Adele is a phenomenal singer, whose talent is unmatched in modern music. But it is her weight loss that has been all anyone can talk about lately, especially after recent photos have emerged of the singer showcasing a much trimmer figure than before. How did she do it? Many media outlets have been attributing her weight loss (reports say she has shed up to 50 pounds) to the Sirtfood Diet. But what exactly is the Sirtfood Diet? While many are focusing on the fact that you can drink red wine and eat chocolate on it – there’s much more to the Sirtfood diet than that.
What is the Sirtfood Diet?
The Sirtfood Diet was created by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten. They began investigating diets in other parts of the world where certain illnesses weren’t as prevalent as they are in North America. The diet itself focuses on a lot of plant-based foods, which may already be a step-up from the average North American diet. The Sirtfood Diet does allow things like dark chocolate and olive oil, sharing similar traits with the Mediterranean Diet. Goggins and Matten also have created a Sirtfood cookbook full of meal recipes that are compliant with the plan.
The diet operates by focusing on sirtuin-increasing polyphenols. Apparently, certain types of polyphenols can “activate” sirtuin-genes which can cause weight loss and regulate metabolism. Goggins and Matten looked at the foods which are rich in these specific polyphenols and labeled them as “Sirtfoods”.
But it’s not that simple. According to the New York Post, for the first three days, individuals restrict their intake to only 1,000 calories a day – one sirtuin-packed meal and two green juices. That increases to 1,500 calories for the following four days when an additional meal is allowed. After that week, dieters are allowed to eat as many Sirtfood meals as they like. Plus, daily exercise is also recommended on the diet. These special Sirtfoods are supposed to boost muscle growth because they activate your “skinny gene,” which then allegedly mimics the effects of diet and exercise.
Is the Sirtfood Diet healthy?
According to their website, the Sirtfood diet can result in weight loss as these foods can “mimic” the effect of exercise and eating less. They cite their participants seeing average results of 7lbs lost in a week. Additionally, the diet claims that it can improve health and reverse illness in some cases. Which makes it sound pretty compelling, right?
Well, the thing is it is another diet, after all, and a restrictive one at that. According to the New York Post, the diet starts off with 3 days of extreme calorie lows (Around 1,000 calories), then transitions into a phase that allows more, but still heavily focuses on Sirtfoods. Calorie deficits like that can usually cause rapid weight loss, however, they can also encourage unhealthy fixation on food control and may impact your health negatively.
Diets come and go, and the diet industry is worth a ton of money. Obesity is on the rise, and many people are looking for a healthy way to lose weight. When you can see the results of a diet on a well-known person (such as Adele), interest can certainly be piqued. Especially when the transformation is as shocking as hers was. The important thing is to remember to talk to your doctor about any changes in your diet or lifestyle to ensure your health and safety if anything goes sideways.
More About Diet & Weight Loss:
- Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
- 11 Pegan (Paleo-Vegan) Recipes For Dinner
- 12 Keto Recipes That Won’t Leave You Feeling Deprived