The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is one of one of our most popular diets. It was released initially as a book and had soon outsold Harry Potter in the shops! Now you can follow this diet plan online with us, with your meals and shopping list provided, together with all the other features of our programme.
Just in case you weren’t aware of this new way of eating, here’s some background to fill you in. CSIRO stands for Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and it is the Australian Government’s clinical research body. The institute, based in Adelaide, Australia is known for its work on the nutritional and genetic factors underlying obesity, heart disease, bowel cancer and diabetes. The Total wellbeing diet was developed by Dr Peter Clifton and Dr Manny Noakes as a result of studies that were commissioned at CSIRO, in the wake of the popularity of high-protein diets, in particular the Atkins Diet Plan.
Research previously carried out at the institute had found that low calorie, higher protein weight loss plans were at least as good, if not better than high-carbohydrate diets in terms of fat loss and muscle preservation in people with Type 2 diabetes or high levels of insulin. In one of the largest trials, a higher protein low fat diet was compared to a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. Both diets had a daily calorie allowance of approximately 1350 calories. More than 100 overweight or obese women, half with signs of the metabolic syndrome, took part in the trial over a 12 week period and were followed up for a year afterwards.
The metabolic syndrome is also known as syndrome X or insulin resistance and is characterised by excess fat around the tummy, high blood pressure, high insulin levels, high blood sugar levels, high blood triglyceride levels and low blood levels of HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol. People with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of developing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. However, you can reduce your risk of developing the metabolic syndrome by losing weight, eating healthily and exercising.
At the end of the study, the researchers compared the effectiveness of the two diets in relation to how much weight and actual body fat was lost, and from where precisely the fat was lost. They regarded this as critical because excess abdominal fat is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome.
The women with signs of the metabolic syndrome who were on the higher protein / low fat diet lost 1 st 4 lbs (8 kilos), while those on the higher carb / low fat diet lost 13 lbs (6 kilos). More importantly, the women on the higher protein diet lost twice as much excess fat from their abdominal area as those on the higher carb diet. The women who had no signs of metabolic syndrome lost a similar amount of weight using either dietary approach. This suggests that the way our metabolism works can make a difference to which diet will be the most effective way for us to lose weight.
In addition, this and previous studies had found that losing weight on either diet helped to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by lowering blood triglyceride, cholesterol, insulin and sugar levels. Higher protein meals also helped to reduce hunger levels and the higher protein plan was easier to stick to in the long term.
And so, the Total Wellbeing Diet was established – a higher protein, moderate carbohydrate, low fat diet. Now, all this talk of high protein may be setting off alarm bells in your head, so it’s probably worth mentioning that the Total wellbeing diet bears absolutely no resemblance to high-protein, high fat diets that you might have heard about. For a start, the Total Wellbeing diet is low in fat, and it is not a very Low-Carb diet. It contains moderate amounts of complex carbs such as wholegrain bread, with most vegetables being free foods, and fruit included daily.
Another aspect that sets Total Wellbeing apart from other high-protein diets is that it has been tested on hundreds of people since 1997, and no significant adverse effects have been recorded.
If you are interested in registering for this brand new diet, click here to see a sample meal plan. If you suffer from diabetes or any other medical conditions that may impact on diet, please contact our Nutritionists at nutritionists@tescodiets.com for further advice on the most suitable plan for you. Please remember that our plans are not designed to treat medical conditions, and following our plans does not replace medical advice.