The Sirtfood Diet: Everything You Need to Know

Adele, the multiple-Grammy-winning singer from the UK, shocked the world with her huge weight loss from the Sirtfood diet. Read on to learn all about this eating plan that's the key to her new look.

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She attributes her slim new figure to "The Sirtfood Diet," an eating plan originated from nutritionists Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, who created a guide and a Sirtfood diet book of recipes in 2016. 

The diet's primary focus is "sirtuins," a group of proteins that regulate several functions in the body. Eating certain foods called sirtfoods may cause the body to produce more of these proteins. They can be found in foods like kale, blueberries, matcha, Medjool dates, extra-virgin olive oil, green tea, buckwheat, and arugula. Surprisingly, red wine, coffee, and dark chocolate are on the menu, too! 

The premise is a reduced-calorie intake with lots of Sirtfoods. The combination is thought to enable the body to produce more sirtuins, which, combined with calorie restriction, induces fat-burning. 

These foods are all high in sirtuins, and you can incorporate them into many different yummy recipes!

• kale
• coffee
• blueberries
• matcha
• strawberries
• onions
• turmeric
• extra virgin olive oil
• arugula
• soy
• red wine
• lovage
• walnuts
• red chicory
• capers
• parsley
• dark chocolate (85% cocoa)
• buckwheat
• bird’s eye chili
• Medjool dates

While it may seem tempting to shed that COVID weight before the summer rolls around, health experts warn that this eating plan may not live up to its promises. Also, it could possibly be detrimental to your health and well-being. Be sure to consult a trusted physician before attempting radical diet changes.

It should also be noted that no long-term studies on humans have determined that eating a Sirtfood-rich diet has any noticeable health benefits.

For the most part, foods rich in sirtuins are great choices to incorporate into your diet, especially because of their anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants. However, even if they're healthy, only eating a small variety of healthy foods will not meet your body's needs. Nutritionally, the best option for overall health is a diet rich in many different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients combined with daily movement. 

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 1,600-2,400 calories a day for women and 2,000-3,000 a day for men. 

For the first three days, dieters consume around 1000 calories per day – around 40–50% of what most people require. This calorie restriction will result in a rapid loss of glycogen (a stored form of carbohydrate) from skeletal muscle and the liver.

But for every gram of stored glycogen, we also store approximately 2.7 grams of water, and water is heavy. So for all the lost glycogen, we also lose accompanying water – and therefore, weight. Additionally, diets that are too restrictive are hard to follow result in increases in appetite-stimulating hormones. Weight (glycogen and water) will therefore return to normal if the urge to eat overeat wins out.

The Sirtfood Diet has two phases. The first phase is 7 days and combines caloric restriction (to 1000 calories) with drinking sirtfood green juices. The second phase includes one juice and three sirtfood-rich meals. Diets with such speedy and promising results can seem tempting. However, losses may only be short-term. Any three-week plan is certainly a short turnaround for a diet, and RDNs and health experts everywhere assert that slow, steady dietary changes are more effective in maintaining a healthy lifestyle with results that will last. 

-Easy Chickpea Curry: Curry is one of my go-to meals, because it has plenty of flavors, lots of protein, and it keeps me full. Check out this yummy Sirtfood-friendly recipe

-Green Juice: Juice is one of the main elements of the Sirtfood diet and a great way to get those nutrients. Get your juicer ready and juice kale, arugula, parsley, celery, green apple, ginger, then add the lemon and matcha green tea for a sirtuin-packed green juice drink. 

-Asian Prawn Stir-Fry With Buckwheat Noodles: Buckwheat is one of the main staples of the Sirtfood diet and can replace most of the starches in your diet (like rice and wheat flour). This stir-fry recipe is packed with flavor and sirtuin-rich foods. You'll need buckwheat noodles (try to get 100% if possible), red onion, celery, kale, green beans, ginger, garlic cloves, bird's eye chili seeds, king prawns, soy sauce, and parsley.

What do you think of the Sirtfood Diet? Have you tried it? Even if you haven't, you can still add these foods to your diet, as they're packed with vital nutrients. Don't forget to share your favorite recipes with the people you love on FamilyApp!c