The Sirtfood Diet, labeled an "international diet phenomenon" appropriate for sports players and hailed as the key to superstar singer Adele's 100lb weight reduction, promises continual snacking on anything you like. This includes red wine as well as chocolate. All of this while losing weight in a few weeks.
Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, the inventors of the Sirt Food diet, say that this primarily plant-based diet may help you lose seven pounds in only one week. Finally, a diet that allows you to consume your favourite foods without gaining weight – a win-win, right?
Goggins and Matten also believe that the diet facilitates access to the skinny gene,' a fat-burning component of our bodies that does not need a gruelling workout regimen.
Is this worldwide enthusiasm, however, just a passing fad? What are the long-term consequences?
What is the Sirtfood Diet, and how does it work?
The diet is based on consuming more foods rich in sirtuins (SIRTs). They're all plant-based foods with high fibre, vitamin, and antioxidant content. The diet recommends a variety of SIRT-rich foods within the prescribed calorie limit.
The following are the top 20 foods:
- Kale
- Celery
- Red Onion
- Rocket
- Lovage
- Chilis
- Parsley
- Strawberries
- Medjool Dates
- Soy
- Capers
- Red Chicory
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Buckwheat
- Turmeric
- Walnuts
- Chocolate
- Red Wine
- Coffee
- Matcha Green Tea
Goggins and Matten are both nutritional medicine experts who developed the diet five years ago. It's divided into two parts. The first is the most difficult since it begins with restricting calories to 1,000 per day for three days. This is around half of what the National Health Service recommends for people on a daily basis (NHS).
The 1,000 calorie limit must be spread among three sirtfood green juices and one complete meal with sirtfoods throughout the first three days. The first week continues with increasing calories to 1,500 per day while remaining in the first phase. Dieters are limited to two green juices and two meals each day for the remaining four days of phase one.
The second phase of the diet lasts two weeks and consists of three sirtfood-rich meals and one green juice each day.
At least five servings of sirtfoods should be included in every meal and juices.
'Survival mode'
This structure is designed to put the body into survival mode,' resulting in rapid weight reduction.
Sirtfoods stimulate the body's SIRT-1 sirtuin genes. According to Goggins and Matten, this mirrors the benefits of fasting and exercise, both of which assist the body burn fat and increasing muscle building. According to them, the gene is the body spring cleaning gene,' and it helps us fight fatigue by clearing away 'clutter' in our cells.
Eating a varied variety of sirtfoods not only aids weight loss, but also improves energy, complexion, and sleep in the long run, according to the duo.
Is it safe to follow the Sirtfood Diet?
Juggy Sidhu, a nutritionist, and body coach point out that the Sirtfood Diet's early calorie restriction might contribute to a 'dieting cycle,' which can have detrimental psychological health consequences.
'It's important to remember that losing 7 pounds on the scales does not correlate to losing 7 pounds of body fat. The loss of fluid from intracellular space will account for around two-thirds of this weight. 'This suggests you probably shed a lot of water in the first week, and the chances of this continuing are quite slim,' he said.
"Early significant triumphs may be tremendously motivating," Sidhu says. Regrettably, these large decreases do not occur on a regular basis. There is very little concern for sustainability in this dietary strategy due to the very limited nature of both the items on offer and the calorie guidelines."
Calorie restriction has also been linked to symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fainting, and muscle mass loss.
The Mediterranean Diet and the Sirtfood Diet have certain similarities.
The popular Mediterranean Diet, which is mostly plant-based, is the diet's closest cousin. It is praised for its health advantages, including ties to reduced heart disease, and is ranked first in U.S. News' Best Diets for 2021.
You can eat a lot of carbohydrates and plant oils on the Mediterranean Diet. In other words, you can eat a lot of bread, olive oil, and pasta while also increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption. The NHS also recommends that dieters consume less meat.
The Sirtfood Diet, according to Goggins and Matten, is an improvement. This is due to the fact that it mixes the "greatest aspects" of the Mediterranean diet with "the finest foods from throughout the globe."
MicTheVegan, a vegan scientific YouTuber, studied the diet in a video. 'The arithmetic doesn't add up,' he said, referring to the promise of a 7-pound weight reduction in a week, which the creator's claim is supported by research. Mic chastised the research, which lasted just one week.
