Sirtfood Diet: Does it really work?

Want to start a diet, but don’t want to count calories, fast for numerous days, or with some of your favorite foods? If so, you might want to try the sirtfood diet.

First, what are sirtfoods? The sirtfood category contains specific foods that activate certain proteins in your body called sirtuins. These proteins help regulate metabolism, inflammation, and the aging process by protecting cells in our bodies. Sirtuins help the body burn fat and boost metabolism. Some examples of sirfoods include:

• Buckwheat

• Capers

• Celery

• Kale

• Green tea

• Strawberries

• Turmeric

• Walnuts

So, how does this diet work? The sirtfood diet involves 2 phases (lasting 3 weeks):

Phase 1: 7 days of a high intake of sirtfoods with moderate calorie restriction (1000 calories for the first 3 days and 1500 calories for the next 4 days).

Phase 2: 14 days where you continue the high sirtfood diet without restricting calories.

And now, the real question: Does the sirtfood diet really work? If your top priority involves losing weight, the diet itself will work for you. A lot of weight loss occurs during the first week (an average 6-7 lbs). In the next two weeks, your weight stays the relatively the same as after the first week. But, weight loss isn’t the only benefit of this diet. The sirtfood diet promotes a low sugar diet (except for naturally occurring sugars), smaller portions, less mindless snacking, and zero calorie drinks (such as water and tea). Another beneficial factor of this diet includes muscle gain. Most weight loss centered diets end up causing people to lose muscle instead of fat. The sirtfood diet has shown that, on average, people will only lose 5 lbs in weight, but gain 2 lbs of muscle, so in the end, those people ended up losing 7 lbs of fat. Those who have tried the diet also report that it helped them with their energy throughout the day and a more peaceful sleep at night.

Schedule an appointment with your gyno to see if the sirtfood diet would be right for you. At Women’s Health Practice, we offer a DXA scan, which can tell you your weight distribution, body fat content, and much more. If you are planning to try the sirtfood diet, it might prove helpful to complete a DXA scan before you start the diet to see how beneficial the diet was for you at the end of the 3 weeks and if you would like to continue it.