The Kaufmann Diet Vs. Extreme Dieting

What constitutes extreme dieting? Is it a safe way to improve your health? In a desperate bid to take control of their health, many people turn to extreme dietary measures, hoping to find relief from health problems that may have followed them around for years. These type of diets include things like extreme calorie restriction, where you might only eat 500-600 calories per day. Many people who seek to lose weight will often go on these extremely restrictive diets in hopes of shedding weight quickly. 

Other extreme diets include those that restrict all but maybe a handful of foods, such as the carnivore diet, or raw vegan diets. Certainly, there are some who claim that these diets can be beneficial for health, but in reality, you are excluding entire classes of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from your diet when you eat this way. And, often times, your doctor will caution you against these types of diets, as they can lead to certain health complications in certain circumstances. 

All forms of extreme dieting carry certain risks. Yet, people often turn to these diets out of desperation, or because they are looking for quick results. Beyond any health risks that might be posed, most of these diets are very unsustainable. And sustainability is an issue when it comes to diet. 

If you can’t maintain a diet indefinitely, it is probably safe to say it is not a good way to choose to resolve health problems. Often times, people cannot sustain these types of diets for more than a few days, wind up “cheating”, feeling guilty and ultimately giving up. Making any dietary change is a challenge for most people, but to make extreme changes is all but impossible for many.  

Second, if you are the type of person who can sustain an extreme diet long enough to see results, those results you experience will more than likely immediately reverse if you return to the way you ate previously. Any weight you lose will very likely immediately return, any health symptom that subsided will likely come roaring back. How long do you plan on sticking to an extreme form of eating?

The Kaufmann Diet includes a broad spectrum of foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, meats, fish, eggs and some dairy. While some people find the Kaufmann Diet restrictive at first, it is merely because it cuts out foods like grains, sugar, and corn––only three ingredients that find their way into most processed foods. Yet, many of these are the types of foods that are implicated in the many lifestyle—associated health problems that many people experience. These are all foods we should be avoiding, regardless of what type of diet we choose. 

The Kaufmann Diet is a way of eating that can be sustained indefinitely, providing a broad spectrum of nutrition that supports overall health. And while The Kaufmann Diet is not as extreme as many other types of diets, many people do experience relief from health problems and lose weight while on the diet. The initial challenge is to stay on The Kaufmann One Diet for 4-6 weeks, and see what the results may be. After that, you are encouraged to transition to the less-restrictive Kaufmann Two Diet, provide no health problems arise. This diet is a lifestyle which can be maintained over the long-term. 

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