Peace Diet and Weight Control

The Peace Diet program by Dr. TerryShintani emphasizes five additional aspects of food that will help in losing weight.

1. Whole Plant-Based Food. Peace Diet encourages people to eat whole plant-based foods. These are the foods that are naturally high in fiber, low in fat, high in water content, and high in vitamin, mineral, and micronutrient content. Foods that are not whole and are highly refined foods such as sugar, white flour, and oils, do not fill up the stomach and make people hungry, they are devoid of the nutrients that can help optimize health. Flour products such as pastries are laden with fat and sugar will contribute to weight gain very quickly.  Avoiding animal products is also helpful in contributing to weight control.  Most animal products tend to be quite high in fat.

2. Minimum Fat. A major factor in the Peace Diet is its low fat content.  Fundamentally, fat is an important factor that causes people to be fat.  Whole, unprocessed food tends to be low in fat. For example, potatoes are very low in fat at less than 2%.  Their SMI value is around 5.9, so it takes 5.9 pounds of potatoes to provide 2500 calories. Potato chips by contrast are nearly 60% fat and it takes just 1 pound of potato chips to provide 2500 calories.

3.  Minimum Processed Carbohydrate. Processed carbohydrates contribute to elevated insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that helps to control blood sugar, but it also contributes to weight gain, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Following this diet will lead to avoiding foods that will contribute to "metabolic syndrome." Peace Diet will also help in choosing good carbohydrate foods that help to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke.

4. Maximum Fiber. Fiber tends to hold water and does so without calories.  In other words, it provides satisfaction without adding weight. Fiber also helps to prevent heart disease, stomach cancer, colon cancer and constipation. 

5.  Maximum Micronutrients. Whole foods also contain a wide variety of micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Though it can never be completely understand how the body utilizes all the micronutrients found in whole foods, it is known that the body is designed to use the micronutrients found in natural foods.