What is the Ornish Diet?

What is the Ornish Diet?

D Ornish, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Texas,  and founder of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, created the Ornish Diet in the early 1999s.

Based on his 1999 book, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, the Ornish Diet emphasizes a vegetarian eating plan that includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and limited carbohydrates, animal proteins and fat. The diet is best known for its claims of preventing and reversing heart disease. In fact, it's tied for the top spot with the Mediterranean diet as the best heart-healthy diet of 2019.

Unlike other diets and weight loss plans out there, the Ornish Diet also focuses on the mental side of weight loss by incorporating stress management techniques. Stress reduction is a core element of Dr. Ornish's program, and he recommends deep breathing, yoga, and meditation.

Dr. Ornish also advises doing a variety of exercises, including resistance training, stretching, and aerobic workouts. Deepening relationships with family and friends and building support from community are also key, as they can positively affect your health.

Does the Ornish Diet work?

Following the Ornish Diet can lead to some positive outcomes, such as increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fibre and reduced intake of refined carbohydrates, sodium, and alcohol.

 The diet is great for people living with chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, who are looking to improve and potentially reverse their condition. And because it draws additional focus to exercise, stress reduction, and social support, the Ornish Diet can be good for people who are seeking to improve their overall health.

Dr. Ornish has conducted numerous studies about the effectiveness of the Ornish Diet for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including heart disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes, as well as weight loss, and depression.

One of the most groundbreaking studies, the Lifestyle Heart Trial, was the first randomised clinical trial aimed at reversing heart disease without drugs or surgery. The study, which followed 48 patients with severe coronary heart disease over a six-year period, concluded that those who adhered to a healthy lifestyle—similar to the recommendations outlined in the Ornish Diet—had greater reductions in cardiovascular disease after five years. On the other hand, those who didn't follow the lifestyle change continued to experience a progression of heart disease.