The five factor diet was designed by Harley Pasternak with Myatt Murphy, and is also a healthy and easy to follow diet plan that works for just about everyone. So, what is the five factor diet all about?

The basic concept behind the five factor diet is to eat five meals per day. The five meals should comprise of five essential components:

• Lean proteins

• Complex carbohydrates

• Fiber

• Healthy fats

• Water or any other sugar free drink

If you choose to follow the five factor diet, you will have to choose foods with a low glycemic index. The GI of foods is based on the rise in blood sugar levels seen after consuming the food. The idea is that consuming foods high in proteins and fiber will help you stay sated for a longer time and prevent you from overeating or snacking in between meals.

In addition to modifications in food habits, the five factor diet plan requires you to exercise five days a week. The people behind this plan insist that exercise is essential if you wish to derive full benefit from this diet.

The diet plan even has a "cheat day". In other words, one day is set aside for you to eat anything your heart desires. This is a great plus since many people tend to quit following their chosen diet plans because it does not permit them to eat the foods they like.

The five factor diet is simple. It just requires you to develop healthy eating habits. You will have to learn to choose certain foods over others. For instance, you may have to go in for wheat bread instead of white bread or substitute water or green tea instead of sugary carbonated beverages. To sum up, the concept behind the five factor diet is something that we have always known – that healthy eating and exercise will go a long way towards weight loss.

The five factor diet is not a miracle diet wherein you shed pounds within days. That’s another advantage of this diet. It is not healthy to lose a lot of weight within a short time span. Losing a few pounds at a time is the ideal way to shed weight. Although the five factor diet requires you to stick to the plan for five weeks to see results, chances are you will have to continue the plan for a longer time if you wish to lose a substantial amount of weight. The best part of this diet is that it does not require drastic modifications in eating habits and lifestyle, especially if you are committed to healthy eating and weight loss. So, it is easy to make this diet a life time habit.

The downside of the five factor diet plan is that it requires careful planning and preparation. That means that you will have to spend time choosing the foods that are recommended and cooking it. Therefore, this is not a suitable plan for those who lead very busy lives. Another problem is that if you work in an office or go to school, it may not always be possible to eat five meals with a gap of 3 to 4 hours in between.

Although you do not stick exactly to the diet plan, you can understand the concepts of healthy eating from the five factor diet. Rest assured that the five factor diet is not a fad diet. It is just plain common sense.

Jonathan Pitts

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