What Is the No-Grain Diet?

The No-Grain Diet was created by Dr. Joseph Mercola to help you achieve lasting weight loss by getting rid of what he considers the wrong foods in your diet and replacing them with certain items (according to his book "The No-Grain Diet"). This diet also aims to reduce the occurrence of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and allergies, according to EveryDiet.Org.

What to Avoid

• The No-Grain Diet encourages you to eliminate grains, sweets and starches. If you just reduce the intake of any of these items, your body will crave it even more, according to Mercola. These foods also raise insulin levels, which only makes the dieter hungrier, in a cycle Mercola terms "grain addiction," according to DietTelevision.com. In the first phase of the diet (the "Start-Up Phase"), most, if not all, fruits must also be eliminated during this three-day period, during which you eat every two hours.

  Three food plans allow you to choose how quickly you want to lose weight. For instance, the booster food plan exists for more gradual weight loss, while the core and advanced food plans allow for quicker weight loss by restricting or cutting out items such as dairy, coffee or even smoking.

  Organic and grass-fed meats are preferred in the No-Grain Diet, as well as olive oil, raw nuts, fish, milk from sheep and goats, and a wide variety of veggies. In addition, alcohol is restricted. Cooking and preparatory time must be included in the No-Grain Diet as well.

  The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a psychological acupressure technique, also aims to make the body's cells send the message to you to eat healthier foods instead of grains and sugars by instructing you to tap certain parts of your face and body and meditate on an important phrase.

Stabilize Phase

• The second phase of the No-Grain Diet is the "Stabilize Phase," during which you spend at least 50 days switching from eating every couple of hours to eating three meals and three snacks daily. Exercise during this phase is required five times a week, and meals are avoided a couple of hours before hitting the sack at night. Walking is a preferred exercise method, starting at 30 minutes a day and increasing to 60 minutes a day. Supplements also are part of the diet program. The purpose of this phase for you is to get down to your desired goal weight and stay there for four weeks, after which you'll continue on the same track for two to six more weeks.

Sustain Phase

• The final phase of the No-Grain Diet is the "Sustain Phase," which lasts a lifetime. During this phase, some of those initially forbidden fruits and whole grains, such as oats, return to your diet. However, you must still avoid soda, flour/pastas, artificial sweeteners and sweets. Honey is allowed, however, as are starchy vegetables such as carrots and yams.