The GIFT diet
The DietGIFT is a last-generation food strategy founded by doctors Attilio Speciani and Luca Speciani; the two doctors maintain that, unlike many other methods, DietaGIFT is not based on caloric counting, but on the natural stimulation of the metabolism by activating the regulation centers.
Based on the principles of DietaGIFT (from which the acronym derives), working on the metabolism and not on caloric reduction it is possible to conserve muscle mass, eliminate fat mass and water retention, with the advantage of progressive and constant gain.
Before going into the details of the strategy, it is appropriate to accurately report the image that the creators of DietaGIFT try to communicate / advertise to the kind public.
What follows is only a summary of the concepts reported by Dr. Speciani on the DietaGIFT website:
GIFT is the acronym that summarizes: graduality, individuality, flexibility and tone . The idea is to not count calories and eat in a varied, complete and balanced way, in order to restore the ideal weight by eliminating excess fat mass.
Key principles:
- Maintenance of insulin calm thanks to a reduction in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index
- Metabolic hyper-activation in order to increase fat consumption
- Accurate choice of healthy foods not altered by industrial processing
The 10 DietaGIFT rules:
- Protein / carbohydrate combination to limit the rebound effect of insulin
- Index and glycemic load control
- Optimal calorie distribution of meals (decreasing throughout the day)
- Fruits and vegetables in freedom, with the trick of inserting them at the beginning of the meal
- Generous supply of water and dietary fiber
- Long chewing
- Decisive reduction of junk foods
- Physical activity with a preference for aerobic exercise
- Control of food intolerances (DRIA test) which, by triggering inflammation mediators, can negatively affect insulin action (the solution is food rotation)
- Psychophysical balance; foods can affect mood, just as mood can affect how you eat. " DietaGIFT requires a deep understanding and an active removal of these slavery"
Advantages
- Activation of metabolism, well-being, relentless weight loss and the satisfaction of a wide variety of foods
Disadvantages
- Slimming slowness.
Does DietGIFT work?
Hoping to have correctly translated the three key principles and the 10 rules (excusing myself to the creators of DietaGIFT for the essentiality adopted), I will now try to analyze the GIFT strategy with the maximum impartiality (and a veil of criticism).
Assuming that on the whole it is undoubtedly an excellent method, or rather an excellent lifestyle, what emerges from a first analysis is the absence of revolutionary concepts for which DietaGIFT declares to have had (based on what is written in the website) a success without equal. This in no way means that the ploy adopted by the authors is incorrect, ANZI! Exactly the opposite! DietaGIFT contains all the most important and concretely applicable guidelines for maintaining a good diet (with some questionable utility variation).
Let's go down specifically.
The first aspect of the DietGIFT that leaps to the eye is undoubtedly the absence of the caloric count, with the trick of modifying the feeding varying the foods and guaranteeing a balanced and nutritionally complete regime. With a similar attitude, the authors of DietaGIFT kill two birds with one stone: first they say everything and nothing; in the sense that today, between professionals and laymen, talking about food balance and completeness, everyone has their say! Secondly, by limiting itself to studying the percentages, weights and breakdowns, Dr. Speciani deftly avoids the countless controversies that nutrition professionals often exchange with each other. Under these two points of view, DietaGIFT is undoubtedly a very intelligent strategy: it does not dwell on the details and focuses on the nutrition education of patients.
However, a clarification deserves to be made: applying all the dietary principles of a healthy diet induces NECESSARILY the reduction of the caloric intake; by combining physical activity and correcting unsuccessful attitudes and habits, weight loss is guaranteed. And yet, even in this respect, therapy hides a not inconsiderable merit; DietaGIFT aims at improving health and attaining the ideal weight (which I would rather call PHYSIOLOGICAL and DESIRABLE), subjectively improving the perception of "psychophysical well-being". That is, this change in lifestyle aims at the actual improvement of the state of health by detaching the attention of the patients from the achievement of utopian aesthetic goals (which I would call most of the time useless if not harmful). It does not matter if it is also a business, DietaGIFT stands out for the ethical correctness of its founders who take into consideration both the metabolic and psychological aspects of its consumers.
Of course, on the increase in metabolic activation for optimal fat consumption, the same argument made above applies; nothing new. With regard to the caloric balance, it is now known that physical activity guarantees three advantages: 1. The increase in energy expenditure during exertion 2. The increase in post-exercise energy metabolic expenditure in proportion to the volume and intensity of execution 3. The maintenance of muscle mass, therefore a good basal metabolism.
The principle according to which it is recommended to consume simple and poorly processed foods, giving up poor quality industrial preparations rich in food additives is fundamental and highly educational.
With regard to the ten rules of the DietGIFT which explain the three cardinal principles in more detail, what is perplexing is the advice to consume fruit and vegetables in absolute freedom; among other things, an aspect that in part recalls the "Zone" overseas. Leaving aside the caloric amount that could be achieved by consuming fruit and some vegetables (such as potatoes, carrots and peppers), and the relative increase in the proportion of simple sugars, it is essential to emphasize that excessive levels of dietary fiber - contained in fruit and vegetables - could negatively affect the absorption of some micro nutrients such as iron, calcium and magnesium; this happens mainly due to the chelating action of the phytates. Probably DietaGIFT does not take into consideration the local consumption variables; in areas characterized by the development of agricultural activity, where the cultivation of orchards could be called ubiquitous, the diet of the population already includes very high (if not excessive) quantities of fruit; 800-1000g a day are easily achieved, and if associated with generous portions of bread, pasta or polenta, they could constitute a considerable caloric-glucose excess.
I would also like to have a nice question mark on the reliability or otherwise of the DRIA tests; as other sources also mention (British Medical Journal - 1988): its ability to evaluate pathologies is almost random . This does not take away from the fact that often the obese intestine reflects the general health conditions of its bearer, therefore very bad; the mucosa of those who eat in an unbalanced and disordered manner can become irritated, therefore, following a correct diet re-education, the margin for improvement is wide. In this regard, the dietary rotation of DietGIFT could be a good method of "intestinal" rehabilitation, but this advantage does not justify the diagnosis of food intolerance.
The last rule of the DietGIFT, the number ten, describes the importance of psychophysical balance as a fundamental requirement in finding the overall good health; nothing more right. It is therefore not possible to obtain good results in an "active" therapy such as food and physical exercise if, first and foremost, the patient is not able to eliminate the anxiogenic and stress-causing factors responsible for an inappropriate lifestyle.
"DietaGIFT requires a deep understanding and an active removal of these slavery"
Well, to a similar request, if I were an obese I would answer ... Thank you very much!
The role that mood disorders, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and eating disorders play (Binge Eating Disorder, Uncompensated Bulimia, grignotage, etc.) is well known to all clinicians who treat obesity and its complications. Suggesting that mental equilibrium is treated in order to achieve greater compliance with therapy is certainly a clever and intelligent advice, 100% approvable. On the other hand, evaluating the correlation between psycho-pathological symptoms and inappropriate eating habits, it seems obvious that the " understanding and active removal of these slavery" are not so simple to achieve. With a similar requirement, DietaGIFT seems to limit its catchment area to those capable of managing their emotions.
On a superficial analysis, DietaGIFT could appear to be an innovative method based on revolutionary and countertrend concepts (see NON calorie counting and METABOLIC activation), but, carefully analyzing each key and the respective rules, it seems obvious that DietaGIFT does not be it other than the OPTIMIZATION and the correct COMBINATION of ALL the dietetic and motòri principles suitable for improving the state of health.
No magic formula or innovative discovery, only professionalism and accuracy.
