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Are you a runner looking to improve your performance and overall health? Or someone who is looking for a diet program that can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle and lose weight? The Mayo Clinic Diet, a healthy eating plan designed by the experts at the Mayo Clinic, might be the solution for you. For several years, the Mayo Clinic Diet has been in the top ten of U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings of the best diets. The Mayo Clinic Diet has been a New York Times bestseller since it was first released in book form in 2010. The third edition is now available.
The New Mayo Clinic Diet was updated in January 2022, but the fundamental principles behind the diet have stayed the same: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight loss by using research-backed and medically supported strategies. The Mayo Clinic Diet now includes a mobile app that offers habit-building tips, recipes, meal plans and at-home workouts.
The Mayo Clinic Diet focuses on building new healthy habits and breaking old, less healthy habits – it’s a “lifestyle approach.” It encourages you to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, while limiting your intake of sugar, processed foods, and saturated and trans fats. The diet has two main principles: follow an eating plan that’s low in calories but includes foods that fill you up and that you enjoy eating and use physical activity to burn more calories.
The diet has two phases lasting 12 weeks, with the option to continue for as long as you would like the support. Your program is customizable, and you can choose meal plans that are keto-friendly, high in protein, vegetarian, or Mediterranean. The first phase, “Lose It,” focuses on 15 habits that Mayo Clinic researchers have identified as key to safe and healthy weight loss. During this phase, you can safely drop between 6 and 10 pounds without counting calories, and you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want. In the second phase, “Live It,” you transition to lasting diet and lifestyle changes you can maintain in the long run, and you estimate and count servings of food rather than calories.
The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes making food choices to align with the Mayo Clinic healthy weight pyramid, with vegetables and fruit dominating the diet, followed by whole-grain carbohydrates, proteins and dairy, healthy fats, and lastly sweets. It’s a practical, realistic, and enjoyable program that will not only help you manage your weight but improve your health in the process.
>>> Read more: For sample meal plan or learn more about the Mayo Clinic Diet, click here.
But how can this diet benefit runners specifically? For starters, the Mayo Clinic Diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, which is important for optimal running performance. Carrying extra weight can slow you down and put more stress on your joints, which can increase your risk of injury.
In addition, the Mayo Clinic Diet provides plenty of nutrients that runners need for optimal performance, such as carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for running, and the Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes complex carbohydrates like whole grains and vegetables, which provide sustained energy. Protein is also essential for muscle repair and recovery, and the Mayo Clinic Diet includes plenty of lean protein sources like chicken, fish, and beans. Finally, healthy fats like those found in nuts, seeds, and avocados can help reduce inflammation in the body, which can improve recovery and reduce the risk of injury.
Another benefit of the Mayo Clinic Diet for runners is that it emphasizes hydration. Proper hydration is critical for running performance and overall health, and the Mayo Clinic Diet encourages you to drink plenty of water and other hydrating fluids throughout the day.
Finally, the Mayo Clinic Diet can help runners develop a healthy relationship with food. Instead of depriving yourself of the foods you love, the Mayo Clinic Diet encourages you to make healthy choices most of the time while still allowing for occasional indulgences. This approach can help you avoid the cycle of strict dieting and bingeing, which can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health.
Overall, the Mayo Clinic Diet is a solid, research-backed program that can help you lose weight safely and healthily or maintain a healthy weight. The Mayo Clinic Diet offers a digital-friendly way to access this proven program through its website or mobile app. It’s a customizable, practical, and enjoyable program that you can sustain over the long term to achieve your weight loss, maintain a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle goals.
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