Five meals per day: the idea of 5 Factor Diet
There are only a few popular diets where it doesn’t turn out after a while, that it is actually ineffective or do more harm than good. The creator of the 5 Factor Diet took no risks when he said what was essentially taught in schools:
eat five times a day, varied meals and do some sport in the meantime. Among Hollywood stars Eva Mendes, Halle Berry, Natalie Portman and Alicia Keys all tried the method developed by the famous personal trainer and nutrition expert Harley Pasternak.
The main idea:
- 5 meals per day
- balanced eating of 5 main meal groups
- 5 “cheat” days during the 5 weeks (1 day per week)
- 5 workouts per week
- lasts for 5 weeks
Which are the most important 5 meal groups?
Protein (e.g. low fat dairy, fish, chicken breasts, legumes, oats): helps to develop muscles, and to achieve sense of fullness
Carbohydrate: a basic nutritional group, as we gain most of our energy from this. Choose only healthy types: rice (brown rice), durum or whole wheat pasta, vegetables, fruits.
Avoiding of refined sugar is essential.
Healthy fats: contained mainly by monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, i.e. the oily seeds (rape, sunflower, linseed, titch), olive and fishes (mackerel, herring, sardines). Fat, along with its energy value has many positive effects: e.g. helps to fat-soluble vitamins to absorb, alkalising, maintains the circulatory system and the joints, thus “lubricating the machine”.
Sugar free drinks: water is the best choice. Besides its importance in nutrition, it supresses the sensation of hunger, so if we drink 1-2 glass of water before the meal, than we will eat less as we are feeling full.
Fibres: fibres are keeping the bowels moving, thus metabolism is not slowing down, and as the digestion of high-fibre food allegedly requires more calories, digestion will burn calories by itself. The best sources: vegetables, fruits (especially the skin), whole wheat products (bran, skin).
What sport should we do?
For the results 25 minutes of sport is required five times a week.
According to the original recipe, this 25 minutes should be divided into 5 sections: for example 5 minutes of skip roping, 5 minutes of exercises, elastic rope of fitness ball exercises, lunge exercises etc. The important thing is that during one workout only the upper body or only the lower body should be exercised at a time. So if one day we do arm, breast and abdominal exercises, than the other occasion we have to do leg, glute and hip exercises. Introduce two rest days per week.
Variety is important and good, as it is motivating, but seriousness and commitment is also required, as this 25 minutes passes quickly, and it serves us right, if we work every minutes of it properly.