Do you enjoy trying out new diets? If so, you might want to take a crack at the Galveston diet to improve your total health. Below we break down the pros and cons and of course, what the diet actually is.

What is the Galveston diet? 

Developed by Mary Claire Haver, MD, the Galveston diet was established to slow metabolism, inflammation and regulate temperature. With age, metabolism starts to slow and it can be challenging to digest properly and receive the same energy from familiar foods we are used to eating.

This diet is anti-inflammatory with a great emphasis on lean proteins and low-glycemic carbohydrates, which could help with weight loss. The Galveston diet is focused on whole foods and rich in fiber to stabilize blood sugar and naturally detoxify the body.

So, what can you eat?

Basically, in order to have success and see results, you need to follow a low carb diet that’s high in healthy fats, produce, and lean protein. Some great sources are salmon, eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, turkey, and beef.

Lean protein will keep you in a good position to avoid saturated fats. For fats, we suggest seeds, avocado and nuts as snacks throughout the day. And don’t worry, you don’t have to completely take out sugar. Additionally, you can consume tomatoes, green leafy vegetables like bok choy, cauliflower, and broccoli. And like most diets, you must eliminate your processed foods intake.

If you are looking for more ways to round out your iron intake, you can always opt for a multivitamin (we suggest this if you are worried about the lack of whole grains on this diet).

What schedule do I have to keep?

Experts recommend intermittent fasting, or selecting a 8-hour window in a day where you eat and not eating outside of this window (16 remaining hours). By reducing the amount of hours you eat a day, you directly avoid foods that can lead to inflammation.

Basically what happens when you fast is your body will go into ketosis — where it switches from using glucose (sugar from carbohydrates) as its main energy source to using stored fat (ketones) instead. All of that yields to the body burning fat and losing weight.

Are there any cons to the diet?

For starters, this diet can be quite costly. The instructions share the purchase of organic produce, grass-fed protein, that might not be financially or geographically accessible for all. Not to mention, the diet is basically gluten-free which might not be the best if you need gluten in your diet.

Although there is no one-diet-fits-all option out there, if you are looking for higher energy, weight loss, and can stomach fasting, this might be the diet for you.

If you want to try another diet, read about the 5:2 diet.