What is the Ornish diet?
Eat More, Weigh Less, by Dean Ornish, MD is a low-fat diet that takes the tact of allowing some food types to be eaten in unlimited amounts, recommending others in moderation and other avoided. The avoid group includes meats of all kinds and any dairy with fat. Details on the diet can be found at WebMD, where Ornish runs a health and diet site.
How does the Ornish diet work?
Less than 10 percent of your calories will come from fat. The foods on the avoid list are meats of all kinds including fish and poultry, oils, avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, any dairy with fat, sugar and sugar derivatives like honey or corn syrup, alcohol and any commercially prepared foods with more than two gram of fat. But you can eat all the beans, fruits, grains and vegetables you like. Allowed in moderation are nonfat diary products and commercially prepared non-fat or low-fat products that does not have sugar as a main ingredient.
What does research say?
A 2005 study comparing Ornish, Atkins, Zone and Weight Watchers found that all of the 160 participants lost some weight after a year but no matter the diet those that adhered to the diet had the best results. A 2008 study found similar results when comparing Ornish, Atkins and Zone and concluded that adherence success might be more important than the food recommended on the diet.