About the Sacred Heart Diet

The Sacred Heart Diet is a soup-based diet that requires following a restricted eating regimen for seven days in order to "cleanse" the body of impurities and toxins. The Sacred Heart Diet is low in calories and is a popular fad diet that has been around for decades; contrary to popular belief, this diet program is not supported by the medical professional community.

Significance

The Sacred Heart Diet first became popular in the early '70s and promises quick and easy weight loss by following a restrictive diet plan. The Sacred Heart Diet consists of low-calorie foods and a special soup made with fat-free beef broth, carrots, green beans and chicken noodle soup amongst other ingredients. Dieters who stick with the program are encouraged to drink as much of this soup as they want to stay full during the day.

Function

The Sacred Heart Diet involves adhering to a seven-day restricted diet plan in order to shed 10 to 17 pounds. In addition to drinking the special soup, dieters can eat fruit, vegetables, brown rice, skim milk and beef in various combinations each day. Dieters are encouraged to refrain from the diet for two days after completing the seven-day cycle, then doing the entire diet again to continue to lose more weight.

Features

The first day on the Sacred Heart Diet allows for eating any fruit except bananas and soup; the remaining six days allow for various combinations of fresh and cooked vegetables, skim milk and some forms of protein. Bread, alcohol and carbonated drinks are completely eliminated from the diet program, but dieters are encouraged to drink lots of water, coffee, black tea, unsweetened fruit drinks, cranberry juice and skim milk instead.

Considerations

The Sacred Heart Diet may not be appropriate for all people, and consulting with a physician before starting the diet program is recommended. The Sacred Heart Diet does not take into consideration a person's lifestyle or physical activity levels; many people can experience low energy and extreme hunger when they try and sustain this type of restrictive eating, and will regain any weight lost when normal eating habits are resumed.

Misconceptions

The Sacred Heart Diet is rumored to have been developed by licensed cardiologists at the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital, but the diet program is only a fad. The Sacred Heart Diet is also known as the Cleveland Clinic Diet, the Miami Heart Institute Diet and the Spokane Heart Diet, but it has not been endorsed by any medical doctors or medical professionals. The Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital has formally stated that the diet did not originate from the dietitians and staff at the medical facility, and that it is actually a potentially dangerous diet because of its extreme restrictions.