Mayo Clinic Diet

Introduction

The availability of programs for fast and significant weight loss has increased in recent years. However, such an approach generally leads to weight regain and an unhealthy relationship with food in the long term. It occurs because these programs are focused on quick results rather than on changing habits and mindsets.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is a long-term program that aims to help reduce weight and create a healthy eating plan that you can maintain for life. Mayo Clinic Diet involves an introduction of new healthy habits such as eating more vegetables and fruits, moving your body, and eliminating distractions during eating. By using the science of behavior change, this approach will help you create realistic goals, stay motivated, and learn how to deal with setbacks.

Mayo Clinic Diet will benefit people who want to lose weight or improve their health and feel better.

Key points

Mayo Clinic Diet consists of two phases named “Lose it!” and “Live it!”. 

• Lose it: this two-week phase helps to gradually introduce you to the program and safely kick-start your weight loss by adding healthy habits and giving up unhealthy ones. 
• Live it: this phase is a lifelong journey toward wellness. While keeping healthy habits, you develop a strategy for life.

Mayo Clinic experts developed a Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid to guide you in making healthy food choices. Food groups in this pyramid are in the following order (from the bottom to the top):

• fruits and vegetables
• carbohydrates
• proteins/dairy
• fats
• sweets

Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes mainly eating food groups that comprise the pyramid’s base, consuming fewer products from the top, and being more active.
The Mayo Clinic Diet is not only a nutritional approach but also a lifestyle. Therefore, in addition to healthy food choices, it encourages followers to be more physically active. Experts suggest at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. In addition, the program provides a workout plan that includes easy-to-follow exercises. Increased physical activity will aid in your weight loss and mental health.

Contraindications

People who have a specific health condition (like diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease) or those who aren’t sure how to adapt the diet to their lifestyle should consult a healthcare provider. In addition, people with a history of body image issues and eating disorders should be cautious about following Mayo Clinic Diet.

How to avoid possible nutritional deficiencies

The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes healthy food choices and doesn’t eliminate specific food groups or promote extreme calorie restriction. Therefore, it is unlikely for someone to develop any nutrient deficiency following this program.

Tips on improving your dieting experience

Starting a weight loss journey may be challenging and distressing. Therefore, getting enough support can become essential for the person to keep going. Fortunately, the Mayo Clinic Diet offers several resources that may benefit you. They include the following:

• Mayo Clinic Diet book: “The Mayo Clinic Diet”
• Mayo Clinic Diet blog
• free three-minute diet assessment
• private and public groups on Facebook
• Mayo Clinic Diet app and digital platform

By using some of the listed options, you can find many tips on how to follow the Mayo Clinic Diet, get support from other program followers, share your experience and read the ones from other members.

Conclusions

The Mayo Clinic Diet is a program aimed at weight loss developed by Mayo Clinic experts based on research and clinical experience.
Overall, the Mayo Clinic Diet encourages making healthy food choices, balancing your diet, and being active. Since it is not a strict nutritional approach, it won’t cause difficulties related to the limited food options. In addition, focusing on habit changing and developing a healthy lifestyle rather than concentrating on weight loss alone is beneficial in the long term.