It’s safe to say that singer Adele broke the internet this morning with her first post on Instagram in 19 weeks, with many fans and news articles branding the 32-year-old as “unrecognisable” after showing a significant amount of weight loss.
And she’s recently credited this to the Sirtfood diet, so we asked consultant dietitian Sophie Medlin for the skinny.
What Is The Sirtfood Diet?
“The theory behind the Sirtfood diet is that there are certain foods that we can eat, which increase our production of a group of proteins called sirtunins,” explains Sophie. Come again?
“Sirtuins are thought to do a number of jobs in our bodies, including supporting out bodies to be energy efficient during low-calorie situations, such as dieting. This has only been demonstrated in test tubes so far and hasn’t been proven in humans just yet.”
What Does The Science Say?
“The idea seems to be that if you eat foods that may help you to produce more sirtunins, you will burn fat more efficiently and your metabolic rate will increase, but as you may have guessed, there is no evidence to support these claims.
“One of the main reasons the Sirtfood diet has grabbed headlines is because it allows you to eat chocolate and drink red wine and coffee.
“Obviously, nobody would lose weight if they drank copious amounts of wine, lattes and ate chocolate, so the diet also encourages an increase in certain fruits and vegetables, including onion, kale, rocket and strawberries.
Why Does It Help People To Lose Weight?
“The reason people lose weight on the Sirtfood diet is because it requires a strict calorie restriction of 1000 calories on the first week, consisting of green juices and one meal per day.
“The second week you can have two meals per day and two juices and 1500 calories per day. After that, you eat the foods that are permitted by the plan.”
If Someone Wants To Lose Weight, Is This Diet The Way To Go?
“Everyone would lose weight on such a strict calorie restriction, so there is no magic there. It may be that the allowance of foods that are usually considered taboos when dieting is actually the secret to the success of the plan.
“If you feel you can have foods like chocolate and red wine, it’s likely that you feel less restricted than you might if you banned those foods from your diet.
“We certainly won’t be recommending the Sirtfood diet in my clinics or as a medical treatment for weight loss.
“While we may encourage some of the healthy foods, strict regimes and replacing meals with juices often lead to difficulties with people’s relationship with food and can lead us to lose sight of how much weight loss is too much.”
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a change if it’s going to better your health, as long as it comes from a place of self-love and compassion. This is our guide to body neutrality.
