The Pritikin Diet

People all over the world have tried a wide variety of diets and methods to lose weight. Among the fads and get-thin-quick promotions, there are a few well established diets that promote a lifestyle change to lose weight, not an overnight miracle.

The Pritikin Program is one of the more reputable, well-known diets in existence. The principles behind the diet are sound, developed with the intent to educate as well as to encourage weight loss.

The Founder

• Nathan Pritikin was a nutritionist diagnosed with heart disease in the 1950s. In an effort to control the affliction and still enjoy a long and rich life, Nathan Pritikin developed a diet and exercise program that was high in natural carbohydrates and extremely low in fats. The changes proved beneficial, greatly improving Pritikin's health.

  Once he perfected the regimen, he presented the health conscious program to the public, opening the doors to the first Pritikin Longevity Center in 1975 where he served as director. By the early 1980s, Nathan Pritikin was considered a health guru and his program exploded in popularity across the country.

  After Nathan Pritikin's death in 1985, his son Robert Pritikin stepped in to continue the franchise adding his knowledge to his father's.

The Principle

• The concept behind the Pritikin Diet is a simple structure that balances low fat food intake with exercise. Nathan Pritikin always kept in mind the basic axiom of caloric usage being greater than caloric intake. He then combined this understanding with natural foods, exceptionally lean animal proteins and scheduled exercise.

  Fruits, vegetables, and grains are high in carbohydrates yet low in calories. Animal proteins in the leanest cuts are needed for specific cell regeneration and to provide the human body with a relatively small fat base for proper functioning. When these items are combined in the proper proportions, they encourage the body to shed excess weight.

  Nathan Pritikin also believed that education was key to implementing his dietary program. He believed in teaching people how to change their lifestyles to live healthier and to decrease stress.

The Changes

• Robert Pritikin stepped into his father's shoes and continues the legacy. In doing so, Robert Pritikin has blended his knowledge along with advances in nutritional science with the original concepts of the program.

  Research has introduced the idea of "caloric density" into dietary equations. The belief is that a pound of one food contains fewer or greater calories than a pound of a different food. For example, a pound of raw broccoli contains approximately 130 calories, whereas a pound of chocolate chip cookies contains approximately 2100 calories. According to the Pritikin Diet, eating the broccoli would be the wiser choice.

  Studies have shown that eating foods with a lower caloric density will fill the hunger with longer lasting satisfaction than eating foods with a higher caloric density. Natural foods provide more nutrition to the body overall satisfying the need to eat. Pre-processed foods that are high in calories and fat with virtually no nutritional value burn through the body faster demanding the need for larger quantities to be eaten.

The Success

• Nathan Pritikin's program has survived for almost 30 years and continues to grow. The Pritikin Diet has helped over 1 million people live longer and healthier. Through advances and education, people continue to lose weight while establishing better eating habits and adopting a more symbiotic eating lifestyle.