The Galveston Diet has been making waves in the health and wellness world for its promise of helping women over 40 lose weight and reduce inflammation. Developed by Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified OBGYN and founder of Galveston Diet, this weight loss plan is tailored specifically to women who are experiencing hormonal changes and struggling to shed extra pounds.
But with so many diets out there promising quick results, some may wonder if the Galveston Diet is just another fad, or if it can help women meet their weight loss goals. And how is it different?
Unlike other diets that focus on restricting calorie intake, the Galveston diet focuses on incorporating anti-inflammatory foods and reducing processed foods to achieve weight loss. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Galveston diet, how it works, and what foods to include in your diet to achieve optimal results.
What is the Galveston Diet?
The Galveston diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet where 70% of your daily caloric intake comes from healthy fats, 20% from protein, and 10% from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient that our bodies need to function properly, but excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates like sugar, bread, and pasta can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and inflammation.
The Galveston diet addresses this issue by limiting carbohydrate intake and replacing it with healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. By reducing carbohydrates and increasing healthy fats, the Galveston diet aims to regulate hormones, reduce inflammation, and improve overall health.
How Does the Galveston Diet Work?
The founder of the Galveston diet claims the diet works by decreasing inflammation in the body and regulating hormones. By reducing processed foods and incorporating anti-inflammatory foods, the Galveston diet’s goal is to tame low-grade inflammation that wreaks such havoc in our bodies. In turn, this helps regulate hormones, including insulin, which can lead to weight loss.
Plus, the high-fat, low-carb combination of the Galveston diet helps control hunger and regulate blood sugar levels, making it easier to stick to the diet and avoid overeating.
Foods to Include in Your Diet
The Galveston diet consists of a variety of healthy, anti-inflammatory foods that are designed to help you achieve weight loss. Some of the foods that you should include in your diet include:
- Fruits and vegetables
- 100% whole grains
- Low-fat dairy products
- Seafood
- Poultry
- Lean meats
- Healthy fats
Minimizing processed foods is also an important aspect of the Galveston diet. By incorporating the most natural, whole foods into your diet, you can reduce inflammation and achieve optimal health.
Recommended Daily Meal Plan
Here’s an example of how someone might structure the Galveston diet:
- Breakfast: Avocado toast with scrambled eggs and a side of fruit
- Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and a vinaigrette dressing
- Dinner: Grilled salmon with roasted vegetables and quinoa
- Snacks: Almonds, Greek yogurt, and fresh berries
The focus is always on eliminating refined carbohydrates and adding more anti-inflammatory foods to the menu. The emphasis on eliminating ultra-processed foods and junk food is a huge plus with the Galveston diet. However, it’s not the first diet to do so. For example, a more varied diet, the Mediterranean diet, emphasizes unprocessed foods and healthy fats without being as restrictive with carbohydrates.
Downsides of the Galveston Diet
One downside of the Galveston diet is the lack of variety in food choices. The diet restricts or eliminates many staple foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. By restricting all carbohydrates to 10% or less of daily calories, you would have less room for whole-grain foods in your diet too.
Such restrictions can make it challenging to find satisfying and tasty meals that are within the guidelines of the diet. People who follow this diet may also find it difficult to eat out or attend social events where food is being served, as the options may be limited.
Another downside of the Galveston diet is the high-fat content. While the diet allows and encourages higher levels of fat than traditional diets, not all fats are created equal. Saturated and transfats, which are often found in high amounts in foods like red meat, cheese, and fried foods, have been linked to heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. This can make the Galveston diet a potentially dangerous choice for those with heart health concerns.
The Problem of Sustainability
The Galveston diet can also be difficult to stick to long-term. Reducing carbohydrates and increasing fats is a significant change from most people’s typical diets, and many find it difficult to sustain such drastic changes in eating habits. Additionally, many people who follow the Galveston diet experience hunger and cravings for carbohydrates when they first start, which can make sticking to the diet a challenge.
Another potential downside of the Galveston diet is the lack of scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness and safety. While some studies show low-carbohydrate diets can lead to weight loss in the short term, the long-term effects of this type of diet are not well understood. Additionally, the high-fat content of the Galveston diet may lead to health problems over time, especially for those who consume large amounts of saturated and transfats.
Conclusion
The Galveston diet is a weight loss program designed to help women with weight gain during menopause and perimenopause. By reducing inflammation in the body and regulating hormones, the Galveston diet can theoretically lead to weight loss and better health. However, it’s not the only approach to losing weight and improving health.
Other approaches, like the Mediterranean diet, are more varied and sustainable. The key is to cut back on refined carbohydrates, and ultra-processed foods, and choose healthy fats in moderation. Try those things first before trying this less sustainable approach to losing weight.
References:
- Soniya Nikam, MS, RD. (2021, May 18). Does the Galveston Diet Help Menopausal Women Lose Weight? Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/galveston-diet
- Hu T, Yao L, Reynolds K, Niu T, Li S, Whelton PK, He J, Steffen LM, Bazzano LA. Adherence to low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets in relation to weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors. Obes Sci Pract. 2016 Mar 1;2(1):24-31. doi: 10.1002/osp4.23. Epub 2016 Jan 15. PMID: 27114827; PMCID: PMC4840987.
- “The Galveston Diet | A Wellness Program for All Phases of Menopause”. 2023. Galvestondiet.Com. https://galvestondiet.com/.
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