The Digest Diet (2012) is a 21 day, 3 stage diet for weight loss.
- Low processed foods
- Low bad fat / high MUFA and PUFA
- Lean protein and low-fat dairy
- High produce, high fiber
- Calorie control
Below is a description of the food recommendations in the book. Summary | Fat releasers and fat increasers | Fast Release Stage | Fade Away Stage | Finish Strong Stage | Maintenance diet. There’s a lot more in the book.
Get a copy of The Digest Diet for more information on lifestyle suggestions, exercise, meal plans, and recipes, and The Digest Diet Cookbook for more recipes and The Digest Diet Dining Out Guide for eating out
The reasoning behind The Digest Diet
This book suggests that some foods are “fat increasers,” and others are “fat releasers.” You should consume less of the former and more of the latter. They’re listed below. The 3 stage diet prepares you to increase nutrient intake and fat releasers and to follow the rest of the dietary recommendations.
The Digest Diet plan – food list
The diet includes a 21-day, 3-stage fat release plan.
- List of fat releasers and fat increasers
- Fast Release Stage (days 1-4)
- Fade Away Stage (days 5-14)
- Finish Strong Stage (days 15-21)
- Maintenance diet
Portion control is important throughout.
Fat releasers and fat increasers in The Digest Diet
Eat more of these fat releasing foods
- Fat releasers to eat at every meal or snack (see the book for non-food fat releasers)
- Foods containing vitamin C. Vegetables including asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, escarole, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, onions, sugar snap peas, spinach, summer and winter squash, sweet potatoes, turnip greens. Fruits including cantaloupe, grapefruit and fresh juice, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mango, oranges and fresh fruit, papaya, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes
- Foods containing calcium. Dairy including buttermilk, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta cheese, gruyère, milk, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, provolone cheese, ricotta cheese, swiss cheese, yogurt. Nuts and seeds including almonds or almond butter, brazil nuts, roasted sesame seeds or sesame butter. Vegetables including bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, greens (collard, dandelion, turnip, and mustard), kale, spinach, watercress
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy – 3 servings a day
- Protein – meet the RDA. Beans and legumes including baby lima beans, lentils, soybeans, white beans. Dairy (see above). Grains including barley, whole-wheat bread and tortillas, whole-wheat couscous, oats. Nuts and seeds including almonds and almond butter, hazelnuts, peanuts and peanut butter, pistachios, roasted pumpkin / squash / watermelon seeds. Poultry including chicken, eggs, turkey. Lean cuts of meat including beef, pork, veal. Fish including fresh anchovies, cod, crab, halibut, lobster, canned and fresh salmon, canned and fresh sardines, shrimp, canned and fresh tuna
- Monounsaturated fatty acids MUFAs: Olives, olive oil, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, avocado. Top choices include avocado, coconut milk, olive oil, salmon, sardines, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and nuts, seeds, and nut butters (particularly flax, walnut, and sunflower)
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFAs, mostly long-chain n-3 PUFAs aka omega-3s: fish, fish oil, nuts and seeds including peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds
- Coconut oil – up to 10% of your total calorie intake allowable for saturated fats
- Foods containing resveratrol – red wine (a 4-oz glass each day), red grapes, red mulberries, Spanish peanuts
- Fiber. Fruits including avocado, blackberries, plums, raspberries, tomatoes (fresh and sundried). Nuts and seeds including almonds, brazil nuts, flaxseed and flaxseed meal, pistachios, pecans, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Grains including barley, whole wheat couscous, brown rice, oats. Legumes including beans, chickpeas, edamame, lentils, peas (dried, fresh, snow, sugar snap). Vegetables including artichokes, broccoli rabe, lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, turnip greens
- Vinegar. Top choices – apple-cider, balsamic, malt, red wine, rice, distilled white
- Quinoa
- Honey – top choices: alfalfa, avocado, blueberry, buckwheat, clover, manuka, orange blossom, tupelo, wildflower
- Cocoa
- Seasonings including basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, celery seeds, chile peppers, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, rosemary, scallion, thyme
- Buy organic foods if you can afford it
- Drink water throughout the day
- Eat breakfast every day
Avoid these fat increasers
- Processed foods. If you need to use packaged products, choose those with an ingredients list that’s no more than 5 items
- Soda
- Caffeinated drinks (except soda) – limit to a cup a day
Fast Release Stage (days 1-4)
This is a jump start, flooding your body with nutrition using soups and shakes and bringing fast, early weight loss.
Fast Release Stage – What to Eat
- Two shakes from the book’s recipes a day as meals
- One crunchy snack a day from the book’s recipes
- 2 cups of a soup from the book’s recipes for one of your meals (or two bowls – the book says both in different places)
- Drink plenty of water
Fast Release Stage – foods to avoid
- Any foods except the prescribed recipes in the quantities given
Fade Away Stage (days 5-14)
This stage transitions you to lean proteins and micronutrient-rich greens. You lower your carbohydrate intake, and eat healthy fats, lean meats, reduced-fat cheeses, and vegetables. The diet is described as a Mediterranean-style diet, and can include a glass of red wine with dinner.
Fade Away Stage – what to eat
- Drink first (water with a quarter to half a lemon, lime, or orange), eat second
- One shake a day from the book’s recipes
- For your meals, pair 4 ounces of broiled, grilled, or roasted lean protein (chicken, beef, pork) or 6 ounces of broiled, grilled, or poached lean fish or shrimp with a non-starchy, green vegetable side dish; or have a one-dish meal with lean protein and non-starchy vegetables
- Choose MUFAs and omega-3 PUFAs for your healthy fats (see below)
- Snack twice a day from the book’s recipes. Snacks should include protein, fiber, and vitamin C, and be portion controlled. Options include hard-boiled eggs, turkey, chicken, and other lean meats; fat-free and reduced-fat cheeses, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, or peanut butter. Snacks can include fruit
- Have a glass of red wine or a bunch of red grapes at dinner. Women should have 4 ounces of red wine; men can have 6 ounces
- Limit caffeine drinks to 1 cup a day. Add honey as a sweetener, or no more than one teaspoon of raw or turbinado sugar. Use skim-plus milk
- Limit seltzer to one glass per day
Fade Away Stage – foods to avoid
- Soda
- Artificial sweeteners
- Fatty proteins
- Starchy vegetables
- Full-fat milk products, cream, half and half, etc.
- Fake creamers or fat-free half-and-half
- Salty foods
Finish Strong Stage (days 15-21)
This stage includes a balanced, whole-food diet rich in fat releasers. You’re enjoying a wider variety of foods, while consuming proper portions of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats
Finish Strong Stage – what to eat
- For your meals, pair 4 ounces of broiled, grilled, or roasted lean protein (chicken, beef, pork) or 6 ounces of broiled, grilled, or poached lean fish or shrimp with a starchy or non-starchy vegetable side dish; or have a one-dish meal with lean protein and starchy or non-starchy vegetables
- Balance your plate with a variety of foods and a mix of fat releasers
- Use portion control
- Drink first, eat second
- Snack twice a day from the book’s recipes
- Have a glass of red wine or a bunch of red grapes at dinner. Women should have 4 ounces of red wine; men can have 6 ounces.
- Have a dessert or a treat once a week
Finish Strong Stage – foods to avoid
- Soda
- Artificial sweeteners
- Fatty proteins
- Full-fat milk products, cream, half and half, etc.
- Fake creamers or fat-free half-and-half
- Salty foods
Maintenance diet for The Digest Diet
If you haven’t reached your goal at the end of 3 weeks, you can either stay on the third stage (“Finish Strong”) or cycle through the second (“Fade Away”) and third stages.
Wait to repeat the Fast Release stage for at least a month, if not two months, and don’t do it more frequently than 4 times a year
- If you want to lose 10-20 pounds, repeat Fade Away for 10 days, then one week Finish Strong, then if you haven’t reached your goal weight repeat another week of Finish Strong
- If you want to lose more than 20 pounds, there are 2 options. (1) repeat Fade Away and Finish Strong until you reach your goal weight; (2) create your own menu based on the Fade Away and Finish Strong phases and keeping within a reasonable calorie limit (1400-1600 calories a day for women; 1600-1800 calories a day for men)
Health benefits claimed in The Digest Diet
The diet in this book claims to reduce the risks for: food addiction, overweight/obesity
As always, this is not intended to be a replacement for professional medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. Consult your doctor before starting a new diet. This page describes what the authors of the diet recommend – Chewfo is describing the diet only, not endorsing it.
Get a copy of The Digest Diet for more information on lifestyle suggestions, exercise, meal plans, and recipes
Diet book
Also see The Digest Diet Cookbook for more recipes
Cookbook
The Digest Diet Dining Out Guide has guidelines for eating out
Restaurant/dining out guide
The book’s website is http://www.digestdiet.com/
How has this diet helped you? Please add a comment below.
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