada does not recommend that kind of tuna because of its high mercury content, and does not recommend coconut oil because it's high in saturated fat," says Charlebois. "And he says never to drink tap water. Our tap water is one of the safest in the world. I think you have to take what he says with a grain of salt."
As for the Latin superfoods, Charlebois says all of them are fantastic additions to your diet – they are high in nutrients and antioxidants – but Alvarez certainly didn't discover their benefits.
EXPERT VERDICT: "Don't waste your money."
OUR VERDICT: Nothing hot about this diet.
Toronto Star