Have you heard all the chatter on Facebook and Instagram about Rebel Wilson (Perfect Pitch, Isn’t It Romantic and The Hustle) and singer-songwriter Adele going a tremendous amount of weight? They claim it was all due to the “Sirtuin Diet”-and if you are like me-you might be saying “what diet?!” But when you look into the specifics, its nothing new-its the same diet I have been teaching for now more than 14 years of clinical practice.
Sirtuins are a type of proteins found mostly in certain plant foods, such as green veggies, herbs, spices, cocoa beans. While more formal studies are warranted on this topic, some believe that eating foods that function as “Sirtuin activators” can help to turn on Sirtuin genes (including SIRT-1) that play a role in metabolic pathways.
According to the one medical dictionary, “Sirtuins influence aging, transcription, apoptosis, stress resistance, and affect energy efficiency and alertness during hypoglycemia” (low blood sugar).
Sirtuins are not just for weight-loss, they also play a critical role in maintaining your cell integrity and function, which is why they are linked to aging and longevity. They do this by helping prevent cells from dying and protecting against inflammation. Sirtuins have also been shown to play a role in DNA repair.
According to the Sirtfood diet website (https://sirtfooddiet.net/) the following foods and beverages function as the best Sirtuin activators.
- Leafy green vegetables like swim chard, spinach, kale and arugula
- Shade Grown Organic Coffee, Matcha, Green Tea & Chicory
- All types of berries-Nuts (particularly Walnut)
- Olives and olive oil
- Organic Red wine (we recommend www.dryfarmwines.com/askdrernst)
- Dark chocolate & cocoa nibs
- Red Onion
- Herbs & spices like turmeric, ginger, chili and parsley
- Medjool dates
- Capers
Where’s The Meat? While the above food list makes it appear the Sirt Diet is vegan, you can eat meat, its just that the above list is the majority of foods consumed. Its possible to follow the diet whether you include meat/fish/dairy in your diet, or if you’re a vegetarian/vegan. If you are going to try the Sirt diet but include meat in your meals, remember to always buy pastured-raised or grass-fed meats, and enjoy them in small amounts (3-4 ounces per meal).
What Foods Should I Avoid When On The Sirt Diet? Like all diets you’ll want to cut out empty calories, processed carbs, grains and diary. This included all refined flours, added sugars, preservatives and other processed ingredients found in almost all pre-packaged and prepared foods. Essentially the Sirt Diet is the cellular healing diet with a new name!
How Do I Do The Sirt Diet? This diet works best if you begin with three stages, which also includes some food elimination and juice fasting.
Phase 1 (Days 1–3): Breakfast and lunch are 1.5 glasses of a Sirtfood green juice. Dinner is the only meal consumed, and it should be nothing but the Sirt foods listed above. You can add 3-4 oz of chicken, fish or red meats if desired.
Phase 2 (Days 4–14): Breakfast is 1.5 glasses of Sirtfood green juice. Lunch is a Sirtfood rich meal with 1.5 glasses of Sirtfood green juice. Dinner is a Sirtfood meal. You can add 3-4 oz of chicken, fish or red meats if desired.
Phase 3 (Days 15–30): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is a Sirtfood meal, with 1.5glasses of Sirtfood green juice at each meal. You can add 3-4 oz of chicken, fish or red meats if desired.
Sirtfood Green Juice Recipe: 75g Kale, 30g Arugula, 5 grams Parsley, 2 Celery Stalks, 1/2 Green Apple, 1cm Ginger Knob,1/2 lemon (juiced), 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder.
While this diet is certainly sustainable for longer than 30 days, upon completion it’s recommended to rotate this diet with the metabolic ketosis diet, cellular healing diet and/or AIP diet for best results.