Diet Programs And Meals - The Delabos Diet by Levi Reiss

The Delabos Diet was created by doctor Alain Delabos in 1986. This diet is based on the chrononutrition principle; foods must be eaten at the right time of day according to a biological clock. Eat fatty foods in the morning, heavy foods at noon, sweet foods in the afternoon, and nothing or very little in the evening. Eat breakfast in the first hour after getting up, wait five hours for lunch, and another five hours before eating a sweet snack. Wait at least 90 minutes after your snack before eating supper. If you aren't hungry skip supper. And don't eat for at least 90 minutes before going to sleep.

It is important to eat the right foods at the right time. Breakfast means bread, cheese, butter, and from time to time bacon and eggs. For lunch eat meat or fish, and perhaps starchy foods and green vegetables. Eat fruits or fruity foods and vegetable oils such as peanuts, avocado with dressing, or olives at snack time. For supper you may eat green vegetables, fish, seafood, or white meat in small quantities. The Delabos Diet very clearly defines portion size based on your height. You'll need to consult the documentation to know exactly what to eat. For example, dieters eat 1 to 4 eggs. Two meals a week are completely unrestricted.

The Delabos Diet has the advantage of being balanced. Because dieters are allowed to eat everything, they are able to stay on course for a long time. Among the disadvantages for many is eating cheese in the morning. This is one complicated diet; dieters spend a lot of time calculating portions. To get you started on the calculations remember that there are 454 grams in a pound. Here are two sample menus:

Menu 1

Breakfast: 60 to 140 grams of mozzarella cheese, 50 to 90 grams of rye bread and 10 to 20 grams of butter. Tea or coffee.

Lunch: 150 to 290 grams of roast beef. 250 milliliters (about 8 ounces) of rice.

Mid-afternoon snack: 250 milliliters of grains. 2 or 3 scoops of lemon sherbert.

Supper: Mussels. 250 to 330 milliliters of broccoli.

Menu 2

Breakfast: 60 to 140 grams of goat cheese, 50 to 90 grams of whole wheat bread and 10 to 20 grams of butter. Tea or coffee.

Lunch: 150 to 290 grams of lamb chop. 250 milliliters (about 8 ounces) of lentils.

Mid-afternoon snack: An avocado with dressing. 250 milliliters of dried fruit.

Supper: Nothing.

Some of the information in this article comes from a fascinating new book, La Bible des Regimes, written by Jenny de Jonquieres and published by Amerik Media. Her book describes over 80 diets and weight reduction programs. Each diet is presented with 5 menu plans, a detailed discussion of its advantages and disadvantages, and lots more. La Bible des Regimes is presently available only in French. For more information consult the publisher's website www.amerik-media.com.