The HOTIE diet

I have been reading this great book “ Integrative Nutrition” by Joshua Rosenthal and in order to clarify my understanding of how diet works and what works best for me, I have to create my own diet plan. I have to take inspiration from the various diet plans that were explained in the book.  So my diet plan is called HOTIE diet, where Hotie stands for “Have one total indulgence everyday”. Its kind of an interesting name, which popped while I was thinking about the diet plan.

The diets that appealed to me the most are Ayurveda, The Zone diet and The Sally Fallon diet.

Ayurveda is an ancient healing system from India that emphasizes eating in accordance with your individual body type and seasons. The foods that are encouraged in this diet is something warm, something with protein, a salad or vegetables with good oil, spices and flavorings, a small sweet for dessert, walk and rest. It’s important to have all the six tastes in every meal to completely satisfy your body. Those six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. Foods that are heavily processed, have excess sugar, caffeine and large amounts of animal protein are totally restricted. I really like that in Ayurveda diet; food is used as a medicine to cure body, not as indulgence. What really attracts me to this diet is to learn from nature, eat in harmony with the seasons and live a life full of balance.

The Zone diet is based on a theory that excess insulin makes us gain weight and keep it on. By regulating blood sugar levels with a perfect balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins at every meal, the body burns fat more efficiently and has more energy. Foods encouraged must have 40% carbs, 30 % fat and 30% protein, found in foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, leafy green vegetables and sufficient protein, fats from olive oil, avocados, almonds, fish and fish oils. The diet has strong emphasis on drinking 8 glasses of water. The foods restricted are processed carbs found in bread, pasta and white grains and saturated fats. I find this diet to be a balance between all the diets. As far as I am concerned its difficult to completely become a vegetarian and this diet gives the allowance to eat meat but in moderation. It’s a better version of Atkins diet which is very very protein diet. The major idea behind this diet is to have balanced, relaxed and well fed body that has optimal energy level to live from day to day. Also this diet focuses on 5 meals rather than 3 meals. We usually tend to eat our stomachs out if we just have three meals the whole day. Distributing the 3 meals to 5 helps the blood sugar level to remain balanced. If you continue to eat well-balanced and proper five meals, you will never feel too hungry or overly full and your blood sugar will remain normal throughout the day.

Sally Fallon looked at the work of Dr Weston Price, who studied the diets of many ancient societies and decided that by eating nourishing, traditional foods and farm produce, we could achieve optimal health and this is the philosophy behind The Sally Fallon diet. The foods encouraged are high quality animal products, whole, raw dairy milk, eggs, meat, organ meats, fish eggs, fish and cod liver oil, butter, sprouted grains, and mostly cooked vegetables. Foods restricted are: refined sugars, low fat or no fat dairy products, non-organic meats and vegetables. I really appreciate the fact to whole and good quality foods. I also agree to the fact that human body is designed to eat both vegetables and meet and cannot survive as vegan/vegetarian. In order to have healthier life style, everything from different food groups should be consumed in moderation.

The Hotie diet is made keeping the following lines in mind” Having fears ad guilt around food is not healthy. It encourages extensive use of vegetables and fruits. Meat should be taken in moderation. It should be eaten occasionally like our ancestors use to eat it. Unlike us who devour meat all the team they use to eat meat when they were celebrating a victory or joy. This diet allows you to indulge one sweet/processed food a day after you haven eaten 5 super balanced and healthy meals along with one exercise routine. Hotie diets focuses on doing different exercise routine daily.  Human are bound to get bored with routine, and by introducing something fun everyday adds color to the mundane life. Human nature is to perform much better when they have a goal in front of them. If one is successful in achieving his goals to eat whole foods, whole grains, legumes, vegetables, lots of fruits then he I allowed to feast at the end of the day by indulging in eating meat products.

By giving you some flexibility, you can indulge yourself without guilt and maintain a basically healthy diet. Another recommendation for people who would to follow Hotie diet is to remain stress free. I would like to take inspiration from Islamic way of living; Keeping your lives simple and clutter free, always keeping a smile, allowing time for prayer and meditation, to give and forgive, and to be on good terms with all the people around you. To live and let live.