WHAT IS THE SACRED HEART DIET?
The Sacred Heart Diet is specially formulated to help people suffering from heart conditions. You may also hear this diet referred to as the Miami Heart Institute Diet, the Spokane Heart Diet, or the Cleveland Clinic Diet.
This diet claims average users lose between 10 to 17 pounds in the first week. In addition to this drastic weight loss, Sacred Heart supposedly helps those suffering from irregularity, bowel issues, and diabetes. To date, no scientific evidence exists to back up either claim.
THE SACRED HEART DIET’S INGREDIENTS
People on the Sacred Heart diet can eat or drink the following items:
Soup: This soup consists of one to two cans of stewed tomatoes, three green onions, one can of fat-free beef broth, a single packet of Lipton Soup mix, one bunch of celery, two cans of green beans, two green peppers, and two pounds of carrots.
Unsweetened Juices
Skim milk
Water
Cranberry juices
Herbal teas
Water
Leafy greens
While on the Sacred Heart Diet, however, users cannot eat or drink the following:
• Bread.
• Carbonated or fizzy drinks
• Fried foods.
• Bananas
• Alcohol.
THE SACRED HEART DIET’S BASIC STRUCTURE
If you lose more than 17 pounds in the first week, take a short break from the diet. By introducing low-calorie foods, Sacred Heart drastically reduces the calories eaten daily. Due to its high liquid content, and extremely low calories, soup forms the foundation of this diet.
EDITOR’S TIP:
For the best results, combine this diet with a proven meal replacement plan.
SACRED HEART DIET QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS
While this diet offers healthy food options, its reliance on tasteless soups makes adherence difficult. In addition, it offers little in the way of nutrients, calories, or fats. Long-term reliance on Sacred Heart leads to fatigue and vitamin deficiencies.
The mythical 10 to 17 pounds lost consists solely of water weight. Use of a crash diet, such as Sacred Heart, is risky over the long-term. A registered dietician for Ohio State University, Sharron Coplin, once went on record saying:
“I would not recommend any diet that exceeded a safe rate of weight loss, which is 2 to 3 pounds per week”‘
Weight loss this rapid is not effective or safe over the long-term.
The Price and Quality of Sacred Heart Diet
The affordability of the Sacred Heart Diet depends on where one buys their fruits and vegetables. But, its low price tag comes with drawbacks according to Health Weight Formula:
“ one of the main points against it is that most weight loss is temporary, caused by fluid depletion”
“particularly low in calories, and may cause lightheadedness and weakness”
A high likelihood of side effects and an extreme reduction in calories make adhering to the Sacred Heart Diet risky.
BUSINESS OF SACRED HEART DIET
Web sites promoting the Sacred Heart Diet typically claim hospital affiliation. To date, no hospital officially endorses this plan.
Most information about the diet is available for free on the internet. A lack of scientific evidence, coupled with a lack of medical backers, makes one thing certain: The Sacred Heart diet isn’t based on real science.
CUSTOMER OPINIONS OF SACRED HEART DIET
“On day 3 and lost nothing! Actually gained 2 lbs. on day 2”
“gained A LOT of weight back”
“I am on day 7 of this diet and have not lost any weight”
“I am always hungry though and don’t want to constantly eat this soup”
As you can see, any weight lost was temporary and superficial. Therefore, Sacred Heart is known as a crash diet; it gives quick, temporary results. As this diet relies on reducing your water weight, as opposed to fat, it’s unreliable as a long-term weight loss option.
In addition to temporary results, this diet suffers from monotony. Adherents quickly become bored of this diet’s limited menu. In fact, for many, sticking to it proved impossible. Even seven days’ worth of soup was too many.
CONCLUSION – DOES THE SACRED HEART DIET WORK?
While the Sacred Heart Diet allows adherents to eat limitless amounts of soup, it offers a very limited menu. This diet’s claims that an average user loses up to 17 pounds in the first week characterizes it as a crash diet.
Better diets definitely exist.