Unlock the Power of The Galveston Diet: Ultimate Guide to Snacks, Benefits & Macronutrients!

The Galveston Diet is a weight loss program designed to help middle-aged and older women combat weight gain during perimenopause and menopause. Developed by Dr. Mary Claire Haver in 2018, a board-certified OB-GYN, the diet combines intermittent fasting with anti-inflammatory nutrition and a focus on macronutrients to address fat gain associated with perimenopause and menopause. This article delves into the specifics of the Galveston Diet, including snack options, its benefits, and how to approach it effectively.

What is the Galveston Diet?

The Galveston Diet marries some of the principal concepts of the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. It encourages lower carbohydrate intake and higher fat and protein intake. It also emphasizes anti-inflammatory foods, such as certain leafy greens and olive oil, to reduce chronic inflammation.

The diet focuses on food quality and nutrient timing instead of calorie cutting. It emphasizes the importance of when to eat, what foods to eat, and what foods to avoid to reduce inflammation in the body. This eating pattern is ultimately a 16/8 intermittent fasting regimen combined with a high-fat, low-carb diet and inflammation-fighting foods.

The Three Pillars of the Galveston Diet

Intermittent Fasting: The Galveston diet puts a strong emphasis on 16/8 intermittent fasting, in which you spend 16 hours fasting and 8 hours eating. This strict eating routine has been shown to improve hormone balancing in menopausal women, improve their ability to manage their weight, and it also touts better cardiovascular health, blood sugar regulation, and reduced inflammation. It recommends that its adherents adopt intermittent fasting, an eating regimen in which all calories are consumed within a particular window of time each day. Haver says most of the people who subscribe to the diet adhere to this approach.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods: The Galveston diet also focuses on eating anti-inflammatory foods rich in plant compounds and eliminating all processed foods and added sugars. As the second component, the Galveston diet encourages limiting or avoiding foods associated with inflammation, including white flour, white rice, refined sugar, and foods with high fructose corn syrup.
Fuel Refocus: Adjusting your food intake to enhance your body’s burning of fat for energy is the last pillar of the Galveston diet. It is a high-fat, low-carb diet that closely resembles the standard keto diet in its macronutrient distribution because the majority of daily calories come from fat instead of carbs. The online Galveston diet program and "The Galveston Diet" book both provide specific ratios of fat, protein, and carbohydrates to consume for optimal fat burning for energy.

Galveston Diet Foods

The Galveston Diet focuses on fighting inflammation. Therefore, you choose foods that minimize inflammation as much as possible. Also, since you will be choosing foods with fewer net carbs, you’ll want to include carbs that are full of fiber.

Galveston Diet meals may include foods such as:

Read also: Peri/Menopause Salad Recipe

Healthy fats: Olive oil, olives, avocado, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, flaxseed, and sesame oil.
High-quality proteins: Eggs, fatty fish, chicken, lean ground beef, shellfish, and some dairy such as cottage cheese.
Fiber-rich carbohydrates: Fresh berries, legumes, and vegetables (especially organic) like leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, or squash.

Foods that you avoid may include:

Processed meats, especially those with nitrates, such as hot dogs or deli meats.
Refined grains, such as enriched flour, or foods made with enriched flour, such as processed baked goods.
Foods with added sugar or artificial ingredients, such as fruit juices, soda, sugary coffee drinks, candy, and many condiments or sauces.
Processed oils, especially canola oil, and also oils that are high in omega-6 fatty acids (corn oils, sunflower oil, soybean oil, and cottonseed oil).

You may also be wondering if alcohol is allowed on this macro diet for menopause. While it is not encouraged, there can be a place for wine on this diet, as long as it is consumed in moderation.

Galveston Diet Snacks List

Here are some snack ideas that align with the Galveston Diet principles:

Walnut Cocoa Collagen Balls: These satisfy chocolate cravings without derailing your diet. They are fun for the family to make.
Blueberry & Spinach Collagen Smoothie: This smoothie combines everything you need to feel your best - vegetables, fruit, fiber, fat, and protein.
Grilled chicken breast over mixed greens with fresh mushrooms, feta cheese, and half an avocado: A protein-packed snack with healthy fats and nutrients.
Half a sliced cucumber with a dollop of full-fat creamy dressing: A light and refreshing snack.
Cucumber with vinegar, dill, thyme, and lemon: A tangy and hydrating snack.
Nuts and Seeds: A handful of almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds can provide healthy fats and fiber.
Avocado: Half an avocado can be a satisfying and nutrient-rich snack.
Cheese: Small portions of cheese can be a good source of fat and protein.

Sample Weekly Meal Plan

When switching to the Galveston Diet, it can be helpful to plan your week's list of meals so that you aren't left scrambling when you're hungry or too tired to shop. It's also worth noting that because the Galveston Diet advocates a 16:8 fasting schedule, most followers won't be eating until about noon. So, the concept of breakfast may look a little more like lunch than you're used to. To be clear, you can eat "breakfast" foods any time of day, but the emphasis here tends to be on more savory foods for the first meal of the day. The diet also recommends that followers eat two meals and two snacks per day.

First meal: Shrimp and broccoli with parmesan, pistachios, and garlic.
Second meal: Two portobello mushroom caps topped with red onion, grape tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
First meal: Tuna steak with wilted greens, olive oil, and lemon drizzle.
Second meal: Salmon with roasted red pepper quinoa salad.
Second meal: Salmon and asparagus with olive oil and lemon drizzle.
Second meal: Salmon burger with tomato, avocado, and lettuce.
Second meal: Leafy green salad with chicken, walnuts, and shallots.

Galveston Diet Macros

On the Galveston Diet, you’ll consume more fat than is generally recommended by nutrition organizations. However, fat quality is important, specifically in terms of the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. While the typical American diet reflects a ratio of closer to 20:1, in this macro diet for menopause, you are encouraged to get as close to a 1:1 ratio as possible. You’ll also decrease your intake of carbs significantly and consume a moderate intake of protein each day.

When you start the Galveston diet, you’ll consume about 70% of your daily calories from healthy fat, 20% from lean protein, and about 10% from nutrient-rich carbs. As a basis for comparison, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends getting 20-35% of your calories from fat, 45-65% of your calories from carbohydrates, and 10%-35% of your calories from protein.

With the higher fat intake, the Galveston Diet macro balance is similar to the ratio for a ketogenic diet. But the goal of the Galveston Diet is not to get into ketosis. The higher fat and lower carb intake is designed to help you cleanse your palate and get rid of cravings for sugary, processed foods while also prioritizing fat-burning in the body.

Macro tracking is important on this diet, but you don’t have to worry about getting your Galveston Diet macros perfect every day. In online videos, Dr. Haver explains that the daily diet menus don’t exactly reach the 70/20/10 breakdown. But, she explains that the suggested meal plan for the first five weeks (on the paid program) is within 5% of these targets.

Once you’ve been successful on the Galveston Diet, you’ll eventually introduce more carbs. For example, after about six weeks, you increase your carbs to 30% while decreasing fat intake to 50% and keeping protein at 20%. Eventually, you shift to a maintenance Galveston Diet macro breakdown. During maintenance, Galveston Diet macros are closer to 40% fat, 20% protein, 40% carbs.

Keep in mind that when tracking macros on the Galveston Diet, you count “net” carbs rather than total carbs. To calculate net carbs, you take the total number of carbohydrate grams and subtract the number of fiber grams. The resulting number is your net carbs. If you choose fiber-rich foods, like fresh fruit and veggies, or foods made with whole grains, you’ll be able to consume a higher number of total carb grams because the amount of fiber will reduce your net carbs substantially.

Health Benefits of the Galveston Diet

Components of the Galveston diet may help curb inflammation and protect against inflammatory conditions like heart disease and diabetes. However, more research is needed to examine the diet’s effects on hormonal balance among menopausal women.

Weight Loss and Management: By limiting the intake of added sugars, fried food, and processed foods and adhering to intermittent fasting, the eating regimen “seems to help people lose stubborn pounds gained in their perimenopausal years. The diet relies on intermittent fasting as a core aspect - and intermittent fasting has been shown in some studies to assist with weight loss and blood sugar regulation - you can probably expect some improvements in those areas.
Anti-Inflammatory: The Galveston diet eating regimen is designed to fight inflammation in the body. Research published in 2019 in the journal Nature Medicine suggests that social, environmental, and lifestyle factors can lead to systemic chronic inflammation.
Reduced Disease Risk: Intermittent fasting and low carb diets have been shown to protect against various lifestyle illnesses, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and insulin resistance. They’re also associated with a reduction in visceral fat, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance. All three of these are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Healthy Blood Sugar Management: In one online intervention among adults with type 2 diabetes, 55% more people placed on a very low carb keto diet showed improved blood sugar management than those following a diet based on the diabetes plate method.

Potential Downsides of the Galveston Diet

Restrictive Nature: The restrictive nature of the diet may cause overeating. Intermittent fasting may help some people lose weight, but it could trigger overeating after periods of restriction. People who find extremely low carb diets restrictive may be unable to follow the Galveston diet long term.
Potentially Low in Fiber: Very low carb diets tend to be low in dietary fiber. Most dietary fiber comes from high carb foods like fruits, whole grains, beans, and vegetables. Thus, drastic carb cutting affects your fiber intake. Fiber is important for regular bowel movements, heart health, and gut health.
Lack of Scientific Research: To date, there are no peer-reviewed studies evaluating the effectiveness of the Galveston diet. While studies looking at similar eating patterns have been conducted, the Galveston diet itself has not been the subject of a large clinical trial yet.

Galveston Diet Costs

The diet has two main levels. The Program level costs $59, a one-time fee that doesn’t require an ongoing subscription. At this level, you get access to all of the diet’s course material, which includes a step-by-step plan to start the Galveston diet as well as meal plans and educational videos. The other subscription level, Platinum Coaching, bills itself as “the ultimate Galveston diet experience.” Costs start at $24.99 for the first month, then costs $49.99 per month. You can cancel anytime. This subscription tier includes everything in the basic program plus ongoing coach support, live coaching sessions, a downloadable workbook, progress tracking, weekly bonus content and more.

Is the Galveston Diet Sustainable?

Depending on your goals, the Galveston diet can work, provided you follow the rules as directed. "Comparatively, the Galveston Diet is likely slightly harder to adopt and less sustainable than other diets due to the nature of food restriction and the strict feeding window. Once you go off the diet, you're likely to experience weight regain and a reversion to your previous metabolic state. For this reason, Haver recommends adopting the Galveston diet as a lifestyle you'll follow for the rest of your life rather than looking at it as a short-term solution or a quick-fix option.

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