Perricone Diet

Description:

A few years ago, medical science discovered that inflammation – the body’s natural reaction to any infection or irritation – might be a culprit in the heart’s aging process. The premise is that as people go through their lives, they also go through a long succession of flu, colds, and other infections. Every time they are sick, their hearts react by becoming inflamed. The measure of a person’s heart inflammation can sometimes predict heart disease.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist, takes this theory and runs with it. Just as the sun causes our skin to inflame, so do certain foods. Many of them are common, such as sugar, alcohol, bread, cereals, beef, pasta, hard cheeses, and even certain fruits and vegetables like grapes, oranges, carrots, peas, and potatoes. Other foods, however, do the opposite and reduce inflammation.

Dr. Perricone’s first book, The Wrinkle Cure, included a diet of “superfoods” to help you get rid of wrinkles. He found that many people on the “Wrinkle Cure Diet” actually lost weight, too, which gave him the idea for The Perricone Weight Loss Diet. Dr. Perricone’s claims for his diet go beyond simple weight loss: He claims that his diet plan will help you “lose the fat, the wrinkles and the years.” It is an age-reversing diet. He ranks foods as “top choices” or “runners-up” in their food groups.

His list looks something like this: Top choice for protein is Wild Alaskan Salmon; runners-up are tuna, sardines, sablefish, and anchovies. For fruits, top choices are apples, pears, and grapefruit; runners-up are berries, peaches, plums, cherries, and pomegranates. For fats, top choices are avocado, acai, and olives, followed by coconut oil. In spices, top choice is cinnamon; next is turmeric, fenugreek, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and bay leaves. Top choices for nuts are sesame seeds and flaxseeds; runners-up are almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Dr. Perricone advises people who want to reverse the aging process to exercise and keep their stress levels down. He also sells nutritional supplements and many skin products on his Web site and through upscale stores like Nordstrom.

His skin regimens and diets have a certain “snob appeal” because they are expensive to follow.

See: Perricone, Nicholas (MD). The Perricone Weight Loss Diet (New York: Ballantine Books) 2005.

Created: 2005

Categories: Supplements or Pills, Celebrity

Website: http://www.nvperriconemd.com/

Meetings: No

Books: Yes

Expert Review:

The diet is relatively balanced and does emphasize some good choices. It may be too high in fat for people with serious weight problems. The expensive supplements are unlikely to improve your chances of losing weight.

Sample Menu:

Below is a sample daily menu with recipes.

BREAKFAST

Two soft-boiled eggs, ½ cup (dry) Stop the Clock! Cereal* with 1 tablespoon POM Wonderful pomegranate juice or pure acai pulp

½ cup plain yogurt with ½ cup sliced cantaloupe and 1 tsp. chopped mint

8 oz. green tea or spring water

1 packet Weight Management supplement

1 1,000 mg fish oil capsule

1 astaxanthin capsule

½ tsp. glutamine powder (mix in water)

LUNCH

Icy Gazpacho with Fresh Lime**

Grilled chicken breast (6 oz. boneless, skinless – raw weight)

1 cup salad (dark green lettuce with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, extra fresh lemon juice to taste)

½ grapefruit

8 oz. green tea or spring water

1 packet Weight Management supplement

1 1,000 mg fish oil capsule

1 astaxanthin capsule

½ tsp. glutamine powder (mix in water)

SNACK

1/3 cup cottage cheese with 1 tablespoon ground flax and ¼ cup blueberries

8 oz. spring water

DINNER

Poached or baked halibut or salmon (6-8 oz., raw weight)

Curried cabbage***

1 cup cherry tomato salad with 1 teaspoon each chopped ginger, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil; low-sodium soy sauce and fresh lemon juice to taste

1 pear

8 oz. spring water with fresh lime

1 packet Weight Management supplement

1 1,000 mg fish oil capsule

½ tsp. glutamine powder (mix in water)

BEDTIME

1/3 cup kefir

2 almonds

6 cherries

8 oz. spring water

*STOP THE CLOCK! CEREAL

¾ cup water

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup oat bran

½ cup nonfat dry milk

½ cup low-fat soy flour

½ cup almond meal

½ cup ground flaxseed

¼ cup sesame seed

Combine all ingredients and store in freezer in airtight container. To make a serving, bring water to a boil, stir in ½ cup cereal mix and simmer for one minute. Cover and remove from heat. Allow to stand three minutes.

**ICY GAZPACHO WITH LIME

1 large red bell pepper

2 large tomatoes

1 large cucumber, halved and seeded

½ medium yellow onion

1 cup tomato juice

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, without stems

½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the whole red pepper under a broiler until the skin blisters. Place in a bowl and cover with a lid, allow it to steam to loosen skin. Peel away skin and remove seeds. Cut into medium dice. Cut half the tomatoes, half the cucumber, and half the onion into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a food processor. Add roasted red pepper and puree. Transfer mixture to bowl and add tomato juice, cilantro, and vinegar. Cut and seed the remaining tomato, cucumber, and onion with medium dice and add to soup. Refrigerate until chilled and add lime juice just before serving. Makes four servings.

***CURRIED CABBAGE

½ head green cabbage sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoons finely chopped onion

½ cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook cabbage in boiling water for four minutes; drain. In a large pan, heat oil and whisk in curry powder to make a paste. Add onion and cook for one minute. Whisk in broth and cook until it thickens. Add cabbage and stir. Cook until cabbage is just tender.

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