I recently came across a diet that was mentioned by a member of an online health group that I had not heard of before – The Galveston Diet. If you too are asking “What is the Galveston Diet” I’ve done all the research for you.
I can tell you it’s a weight loss program aimed at middle-aged menopausal women. It’s a low carb intermittent fasting diet that emphasizes the importance of when to eat, the type of foods to eat, and which foods to avoid to minimize inflammation in the body.
And, if you’re not menopausal but still want to lose weight, there is a spin off program called Galveston Prime for younger women.
If you want to know more about what is the Galveston Diet then read on.
What is the Galveston Diet?
The Galveston Diet is a weight loss program aimed at reversing menopausal weight gain through a combination of intermittent fasting and eating anti-inflammatory foods.
Aside from restricting calories, the Galveston Diet requires followers to focus on eating anti-inflammatory foods, which helps hormones work in favor of fat loss.
Related reading: Can You Do Intermittent Fasting On Keto?
The diet emphasizes eating whole foods while avoiding processed foods, artificial ingredients, and added sugars.
Related reading: 6 Damaging Effects Of Sugar On Your Body
Created by Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified obstetrician-gynaecologist, the Galveston Diet consists of three different levels of self-paced courses that you can choose from.
The spin off program was co-created by Katherine Haver, Dr Haver’s daughter who is a Nutritional Science student at LSU. Her aim was to give people the means and knowledge to lead a better lifestyle.
When you sign up for the program, you will get access to meal plans, recipes, and other helpful tools. There is also training regarding fasting, inflammation, and hormones. Participants will also have access to seven weeks of meal plans and shopping guides.
If you don’t want to sign up for the program there are a number of books about the diet written by different authors such as The Complete Galveston Diet Guide and Cookbook by Jeanne Smith or The Galveston Diet Guide for Beginners by Ann Smith.
Dr. Haver developed the diet when she was trying to lose weight after undergoing menopause while grieving the loss of her brother.
After she struggled to lose weight by eating less and exercising more, she realized that the standard model of weight-loss diets based on the concept of “calories in versus calories out” may not work for women in the menopausal stage.
According to Uma Naidoo, MD a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist,
“When we get older our insulin sensitivity alters, and our metabolism slows and in general it’s more of a challenge to digest and process the energy we consume. The Galveston diet is an anti-inflammatory diet that focuses on lean proteins and low-glycemic carbohydrates which could potentially help those with female bodies manage their weight especially as they enter menopause.”
What To Eat on the Diet
You probably know by now what is the Galveston diet. But do you know which foods to eat on this diet? As mentioned, the diet prioritizes eating anti-inflammatory foods.
These are some of the foods that you can eat on the Galveston Diet:
- whole foods
- lean proteins like chicken, fish or turkey
- vegetables
- fruits
- legumes
- whole grains
- full-fat dairy
- healthy fats, like olive oil, nuts, salmon, and seeds
Foods that trigger inflammation must be avoided. Examples are processed foods with artificial ingredients and added sugars. Other foods to avoid are processed meats, fried foods, and inflammatory oils, such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
You must also minimize eating foods with refined flour and grains since they are known to cause inflammation.
When to Eat?
The Galveston Diet also requires that you eat only at a specific time. So, aside from knowing what to eat, you also need to know when you should eat when following this diet program.
Followers of the diet are required to follow intermittent fasting, which further aids in weight loss due to calorie restriction. However, Dr. Haver emphasizes that she incorporated intermittent fasting into the program because of the neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory effects of intermittent fasting.
There are many different types of intermittent fasting, but for the Galveston Diet, the 16:8 method is recommended. With this method, followers must fast for 16 hours and eat only within an 8-hour window. It’s much easier for most people to follow.
Is The Galveston Diet A Good Diet to Follow?
Currently, there’s not enough research done on the Galveston Diet. However, the diet’s emphasis on eating nutritious and anti-inflammatory foods while avoiding processed foods is the foundation of most healthy diets. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the Galveston Diet is a good diet to follow.
It has been likened to the keto diet in as much as the macros are said to be: 70% healthy fats, 20% protein and 10% carbs. Havers says it not a keto diet even though those are the same macros as a keto diet.
She does agree that it is a low carb diet but when you look at the food restrictions it is essentially a keto diet.
Related reading: Low Carb Diet Versus Keto
Several studies suggest a link between inflammation and obesity. Therefore, increasing your consumption of highly nutritious foods that are anti-inflammatory is beneficial for maintaining a healthy weight.
It’s also worth noting that intermittent fasting has been proven effective for weight loss. But experts say that more robust and long-term research is needed to fully understand its efficacy and safety.
Certain individuals suffering from medical conditions and are taking medications are also not encouraged to follow intermittent fasting. When it comes to its ability for weight loss, there is not enough research to support that intermittent fasting can help, other than the fact that it could lead to an overall calorie deficit.
Pros and Cons of the Galveston Diet
In order to fully understand what is the Galveston Diet, it’s worth knowing what the pros and cons are of following this diet.
Pros
- It does not require you to keep track of macros or count calories, making it more sustainable.
- The diet focuses on eating anti-inflammatory foods that are not only filling but nutritious as well.
- It encourages healthy habits such as planning and prepping healthy meals.
- The program teaches you how to balance your hormone levels to achieve fat loss.
Cons
- There’s not enough research to prove that the diet is indeed effective for weight loss.
- It requires followers to follow intermittent fasting, which may be difficult for some people to follow.
- You need to pay for the program to get access to the courses, which others might find expensive.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has addressed your question, what is the Galveston Diet? To summarize, it’s a type of program that requires followers to focus on eating anti-inflammatory foods while following intermittent fasting.
It is aimed at reversing weight gain for women in the menopausal stage. But it is important to remember that there is no magic bullet for weight loss. It is not enough that you purchase the program. You must be willing to follow the courses seriously. Otherwise, you will not achieve the benefits that come with the Galveston Diet and your money will only go to waste.
