The Pritikin diet is one of the better diets which adheres to the main principles of good nutrition – plenty of fibre from vegetables, wholegrain, fruits, some low fat protein and less saturated fat. The medical community is divided on the amount of fat in the diet with some suggestions that what is recommended (10%) may be too little as there are some vitamins which need fat to be absorbed properly.

The Pritikin diet focus on wholegrains and plant foods is a plus as all medical and nutrition experts agree that these should form the basis of a healthy diet, as they provide a great deal of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and photochemicals that are essential for good health and preventing some diseases.

In general, the following is what the experts have to say about the Pritikin diet:

• The American Heart Association recommends this diet
• The Australian Heart Foundation recommends this diet
• The American Cancer Society recommends this diet
• Nutrition Australia recommends this diet

“A diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, some protein and is low in saturated fat is very healthy”

REFERENCES

1. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends diets based on plant-based foods (such as vegetables, fruit and wholegrains), with some protein intake and low fat intake. The AHA has a report: Rigorous, short-term diet-exercise program lowers heart disease risk, which outlines the health effects of a diet such as the Pritikin diet combined with exercise to significantly reduce heart disease risk
2. For obese people with high triglyceride and cholesterol levels, the Australian Heart Foundation recommends eating mainly plant-based foods including wholegrain cereals such as oats, bread, pasta, noodles and rice, vegetables, fruit and legumes i.e. dried peas (e.g. split peas), dried beans (e.g. haricot beans, kidney beans), canned beans (e.g. baked beans, three bean mix) and lentils and avoiding refined carbohydrates, which is exactly what the Pritikin diet also recommends
3. Katan MB, Grundy SM, Willett WC. Should a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet be recommended for everyone? Beyond low-fat diets. N Engl J Med 1997;337:563–66. Accessed on 17 January 2008. This article shows the association between the dietary intake of fat and cholesterol and the extent of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease
4. The American Cancer Society recommends a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet as a way to prevent cancers of gastrointestinal, respiratory and reproductive systems, as there is strong medical research evidence that this type of diet lowers the risk of those types of cancers
5. Nutrition Australia recommends this diet because it consists of a high intake of plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, wholegrain, legumes), a low intake of protein and low intake of fat, describing the Pritikin diet as “health-promoting overall and is likely to reduce both weight and the risk of heart disease”