Singer-songwriter Adele’s impressive weight loss has been all anyone can talk about recently, and word is the transformation is in-part thanks to the sirtfood diet.
Trendy diets seem to crop up now and then, and it seems that the sirtfood diet is one of the latest. Most famously, the diet is known for allowing red wine and chocolate into the menu.
But what exactly is the sirtfood diet, and how does it help people lose weight and fight disease? We’re here to spill all, from what’s on the sirtfood diet menu to the plan you’ll need to follow to lose weight.
Ready? Let’s get started.
What Is the Sirtfood Diet?
The sirtfood diet comes from the book of the same name. ‘The Sirtfood Diet’ book is written by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, and they advise consuming foods that are rich in sirtuins. This is a type of protein found in plant foods.
The sirt schedule is designed to ‘switch on’ the sirtuin genes (specifically SIRT-1) which are known to boost metabolism, increase fat burning, combat inflammation, and curb appetite.
The proteins in sirt foods work to protect the cells in our bodies from dying or become inflamed through sickness, and they’re also known to boost muscle and slash fat – hence the new ‘wonderfood’ label.
What Can You Eat on the Sirtfood Diet?
As mentioned, The Sirtfood Diet is famous for allowing treats like red wine and dark chocolate into the diet. That’s because they’re both high in sirtuin activators.
However, that’s no excuse to wolf down the chocolate and drown yourself in red wine every night.
The sirtfood diet encourages you to up your intake of healthy sirtfoods, rather than the unhealthy ones. These include:
- Apples
- Citrus fruits
- Red wine
- Buckwheat
- Walnuts
- Dark chocolate
- Medjool dates
- Parsley
- Capers
- Blueberries
- Green tea
- Soy
- Strawberries
- Turmeric
- Olive oil
- Red onion
- Rocket Kale
Incredibly, another popular sirtfood is coffee. If you’re tired of being told to ditch the caffeine, this may come as welcome news – especially if you can’t start a morning without your daily cup.
Countries where people tend to eat a large number of sirtfoods, including Japan and Italy, are often ranked among the planet’s healthiest countries.
What Does the Sirtfood Diet Plan Involve?
The sirtfood diet spans a total of three weeks and is divided into two stages.
Stage One
You limit yourself to three sirtfood green juices and one sirtfood-rich meal a day for three days. The green juice is packed with kale, arugula, parsley, celery, green apple, lemon juice, and green tea.
The juices and the meal add up to around 1,000 calories a day.
Then, you drink two sirtfood green juices and consume two sirtfood-rich meals a day for four days, rising your calorie intake to around 1,500 a day.
Stage Two
Stage two is the maintenance stage and it lasts two weeks. During those 14 days, you’ll eat three sirtfood-rich dishes and one sirtfood green juice each day.
Once the three weeks are finished, there’s no specific plan to follow. To continue the sirtfood diet journey, all you need to do is consume as many sirtfood-rich meals as possible in place of what you’d usually eat.
Of course, exercise is also suggested during the diet, but it isn’t the focus of the weight-loss scheme.
Is the Sirtfood Diet Good for You?
All the foods you consume on the sirtfood diet are good for you, so your vitamin, mineral, and nutrient intake will rise. Many of these foods are nutritious that are beneficial for weight loss, so essentially, yes, the sirtfood diet can be food for you. It also restricts or eliminates lots of foods that are known to result in weight gains, such as refined flours, added sugars, and processed foods that contain little nutritional value.
Thanks to the low-calorie intake, individuals are destined to lose weight should they follow the plan properly. However, be aware that any diet that cuts out entire food groups could be risky.
The sirtfood diet is quite restrictive when it comes to food groups and calories, so it may be hard to stick to. There’s also no evidence to claim that it’s a more successful way to shed the pounds than any other calorie-controlled diet.
So, if you want to lose weight, you could instead continue to eat foods that you like, while remaining mindful of your overall calorie intake.
Who Shouldn’t Try the Sirtfood Diet?
The sirtfood diet isn’t suitable for everyone. If you have diabetes, for example, it’s not recommended to sample the diet.
Plus, following the diet may be hard if you’re sporty or highly active.
If you do decide to try the diet, expect side effects such as headaches or dizziness in the first stage of the scheme as your body adapts to the new lower calorie intake.
Ready to Try the Sirtfood Diet Menu?
The accepted foods in the sirtfood diet menu are low in calories and high in nutrients, which is beneficial for weight loss. But remember that the sirtfood diet is restrictive so it may be difficult to follow and maintain.
If you’re interested in trying the diet, be sure to chat with a doctor you trust to check that it’s suitable for you before diving straight in.
For healthy, plant-based protein bars to help you on your weight loss journey, we’re here to help. Check out our delicious range of protein and energy bars here.