The Rice Diet Clinic in Durham, North Carolina, offers an on-site, medically supervised program called the Rice Dieta that incorporates lifestyle changes along with strict limitations on fat, protein, salt and sugar, which it claims leads to significant and rapid weight loss.
Identification
The three-phase plan is a very low-calorie program focusing on complex carbohydrates and whole foods like whole grains, beans, fresh vegetables and fruit, non-fat dairy products and lean protein--preferably certain kinds of fish. The diet is intended to not only be instrumental for weight loss, but also to detoxify the body and prevent or reverse chronic diseases.
History
The original Rice Diet Program was created in Durham in 1939 by Walter Kempner. Clients checked into residential facilities for an intensive program lasting two to four weeks. Kempner was a professor of medicine at Duke University, where he investigated the effect of diet on disorders such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. He found that many diseases were rare in people who ate rice as a staple.
Current Program
The program continues today, with a staff of registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, stress management instructors and other healthcare providers. The program features classes, workshops, yoga and meditation. The book "The Rice Diet Solution," by registered dietitian Kitty Rosati and cardiologist Robert Rosati, was written to guide dieters through the program at home.
Features
The first week is for detoxifying, with very little food and no sodium. The next phase is for weight loss, with protein allowed one day a week. The third phase is maintenance, and is less strict. The diet has somewhat complicated instructions. One particular day in the weight loss phase, for instance, calls for a breakfast with two starches and one fruit; lunch with three starches, three vegetables and one fruit; and dinner with three starches, three protein or two dairy, three vegetables and one fruit.
Considerations
The plan provides detailed meal plans and recipes, and the structure can make it easier. Results from the Durham on-site program show excellent potential for rapid weight loss, and the maintenance phase addresses one of the biggest problems with many diets--the tendency to put weight back on. A person tackling this diet will need great self-discipline, since it is very restrictive.
Tags: weight loss, Rice Diet, vegetables fruit, rapid weight, rapid weight loss