Mayo Clinic Plan

The Mayo Clinic Plan is a great diet, designed by medical professionals from a reputable health institute. The Mayo Clinic Plan (book available from Amazon) promotes a nutritious diet of fruit and vegetables with starchy carbs and then proteins and dairy, and is based on the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid.

With the Mayo Clinic plan you eat practically unlimited amounts of vegetables and fruit, plus whole-grain foods, lean protein and heart-healthy fats. The objective is to eat foods containing a small number of calories in large amounts, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, poultry, fish and whole grains. Also on the menu are low-fat dairy and unsaturated fats (especially from nuts and olive and canola oils). This is not a restrictive diet plan, so carries its own incentive to stick with it long-term.

The result is a balanced, nutritious diet to achieve a healthy weight. The Mayo Clinic claims that the plan can help reduce your risk for heart disease (by lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol), cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

Mayo Clinic Diet Plan

Internet site eDiets.com®, which claims to be the web’s authority in diet, fitness and motivation, working in partnership with The Mayo Clinic, appears to be the sole agency to offer the plan via the Internet (beginning December 2005) as the basis for a comprehensive program to manage and maintain your weight.

This program uses the Mayo Clinic Plan as its foundation, and additionally offers:

• Personalized menus each week
• Ingredients shopping lists
• Options to match meal plans and lifestyles
• Daily serving recommendations
• Results charts and reports
• Weight-loss do’s and don’ts
• Dining-out tips

Sample Meals

A sample meal might include:

• Pancakes with syrup and strawberries
• Dilled Pasta Salad with Spring Vegetables
• Rosemary Lemon Chicken
• Fresh Apricots

Here’s a 3 day sample meal plan.

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Breakfast Oatmeal 1 cup nonfat, skim milk 1 slice whole wheat bread 1 1/4 cups sliced fresh strawberries	Breakfast 2 pancakes, from mix (4” diameter) 1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup 1 tsp margarine 1 cup nonfat, skim milk 3/4 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup honeydew melon	Breakfast Poached Egg with toast and orange juice 2 slices whole wheat bread 1 tsp margarine 1 cup orange juice, calcium-fortified
Lunch Southwestern Salad 1/2 whole-wheat, approximately 6” (2 oz.) pita bread 1 cup nonfat, skim milk	Lunch Dilled Pasta Salad with Spring Vegetables 1 small apple 1 cup nonfat, skim milk	Lunch Tuna Salad Pita 1 bell pepper 1 small apple
Dinner Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce 1 slice whole wheat bread 5 baby carrots 1 cup nonfat, skim milk 1 cup cantaloupe	Dinner Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Sweet Green Beans and Brown Rice with Green Onions 1 cup nonfat, skim milk 6 tomato slices 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar 1 cup cantaloupe	Dinner Tomato-Basil Pita Pizza with salad and cantaloupe 2 cups lettuce, romaine or lettuce of choice 1 cup chopped or sliced cucumber 2 Tbsp. dressing, Italian low fat 1 cup cantaloupe 1 cup nonfat, skim milk
Snack 7 whole almonds 1 cup red or green grapes	Snack 1 small pear 3/4 cup fresh blueberries	Snack Vegetable juice 1 medium banana 1/2 cup canned vegetable juice 6 Whole Wheat crackers

Summary

The program altogether appears to be comprehensive and effective in its goals. It should appeal to many looking for a long-term lifestyle in which a healthy weight can be achieved and maintained without causing undue stress - in fact, it promotes a healthier life overall.