The No-Grain Diet Plan

Eliminate sugar, sweets, starches, grains and you will drop the pounds - so says The No-Grain Diet. This diet is based on the idea that meals high in grains, sweets, and starches promote elevated insulin levels, causing you to become hungry soon after you have just eaten. This is referred to as a "grain addiction" - when the cravings trigger you to eat more of the "wrong foods" and a harmful cycle ensues. The No Grain Diet also claims to help to reverse diabetes and help prevent other chronic diseases. Other rules include choosing organic products whenever possible, eliminating alcohol, and using the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), an acupressure technique to help deal with cravings.

What makes The No-Grain Diet a different weight loss plan?

This is a very low-carbohydrate diet, since you must eliminate all grains, sugar, sweets, and even fruit until you reach the "Sustain Phase" (the weight maintenance phase).

The No-Grain Diet differs from other very low-carb plans in that it allows for a wider variety of vegetables. The focus on organic foods, recommendations to take various supplements, and a unique "mind-body" technique for dealing with emotions during cravings also set this plan apart.

What is The No-Grain Diet Plan?

There are three phases of the plan:

• The Start-Up Phase: A three-day plan where you eliminate all grains, starchy vegetables, most or all fruits, and sweets. You must eat every two hours and become an eating machine in order to ease your way into the next phase.
• The Stabilize Phase: You're still off grains, but you stop eating every two hours, and instead eat three meals and three snacks everyday. You can't eat two hours before bedtime, and you add exercise around five times a week. This phase continues until you reach your desired weight. Once you stabilize at your goal weight for four weeks, you remain on this phase for another two to six weeks to transition into the next phase.
• The Sustain Phase: Now you add some of the eliminated carbohydrates back: first starchy vegetables, then some approved whole grains, some approved fruits, and finally some healthy sweeteners such as honey. Many grains are still off limits, such as pasta and flour, as well as other foods and beverages such as soda, artificial sweeteners, and sweets. You also have to keep watching the scale to make sure you do not regain weight.

Within each phase of the No-Grain Diet plan, there are three food plan options to meet the needs of different types of people. There's a questionnaire to help you choose which option is best for you. The three plans are:

• The Booster Food Plan is the most lenient, since you can eat selected fruits and a broader selection of proteins.
• The Core Food Plan gives faster results and is slightly stricter, eliminating fruits while increasing raw products and vegetable juices. Dairy and soy are restricted and more exercise and supplements are required.
• The Advanced Food Plan is for people who need to lose a lot of weight. It eliminates shellfish, dairy, coffee, and smoking.

Don't fret if you are craving sweets or bread, the No-Grain Diet includes a tool called the Emotional Freedom Technique to help you mentally and physically overcome the cravings. You can tap certain parts of your face and body and concentrate on a key phrase as part of the tutorial in EFT. This is definitely a unique aspect of this diet, as the plan tries to account for possible lapses in your willpower.

What are the weight loss expectations?

No specific expectations are provided on the No-Grain Diet plan.

Is exercise promoted?

A small section of this plan includes exercise, especially for weight maintenance and disease prevention. The No- Grain Diet plan recommends starting by walking, race walking, and trying a weight-bearing exercise for about 30 minutes a day to help with weight loss, and moving to 60 minutes a day.

Are supplements recommended?

Dr. Mercola, the diet's creator, recommends several supplements on the No-Grain Diet, including glutamine to help reduce cravings, as well as Omega-3s, cod-liver oil, and carnitine.