Is Step One a diet plan?

It’s a question we get a lot.  The short answer is "no", and let me explain why:  

I created Step One Foods because I was worried about the health of my patients, who were having a hard time eating in a way that supported their care. And even though many of them struggled not just with high cholesterol but also with weight, I knew another quick-fix diet was just about the last thing they needed.

Contrary to popular belief, health and diets do not go hand in hand! Eating for health is very different from dieting. (This is true even true for pets!)

The problem with most diets with a goal of weight loss? They can discourage you from eating foods that are essential for health -- especially heart health. Take the Keto diet: Plant-based foods such as fruits, beans and complex carbs are restricted to 20 grams a day. In case you're counting, that’s less than one banana!

Some diets are even more restrictive: The grapefruit diet involves exactly one food, and the cabbage soup diet isn’t much better.

Then there’s the fact that none of these diets work: Most people regain the weight they lose, and then gain even more.

Worst of all? Diets can destroy our healthy relationship with food.  Instead of being a necessary pleasure, food becomes the enemy and a constant obsession. I know, because I’ve tried many diets myself to see what my patients were putting themselves through. I made it through three days of the Banana Diet, five days of the Grapefruit Diet, four days of the Cabbage Soup Diet, and several days of the Fat Flush Plan. Keto made me feel awful and Slim Fast made me gag.  In each case, I quit because I felt deprived. And while testing those diets, I noticed that my relationship with food was completely dysfunctional. I even created "The No Diet Guide" where I reviewed popular diets and go more in depth on my diet philosophy. 

Eating for health, on the other hand, has real, measurable benefits above and beyond weight control. Look what happened when we tested one tiny change in diet, swapping out two snacks a day for two Step One products. Imagine what would happen if you were eating for health all day long!  In addition to gaining on health, you would likely find that your weight would regulate itself. And, most importantly, that you would FEEL BETTER.

For some people, losing weight can be a healthy goal. It’s just that dieting isn’t the way to get there. The key to losing weight and keeping it off - for good - is to make small, sustainable changes by finding realistic ways to incrementally incorporate more foods that boost health and fewer foods that promote disease into your nutrition plan.  

Which is exactly what we’re about at Step One Foods. When you’re eating to lower cholesterol, you’re also eating nutritionally dense, satisfying foods -- meaning fewer food cravings and fewer overall calories.  So it’s not surprising that many of our consumers report weight loss as another side benefit of eating Step One Foods. Because when you eat for health, everything else follows.