With the advancement in the field of nutrition and diet planning, various new sorts of diets have been launched for each aspect and developmental stage of life such as childhood, teenage, older adults, etc., But, still, there are no proper diet planning principles for the most important stage of life-related women’s which is the menopausal stage. But wait? Have you heard about the Galveston diet, which has created wonders for the menopausal stage? Now, the question arises what the Galveston diet is?
Galveston diet is a special sort of diet designed for middle-aged women to reduce the symptoms of menopause, such as slower metabolism, inflammation, and hot flashes. It follows intermittent fasting, focusing on high fat and low carb diet with much emphasis on inflammation-fighting foods.
It is said that weight gain is affected by the changes in hormones ad is influenced especially by the food quality. The Galveston diet focuses on the quality of food rather than quantity and calorie cutting. Galveston diet has shown wonderful results in reducing the symptoms of menopause in middle-aged women, such as:
- Lower levels of metabolism
- Inflammation
- Hot flashes
These symptoms can be cured by:
- Consuming the right choice of foods
- Limiting the hours of food consumption
- Cutting down all the inflammation-causing foods
| Before Galveston Diet | After Galveston Diet |
|---|---|
| Exercising everyday | Moderate exercise |
| Calorie restricting | Fasting |
| Gaining belly fat | Belly fat loss |
| Inflammation | Anti-inflammatory nutrition |
| Unhappy & frustrated | Happy & peaceful |
Mechanism:
The insulin sensitivity in a body alters when a woman gets older, slowing down the metabolism, which creates a challenge for the digestive system. The energy consumed is delayed for processing to utilize.
The Galveston diet focuses on an inflammatory diet and lean proteins, which help manage the female body weight, especially when entering the menopausal period.
Consuming a diet rich in fiber and whole foods having a low glycemic index naturally stabilizes the insulin levels and blood sugar levels, allowing detoxifying the body in natural means. Changes in the diet can cure menopausal side effects such as hot flashes.
It is known that the disturbed estrogen levels in the female body cause hot flashes, and it changes the body’s thermostat, making it inaccurate and sensitive for further changes in the body temperature. Following a fiber and whole grain-based diet can help stabilize the estrogen levels in the body and will help to improve the menopausal effects like hot flashes.
Foods Allowed on a Galveston Diet:
- Fats: olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, butter, ghee, avocado oil, and sesame oil
- Proteins: lean ground beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, lean pork, salmon, trout, tuna, and shellfish
- Fruits: avocado, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries
- Vegetables: spinach, kale, lettuce, dill, and mustard greens, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, and carrots
- Nuts and seeds: cashews, pistachios, almonds, and peanuts, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flax, and chia seeds
- Dairy: heavy cream, cheese, sour cream, plain greek yoghurt, and nut milk
Foods Not Allowed on a Galveston Diet:
- Sweeteners: added sugar and artificial sweeteners
- Food additives: artificial additives (flavours, colors, and preservatives)
- Alcohol: beer, wine, and spirits
- Processed foods: refined grains, fried foods, and processed meats
- Vegetable oils high in omega-6 fats: soybean, sunflower, safflower, and corn oil
- Sugar-sweetened beverages: sweet tea, colas, soft drinks, and juice
Galveston diet Substitutions:
| HIGH CARB | LOW CARB |
|---|---|
| Bread | Lettuce wraps or low carb tortillas |
| Chips | Cheese crisps |
| Pasta | Noodles |
| Rice | Cauliflower rice |
| Soda | Sparkling water |
| Sugar | Stevia |
Components of a Galveston Diet:
Intermittent Fasting:
Galveston diet includes the 16/8 intermittent fasting period and involves consuming calories within a specific time frame. This specific time frame is the fasting window.
In this intermittent fasting period, it is recommended to consume all sorts of daily calories within the 8-hour fasting window, and then the person fasts for the remaining 16 hours.
During this 16-hour fasting, no-calorie is consumed. Beverages having zero calories like water, coffee, unsweetened tea are allowed. People tend to consume fewer calories even in the fasting window frame, which leads to weight loss.
Intermittent fasting is also associated with reducing inflammation in the body, improving insulin resistance, decreasing heart diseases, and managing high blood pressure.
Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition:
It is the second component of the Galveston diet. Inflammation is known as a normal response to the immune system. Acute inflammation is necessary for fighting the infections caused by bacteria and is helpful in healing wounds. Low-grade chronic inflammation is associated with the diseases like cancer, arthritis, and obesity.
The Galveston diet recommends the intake of foods high in anti-inflammatory properties like vegetables and fruits. It helps in reducing the inflammation from the body and prevents the spread of chronic and acute diseases.
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Refocus on Fuel:
Galveston diet is high fat and low carb diet. It is similar to the keto diet and distributes the macronutrients like that diet. The normal balanced diet comprises most of the nutrients from carbohydrates and lesser from fats.
But, in this diet, most of the daily calorie intake is from fats up to 70% and 20% is from protein, and the remaining 10% is from carbs. Obtaining energy from fats refers to fuel refocus, and the idea behind this is to get most of the calories from fat intake.
Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the body, but under low-carb conditions like fasting, the body breaks down the fat for producing energy, such as in the keto diet, which is effective in weight loss. Galveston diet also works on this principle and is like the keto diet, including a significant number of anti-inflammatory foods.
Nutritional Ketosis:
| 70% HEALTHY FATS Even though the fat takes up most of the calories, it won’t fill up most of the plate |
| Avocado, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, olives, seeds like flax and chia, butter, raw nuts like walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, nut butter, mayonnaise |
| 20% LEAN PROTEINS |
| Grass-fed animal protein including beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, bison, fish, and seafood including anchovies and sardines, eggs, nitrate-free beef, jerky, protein powder |
| 10% CARBS Even though the carbs take up most of the plate, it won’t be the majority of calories |
| Leafy greens like asparagus, mushrooms, bell peppers, artichokes, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, brussels sprouts, berries, apples, pickles, nuts, and seeds |
Working on a Galveston Diet:
Intermittent fasting is the key component of the Galveston diet known to reduce menopause symptoms as it helps to focus on anti-inflammatory foods. It is seen that during the state of ketosis, the body switches from glucose to fat for the production of energy.
Carbohydrates previously produce glucose, which was the main fuel for the body, but fat ketone bodies are burned to produce energy during ketosis. The burning fat aids in weight loss, and such a mechanism is also seen in intermittent fasting.
It follows an eight-hour window of eating patterns which improves insulin sensitivity and weight control. People who have diabetes should carefully manage this diet as intermittent fasting is a powerful yet dangerous tool for weight control interventions.
Benefits of Galveston Diet:
Galveston diet is easy to follow and is worth trying in females who face hormonal changes after menopause. It is recommended to follow an anti-inflammatory approach to navigate the hormones. It helps to impact the hormonal and physical changes which occur during this menopausal period.
There is a strong relation between our mood and gut. Foods include in the Galveston diet helps to regulate mood swings during menopause. The diet composed of colours and anti-inflammatory choices helps bring powerful antioxidants, which are good for the brain and body. The gut microbiome also benefits and helps manage insulin resistance; This ultimately improves mood and balances hormones.
Set The Macros:
| Build Muscle | Lose Fat |
|---|---|
| Set calories Current weight * 300 calories surplus | Set calories Goal weight * 12 Base goal weight on height |
| Set protein Current weight * 0.8g | Set protein Goal weight * 0.8g |
| Set carbs + fat 20% to 25% fats fill rest with carbs | Set carbs+fat 25% to 30% fats fill rest with carbs |
Other Health Benefits:
Fights Inflammation:
Chronic inflammation increases heart-related diseases, neurological diseases, certain types of cancer, and type-2 diabetes. Intermittent fasting reduces the inflammatory markers, protects the blood vessels from plaque buildup and deposits, thus prevent them from clogging and reducing heart diseases.
Reduction in inflammation is also proven beneficial in treating and managing the increase of Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Keto diets high in fats might decrease insulin sensitivity in some cases.
Reduces the Heart Diseases:
Intermittent fasting is low in carbohydrates, and thus it protects from various sorts of diseases related to sedentary lifestyles like obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart diseases, and insulin resistance.
It is also associated with a reduction in visceral fat and fasting insulin and manages insulin resistance. Thus it helps in managing the blood sugar levels and reduces the chances of heart disease and diabetes.
May Promote Healthy Blood Sugar Management:
Intermittent fasting improves blood sugar levels by proper management as it slows carbohydrate intake and focuses on foods having a lower glycemic index. It helps in improving blood sugar management as it is based on the low-carb keto diet.
Dietary Restrictions:
It is recommended to avoid all sorts of convenience foods available in grocery stores as they are packed with refined carbohydrates and are high in inflammation. They are also packed with gluten and excess sugar; thus, it is recommended to avoid these products as they are not allowed on a Galveston diet.
Drawbacks of Galveston Diet:
Low in Fiber:
Galveston’s Diet is low in dietary fiber content. Most of the dietary fiber in our diets comes from the whole grains and cereals group and the raw fruits and vegetables. This drastic ut of carbohydrates affects the daily fiber intake, which can lead to many problems.
A Diet low in fiber can lead to irregularity in bowel movements and cause changes in the gut and heart-related health issues. It is important to include low-carb fiber-rich foods like berries and avocados to avoid such changes.
Price Concerns:
Galveston diet might be costly for some females to follow. Purchasing the special items associated with this Diet, such as grass-fed proteins, low-fiber foods, and anti-inflammatory food items from the supermarkets requires time to search and collect such ingredients due to a shortage of supplies.
Other downsides:
- Low carb diets such as the Galveston diet are hard to follow for some people for many reasons.
- Galveston diet is based on high-fat foods, which is inappropriate.
- The thing for people suffering from cholesterol diseases.
- Galveston diet is gluten-free based, and according to scientists, unless a person has celiac disease, it is not advisable to restrict gluten from the diet due to health concerns. Gluten-free products are processed and refined and lack all the essential micronutrients which are present in whole grains.
- Galveston diet restricts starchy fruits such as bananas, but evidence has suggested that all fruits, including bananas, aid in weight loss.
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