Ornish, A Lose Fat Diet – the History

In his book, A Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D. developed a program that became the first diet and lifestyle program scientifically proven to reverse heart disease. Published in 1990, the book has been a long-standing New York Times bestseller. It includes a vegetarian diet plan to lose fat.

Dr. Ornish first became interested in conducting research on heart disease in 1975, when he was a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine. As part of his medical training, he had the opportunity to assist cardiovascular surgeons performed coronary artery bypass surgery. Although he appreciated the skill and expertise of the physicians, Dr. Ornish considered the "treatment," was simply to "bypass" the causes of the disease in search of a temporary fix of the problem. Dr. Ornish began to research the dietary and lifestyle factors that lead to heart disease and to design clinical research trials that would allow him to study the effectiveness of dietary and lifestyle changes as a treatment for heart disease. The results of Dr. Ornish's first clinical trial, the Lifestyle Heart Trial, were published in 1990. In this study, Dr. Ornish's heart patients got healthier simply by adopting new dietary and lifestyle habits. The results of this study were considered revolutionary since, until that point, it was believed that it was impossible to stop the progression of heart disease. It also suggested a cheaper and safer weapon against cardiovascular disease than invasive procedures such as coronary artery bypass surgery.

Aside from the Reversal Diet for people suffering heart disease who want to reverse its effects and lower their heart attack risk, Dr. Ornish also presents the Prevention Diet for people with no heart disease, but with cholesterol levels above 150, or with a ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (or "good" cholesterol) less than 3.0. To lose fat both diets supply only 10% of calories from fat. It excludes cholesterol and saturated fat, including all animal products (except egg whites and nonfat dairy products), nuts, seeds, avocados, chocolate, olives, and coconuts. Oils are eliminated except a small amount of canola oil for cooking, and oil that supplies omega-3 essential fatty acids. The Ornish diet also prohibits caffeine, but allows a moderate intake of alcohol, sugar, and salt. The diet emphasizes the consumption of high-fiber whole grains and legumes (beans, and peas), fruits and vegetables, and allows processed or refined foods in moderation. There is no restriction on the calorie intake so long as the diet is confined within the recommended foods.

In addition to these dietary recommendations, the lose fat Program involves comprehensive lifestyle changes including moderate aerobic exercise, stress reduction techniques, peer support, smoking cessation, and nutritional supplementation.