Low-Carb Diet Plans

The Montignac Diet

Eat Yourself Slim by Michel Montignac (1999?)

Plan's name: The Montignac Diet

Book(s): Eat Yourself Slim by Michel Montignac. Copyright – 1999 (8 million copies sold in Europe- according to the cover)

Basic Philosophy: 

By the numbers: : The most fascinating part of this diet is that you do not count carbohydrates or calories.

Method: 

There are only two phases to this plan:

Phase 1 - You stay on this until you get to your ideal weight.

Phase 2 - This is the maintenance portion that you live with the rest of your life.

Carbohydrates - The foods are not shown in grams, but are given an 'index number' to show their Glycemic Index rating for a comparison of 'good' and 'bad' carbs.

As an example here is a short list of High and Low Glycemic Index Carbohydrates:

Maltose (beer) - 110
Glucose - 100
Baked potatoes - 95
Hamburger Rolls - 85
Sugar (saccharose) - 70
Corn - 70
Long-grain rice - 60
Bananas - 60
Shortbread cookies - 55

Low Glycemic Index Carbohydrates:

Brown Rice - 50
Sweet Potatoes - 50
Oatmeal - 40
Rye Bread - 40
Raw Carrots - 30
Dairy Products - 30
Green Lentils - 22
Fresh Apricots - 15
Green Vegetables < 15

Phase 1 - You eat three substantial meals a day plus snacks. He also does not expect anybody to over eat these meals. You use only carbohydrates that have a Glycemic Index rating from 0 to 35. Of course these meals do include protein and fats.

Phase 2 - You can eat the rest of your life from 0 to 50, which will maintain your weight. For people who have high blood pressure or heart conditions, he does also recommend low fat, and low cholesterol foods.

Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements The author maintains that we should be able to get all our essential vitamins through eating fresh foods prepared by ourselves. As a result he gives detailed instructions on how to prepare them. (Con - What happens if you do not have the time or facilities to do this?) He describes "minerals" as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, and magnesium. He describes "trace elements" as chromium, cobalt, zinc, copper and selenium that function in infinitesimal quantities. He states, "that a lack of minerals and trace elements can be harmful". He maintains that synthetic supplements are "not easily absorbed by the intestines". He therefore strongly advocates the use of a teaspoon of 'beer yeast' or 'wheat germ' added alternatively each morning to a dairy product.

Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners Montignac considers sugar as "Poison", but he also warns everybody to "be careful of artificial sweeteners", as they could disturb metabolism in the long run. Fructose appears to be his favourite sweetener, because he considers that it can be classified as a 'natural sugar', and has a low glycemic index of 20.

Typical menu: 

Unique Fatures: 

Summarized by: Jomil