Over the weekend, famous singer Adele showed off her now-slim figure on Saturday Night Live – and she previously attributed her weight loss success to the Sirtfood Diet. As a result, searches for the Sirtfood diet blew up the next day straight away.
But what exactly is the Sirtfood diet and does it really work?
Two nutritionists in the UK launched the Sirtfood diet in 2016.
The premise is that by eating specific foods rich in phytonutrients called polyphenols, you can accelerate the growth of sirtuins proteins, which are involved in regulating metabolism, inflammation and aging.
Phytonutrients are chemical compounds produced by plants that help them grow well or protect themselves. Modern science is elucidating their potential benefits to human health.
It is believed that consuming foods rich in polyphenols (also known as “Sirtfoods”) can improve the body’s fat-burning efficiency and boost metabolism, resulting in significant weight loss.
Common Sirtfoods include apples, soy, kale, blueberries, strawberries, dark chocolate (85% cacao), red wine, matcha green tea, onions, and olive oil, and the Sirtfood diet is best known for including red wine and chocolate on the list.
Two phases
The diet regimen consisted of 2 phases for 3 weeks. For the first 3 days, total energy intake is limited to 4200 kJ per day.
To achieve this goal, you will drink 3 glasses of sirtfood green juice, which includes kale, celery, parsley, matcha green tea and lemon juice. You can also have a “Sirtfood” meal, such as a chicken and kale curry.
On days 4 to 7, you can enjoy 2-3 glasses of green juice and 1 or 2 meals, for a total energy intake of 6300 kJ/day.
For the next two weeks – Phase 2 – total energy intake should be in the range of 6300-7500 kJ/day with 3 meals, 1 cup of green juice and 1 to 2 Sirtfood snacks per day.
There are books on the market that provide detailed Sirtfood recipes
After three weeks, a “balanced diet” rich in Sirtfoods is recommended, along with regular daily green juices.
Positive factors
The idea of losing a significant amount of weight in just three weeks appeals to many people.
The diet encourages the consumption of a range of foods rich in polyphenols, which are also good sources of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, and so are themselves part of a healthy balanced diet plan that is recommended to assist with weight management.
A diet is effective if it controls the total daily energy intake. So, the biggest benefit of the Sirtfood diet is the daily energy restriction – if you stick to it, you can lose weight.
In addition, eliminating energy-dense, ultra-processed “junk” foods also helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Disadvantages
It is wise to be mindful of the portion sizes of some of the foods listed, such as red wine and chocolate.
Like most restrictive diets, the first phase can be challenging and is not recommended for people with underlying health conditions without the supervision of a health professional.
Rapid weight loss in the first phase is actually a loss of water and glycogen, not body fat. Glycogen is the form of energy stored in the muscles and liver.
Rapid weight loss increases the risk of gallstones and amenorrhea (loss of menstruation).
The recipe includes specific products that may be hard to find – the original article uses O’Angelica as an example, but that’s hard to get in Australia, and seems to be a common herbal medicine in China (the main treatment for amenorrhea, which just happens to target the aftermath of rapid weight loss. (This grouping is a bit scientific haha).
Overall, Sirtfood seems to be more focused on short-term results.
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