For his Minimalist column in the New York Times Dining & Wine section, Mark Bittman cooks and eats everything from rib eye steak to cheesy potato gratin. But when his doctor told him he had high cholesterol, borderline high blood sugar and was 35 pounds overweight, he realized he needed to make some changes to his diet. The doctor suggested trying veganism, but Bittman, a confirmed omnivore, said no way. Instead, he decided to cut out meat and dairy only before 6 p.m., then eat absolutely whatever he wanted for dinner.
Lo and behold, the "vegan 'til dinnertime" plan worked. "Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal ... and my sleep apnea indeed went away," said Bittman, quoted in a New York Times health column. He says though he realizes the diet wouldn't work for everyone, he wants people to see that even simple eating changes can have a big impact on health.
Interesting. I have a feeling that if I let myself eat absolutely anything I wanted after 6 p.m., I would gain weight in rather short order regardless of what I ate during the day (what I want to eat after 6 p.m. is often of the cookie dough and caramels variety).
Have you tried partial vegan diets or restricting foods before or after a certain hour? Did it work?
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