"Overweight is an increasingly widespread problem due to the sedentary lifestyle we lead," explains Professor Sorrentino. "According to a study by the World Health Organization, the frequency of obesity in Europe has tripled in the past twenty years and the worst is that no trend reversal is foreseen for the moment ».
It is starting from these evidences that the Milanese doctor (among his best-known patients the TV presenter Barbara D'Urso) accepted the proposal of the Riso Scotti company to think of a low-calorie menu, ready to use, which had the cereal as its protagonist.
«A 'good carbohydrate', an excellent source of sustained release and energy gluten-free, ideal for reducing abdominal swelling and eliminating toxins ", explains the professor, whose approach breaks with the past of canned diets.
Until now, in fact, most of the dietary kits that can be purchased online focused decisively on the concept of a protein food program, see for example the many proposals for sale on the Minci Delice platform with boxes of 7, 14 and 28 days. The approach of Valter Longo is also different, which in his fasting-mime menu with anti-aging action he has included soups and vegetables.
A possible side effect
The ingredients in the dish change, but the secondary advantages of all boxed diets remain: proposing a food path that includes everything, with the further advantage that whoever chooses them doesn't have to think about anything for the entire duration of the program, freeing you from many responsibilities.
"But be careful," warns psychologist and psychotherapist Daniela Bavestrello. "If it is true that being an active part of the weight loss program (therefore buying, choosing, weighing and cooking various foods) is psychologically tiring, sometimes frustrating, a scheme in which everything is already set up can trigger the desire to overcompensate for" deprivations "Exceeding with sugars, seasonings, fats.
In other words, someone who follows a rigid and restrictive schedule could easily have the temptation, once the diet is over, to overeat. Wouldn't it then be better to opt for less severe and more sustainable long-term, as well as more educational proposals? ”.
It depends on how you experience the food
So is it worth relying on these particular diets or not? Psychologist Elena Benvenuti has no doubts: «A diet of this type it can work for those who have a good relationship with food and nutrition and who must not lose many kilos, but simply deflate, purify or get back in shape.
It is less suitable, however, in the case of people in conflict with their image and with a history of eating disorders. In these cases, in fact, it is much more useful to learn how to develop a full awareness of the value of food, with a direct involvement in the stages of shopping and preparing meals ".
And from a nutritional point of view?
"Box diets are often united by the fact that they are high-protein and use flavor enhancers, sweeteners and flavorings," says Clelia Iacoviello, pharmacist and nutraceutical expert.
«In this sense I find the new diet of Professor Sorrentino is interesting, openly attentive to the pleasantness of flavors and starring an ancient cereal such as rice, naturally gluten-free and easily digestible. In general, I would not demonize box diets, which have the indisputable advantage of being able to be followed easily by everyone, saving time.
The disadvantage is that at the end you abruptly return to your usual diet without having learned in any way to eat healthily. This is why it is then difficult to maintain the weight reached: without ready-made foods there is the risk of feeling lost and throwing oneself on the wrong foods. In fact, the preparation of the dish is a fundamental moment for long-term weight management. Because? It allows us to become aware of food and it is an act of love for ourselves, important in managing emotional hunger. In short, without becoming a great chef, it is worth learning the basics of healthy cooking ».
If you are thinking of giving it a try
«Since it is not easy to juggle the proposals of ready-to-use diets and since these kits often require a important economic investment (100-200 € for a week), before buying, I recommend that you consult an expert (your doctor or a nutritionist) to understand what could be the most suitable diet plan for your specific needs and personal weight goals ", suggests Dr. Iacoviello.
To give you an idea of ​​what exactly box diets are, here we present 3 of them: two absolute novelties and an old acquaintance, who has been in the breach for years.
HERE ARE 3 DIETS IN BOX
- Dietidea by Riso Scotti
The slimming kit is signed by Professor Nicola Sorrentino, a Milanese dietician, well known among VIPs. AND a ready-made low-calorie and detox menu, which has rice as its basic ingredient, considered a good, healthy and easy to digest food.
What it contains: 7 boxes with, in each, the 3 main meals of the day, as well as snacks, herbal teas, condiments and supplements. You only have to add fresh vegetables, for the rest you will find everything you need for a week of diet and a guide written by Professor Sorrentino.
A typical day: for breakfast a rice and chocolate bar, accompanied by almond water; for lunch, vegetable soup with a mini bowl of rice with chia and quinoa; as a crunchy snack of rice, pistachios and honey; for dinner, brown rice, olives and lentils, plus baby spinach with oil and vinegar. On the last day of the diet, you are allowed a free meal.
Plus: Men and women have two different canned diets (and two menus) available: they provide 1.300 calories for him and 1.000 for her.
- Prolon Fasting Mime Diet Kit
Behind this 5-day food program is Valter Longo, biochemist, director of the Longevity Institute of the University of Southern California, defined by Time magazine as the "longevity guru". The diet is based on Longo's Mima-Fasting program, which aims, in addition to weight loss, the reduction of risk factors for aging, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
What it contains: only vegetable and gluten-free foods (both to drink and to eat): bars, soups, soft drinks and supplements. The package includes everything you need for the five-day diet.
A typical day: for breakfast, lemon and green mint tea, a nut bar and seaweed oil; for lunch tomato soup, salted olives, supplement; as a snack bar of walnuts and green mint tea; for dinner vegetable soup, chocolate bar and supplement.
Plus: you can receive personal consultation with a Prolon nutritionist to achieve specific health goals and maximize the results of the diet.
- Kit (7 Days) by Tisanoreica
The creator and producer is Gianluca Mech, entrepreneur expert in nutrition and phytotherapy. It is about a 7-day intensive diet with two objectives: one significant weight loss and a deep one depuration of the organism, with drainage of body fluids.
What it contains: drinks, spoon creams, vegetable soups, ready-made pasta, shakers, plus three different food supplements with a detox effect from the “Decottopia” line (term meaning “the ten herbs method”) and “Tisanoreica”.
A typical day: breakfast with sweetened coffee or tea and a “Tisanoreica” drink; mid-morning snack ditto; lunch with “Tisanoreica” soup or pasta plus green vegetables cooked or raw at will; mid-afternoon snack such as breakfast; dinner with a dish of your choice between 120 g of meat or 200 g of defatted fish or 80 g of tuna in oil or 80 g of bresaola or carpaccio or defatted raw ham or 1 egg and cooked or raw vegetables at will.
