The GOLO diet is a commercial weight loss program that combines a specific food list with a dietary supplement called Release, which the company claims helps optimize metabolism. The diet encourages the consumption of whole foods while discouraging processed foods and refined sugars. This article provides an overview of the GOLO diet, its pros and cons, and its approach to weight loss.
Understanding the GOLO Diet
The GOLO diet aims to help individuals struggling with insulin resistance, a condition where insulin's function is impaired, making it less effective in transporting glucose into muscle, fat, and liver cells. The diet emphasizes whole foods and discourages processed foods and refined sugars.
Key Components
- Whole Foods: The GOLO diet emphasizes the consumption of whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
- Discourages Processed Foods and Refined Sugars: Processed foods and refined sugars are discouraged on the GOLO diet.
- Release Supplement: A dietary supplement that the company claims helps to optimize one's metabolism.
Pros and Cons of the GOLO Diet
Pros
- Emphasis on Whole Foods: The GOLO diet promotes a balanced intake of whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. This meal pattern is rich in essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Balanced Meals: Regulating blood sugar levels and preventing spikes and crashes with balanced meals can help reduce cravings and keep energy levels steady.
Cons
- Expensive: The GOLO diet can be costly.
- Lack of Scientific Evidence: There is not enough scientific evidence to fully support its effectiveness.
- Proprietary Blend: GOLO's Release supplement is expensive, and its "proprietary blend" of plant extracts and minerals is something to be wary of. Supplement companies that refer to their products this way don't have to list the amount of each individual ingredient, which makes it difficult to know what is in the supplement or if the dose of the claimed active ingredient is large enough to be effective.
- Not FDA Regulated: Supplements are not regulated in the US the same way food and drugs are, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that muscle-building, weight-loss, energy, and sexual enhancement products are the supplements most commonly spiked with drugs or other illegal ingredients.
GOLO for Life Plan
The GOLO for Life Plan includes the GOLO diet along with behavior and lifestyle recommendations, including a recommendation for moderate exercise. All claims made for Release and other supplements offered by GOLO are based on the use of those supplements with the GOLO for Life Plan and the lifestyle changes that are part of that plan, including the consumption of more nutritionally dense and higher fiber foods.
GOLO Diet and Weight Loss
The GOLO for Life Plan is designed to minimize weight loss to 1 to 2 pounds per week to minimize muscle loss. Expect an average weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week using the GOLO for Life Plan.
Mayonnaise in the Context of the GOLO Diet
While the provided text does not specifically address mayonnaise in the context of the GOLO diet, we can infer some information based on the diet's principles. The GOLO diet emphasizes whole foods and discourages processed foods and refined sugars. Traditional mayonnaise is often high in fat and may contain added sugars or processed ingredients. Therefore, it may not be a recommended food on the GOLO diet.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Sugar on Keto
Mayonnaise Alternatives
If you're following the GOLO diet and want to include a mayonnaise-like condiment in your meals, consider these alternatives:
- Homemade Mayonnaise: Make your own mayonnaise using healthy oils like olive oil or avocado oil. This allows you to control the ingredients and avoid added sugars or preservatives.
- Avocado-Based Mayonnaise: Use mashed avocado as a healthy and creamy alternative to mayonnaise.
- Greek Yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt can be used as a low-fat, high-protein alternative to mayonnaise.
- Mustard: Mustard is a low-calorie, flavorful condiment that can be used instead of mayonnaise.
DASH Diet
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet has been recommended by the National Kidney Foundation and approved by The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, The American Heart Association, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and also forms the basis for the USDA MyPyramid.
What is the DASH Diet?
The DASH Diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts. It is low in salt and sodium, added sugars and sweets, fat and red meats.
Who is the DASH diet for?
The DASH diet is a recognized treatment for hypertension, heart disease, and kidney disease and can slow the progression of heart and kidney disease.
Example DASH diet for a 2,000 calorie diet
| Food Group | Daily Servings | Serving Size |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | 6-8 | 1 Slice bread, 1 oz dry cereal, ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal |
| Vegetables | 4-5 | 1 cup raw leafy vegetable, ½ cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetable, ½ cup vegetable juice |
| Fruits | 4-5 | 1 medium fruit, ¼ cup dried fruit, ½ cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, ½ cup fruit juice |
| Fat-free or low-fat milk and products | 2-3 | 1 oz milk or yogurt, 1 ½ oz cheese |
| Lean meats, poultry, and fish | 6 or less | 1 oz cooked meats, poultry, or fish, 1 egg |
| Nuts, seeds, and legumes | 4-5 per week | 1/3 cup or 1 ½ oz nuts, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 Tbsp or ½ oz seeds, ½ cup cooked legumes (dry beans and peas) |
| Fats and oils | 2-3 | 1 tsp soft margarine, 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp salad dressing |
| Sweets and added sugars | 5 or less per week | 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp jelly or jam, ½ cup sorbet, gelatin, 1 cup lemonade |
Mayo Clinic Diet
Instead of requiring strict calorie counting like many popular diets, the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid acts as a guideline for decision-making. Your larger portions should come from foods at the bottom of the pyramid, like vegetables and fruits. The higher up you go on the pyramid, the smaller the portion should be.
Read also: Troubleshooting Carnivore Diet Diarrhea
Ozempic and Dietary Considerations
Ozempic and other semaglutide medications (including Wegovy and Rybelsus) have changed the lives of millions of Americans with diabetes, obesity, and other health issues. Unfortunately, these meds aren't magical cures - they also require lifestyle changes. Semaglutide, which mimics a gut hormone that enables the pancreas to produce insulin when blood sugars spike, also impacts how food interacts with your gastrointestinal tract.
Dietary Changes to Soften Ozempic Side Effects
Materials published by Novo Nordisk (the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy) indicate that foods that are high in fat, rich in added sugars, or calorie-dense are known to not only potentially worsen side effects but work against patients who are trying to manage type 2 diabetes and clinical obesity.
Before Taking Ozempic
Because Ozempic and other semaglutide medications slow down your gastrointestinal tract - which helps you feel fuller longer, stemming your appetite - nausea and other stomach-related side effects are common. Doctors advise against some food groups because they delay what's known as gastric emptying. Patients are asked to minimize processed foods, highly caloric foods, added sugar, and alcohol because, in addition to potentially worsening GI symptoms, these food groups are known to impact blood sugar.
Foods to Minimize
Minimizing the following foods may help reduce the likelihood of experiencing gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and reflux symptoms:
- Added sugar
- Processed food
- Alcohol
Best Foods to Eat While Taking Ozempic
There isn't one specific "Ozempic diet" that works for all patients, so it's a good idea to meet with a registered dietitian or nutritionist to better understand your nutritional needs. In general, doctors ask patients with type 2 diabetes or clinical obesity to eat foods that are considered low-glycemic, meaning they do not raise or lower blood sugar levels rapidly after they are consumed. Eating these foods alongside low-fat, fiber-rich staples is also less likely to trigger or worsen gastrointestinal distress.
Read also: Aspartame and Ketosis
Foods to Include
- Fresh fruits that are considered diabetes-friendly due to sugar content, which includes apples, berries, peaches, pears, and more
- Vegetables of all kinds, including fiber-rich leafy greens
- Whole grains and unprocessed starchy sides
- Low- and non-fat dairy products, including yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk
- Most meals or foods that are favored in low-fat, low-carbohydrate diets - some popular programs, according to ADA materials, are the Mediterranean diet as well as vegetarian diets
Why Can't I Eat Much on Ozempic?
Ozempic and many other semaglutide-based medications suppress your appetite by influencing hormones in your body. They also cause your stomach to process food more slowly, leaving you feeling fuller, longer.
Tips to Lessen Side Effects
- Eat smaller amounts more often during the day
- Eat more slowly and chew each bite thoroughly
- Avoid alcohol
- Cut out spicy foods
- Reduce the amount of added sugar you eat to avoid sky-rocketing blood sugar spikes
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