Today there will be a bonus for those who have already been tired of a common intermittent fasting pattern and tried to find a new but challenging one to have an exciting and advantageous diet trip. This fasting pattern is Warrior Diet.
What is Warrior Diet?
It is believed that you may not be strange with the word “warrior”, especially if you prefer to watch Hollywood war movies. Now that, do you have any idea about the character of a warrior? You may also agree with this answer to rebuke it that it is much unlikely to have a clock-like meal for a warrior when being in fighting. In fact, a warrior may only have one meal a day in the evening, or after the war being in a pause. So, from here, you may have a rough understanding of this eating pattern.
Generally speaking, Warrior Diet is one of the fasting patterns. To be specific, it is an intermittent fasting protocol developed by health and fitness author Ori Hofmekler. The Warrior Diet requires eating to be done in the evening, and fasters are allowed to eat only a few fresh fruit and vegetables and eat a big meal during the 4-hour window in the evening. Compared with other intermittent fasting plans, the warrior diet is stricter.
Pros and Cons of Warrior Diet
After the brief introduction above, it’s believed that you cannot wait to start it, thus, to challenge yourself, but please wait for a minute, and determine to do it or not after learning something about its pros and cons.
Pros
Beneficial for weight loss
Unless being forced to because of being overweight, no one would like to switch to a different diet. Warrior diet limits the intake of snacks that have been widely and commonly regarded as the huge enemy of weight gain. Unfortunately, it’s always ignored easily because most snacks are consumed without sufficient awareness. They are usually consumed before desk job, computer or TV screens and the consumed amount is terribly difficult to control as well. Warrior diet sets limitations to eating hours, allowing more time for consumed food to be fully digested before the next meal.
Beneficial for blood sugar control
According to some research, intermittent fasting is beneficial for sugar blood control of Type II patients and it’s been widely accepted that weight loss and changing a diet plan are the leading two solutions to blood sugar control. However, your doctor should be consulted before you decide to start intermittent fasting, which is especially important when the warrior diet is ready to be used because of its strict diet principles.
Beneficial for high blood pressure control
High blood pressure usually results from the high intake of unhealthy cholesterol and fat and weight gain also contributes. Warrior diet provides a diet plan calling for organic and natural products, reducing the risk of high blood pressure because less processed food, fast food, and salt is consumed.
Beneficial for brain health and inflammation reduction
Intermittent fasting is beneficial for brain health since it helps to reduce inflammation because the calories demand has been met.
Cons
Be difficult to follow
As an old saying goes, people will feel pretty hungry without one meal, which seems rough, but really reliable. For several decades, people have already been accustomed to having three meals a day, even four for some people, otherwise, an extreme feeling of hunger will be produced. So, it is not hard to understand that Warrior Diet is a very tough diet for people to follow.
Be easy to lead to binge eating
One of the most negative results of the Warrior Diet is binge eating. What is so-called binge eating? It refers to a condition during which after a long time of nothing consumption, people will be likely to tend to eat a lot, which will cause people to gain several pounds, even harm their health.
Be possibly harmful to organs
With little but some basic medical knowledge, you may know that people’s digestive organs usually take effect in the daytime, and it is likely a huge burden for your organs to digest foods in the very late night. If you insist on this diet for a long time, your organs and your body may be in some negative conditions.
Be not suitable for all groups
For the old, the pregnant, children, and some with eating disorders, Warrior Diet is not advised, because what these groups need are abundant nutrients as usual. And intermittent fasting for a long time, can even lead to lower blood sugar, thus harming their health, let alone warrior diet.
Is Warrior Diet Safe?
Resembling as some other fasting patterns, Warrior Diet is relatively safe. In addition, taking its benefits, like helping to prolong life span, improving heart health, and body’s response to insulin into consideration, it is also proved that Warrior Diet is safe, just as you master a right way to do it.
However, considering its side effects, it is not recommended to those with eating disorders, the pregnant, the elder, and children to take it.
Who is Best Fit for Warrior Diet?
Except for the above groups, you can do Warrior Diet just as you want to lose weight. However, considering the fact that some people are overweight, underweight, or have no clear understanding about their own health, it is suggested you consult a doctor at first, and ask to have a thorough check of the whole body, thus to clarify whether you’re fit to do Warrior Diet or not.
In general, the one who has too much fat or wants to maintain a good body shape, or has an experience of fasting is recommended to have a try.
How to Follow the Warrior Diet?
In order to have a much better effect of weight loss, you are required to follow Warrior Diet for at least three weeks, but there is one point worth noticing that no matter which kind of diet, you are suggested to consult a doctor at first. With the help of a doctor, you can ensure whether you can do Warrior Diet or not.
Week 1
In the daytime, you should eat nothing, and prepare to have a meal at night. You can eat what you want at night. The recommended beverages and foods are as follows:
Beverage
Foods
- Salad with minimal amounts of olive oil and vinegar dressing
- Steamed vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and spinach
- Beans and legumes such as lentils, black beans, kidney beans, and edamame beans
- Grains such as brown rice, barley, and quinoa, while avoiding wheat
- Hummus
- One ounce of goat cheese, yogurt, feta cheese, ricotta, poached eggs, or kefir
Week 2
During this week, you can have the same food intake as the first week, but the difference is to place the beans with animal protein such as meat, fish, or eggs. Besides that, this second week pays attention to fat, and the most recommended food to meet this requirement is nuts, especially some raw nuts. You can take these nuts into account.
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Pumpkin seeds
- Pistachio nuts
Week 3
At first, you should also control your food intake in the daytime as the previous two weeks, then the third week asks you to adjust your food intake every one or two days between high-carb and high-protein meals. You should eat according to the following cycles:
- 1–2 days of high carbs
- 1–2 days of low carbs and high protein
- 1–2 days of high carbs
- 1–2 days of low carbs and high protein
The high-carb foods are following:
- Corn
- Sweet potatoes
- Butternut squash
- Pumpkin
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Barley
- Rice
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Pasta
- Bread
The low-carb foods are following:
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Apple
- Peach
- Egg
- Red meat such as lean pork and beef
The high-protein foods are following:
- Dairy foods
- Nuts
- Milk
- Fish
- Shrimp
You can choose proper foods from above, according to their categories, and arrange your meals.
What to Eat for Warrior Diet?
During the fasting window, Hofmekler suggests sustaining yourself on small portions of dairy, hard-boiled eggs, and raw products. You can also drink zero- or low-calorie beverages like water, coffee, and milk. It’s a good idea to consume a few servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day in order to ensure you get enough essential vitamins and minerals.
In above, it’s recommended to consume healthy, nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, and protein. Whole-grain foods, such as sprouted wheat bread, quinoa, rice, bulgur, and oatmeal are all great options for fueling up during your eating window. Protein, as well as raw and full-fat dairy foods, are strongly encouraged.
Bottom Line
- As one of eating windows of fasting, the Warrior Diet requires eating to be done in the evening. Fasters are allowed to eat only a few fresh fruit and vegetables and eat a big meal during the 4-hour window in the evening.
- The same as some other diets, Warrior Diet has its own pros and cons.
- Even though Warrior Diet is suitable for everyone who wants to lose weight, it is advised you to consult a doctor at first, and give it up if you are the pregnant, the old, the children, or have eating disorders.
- In order to ensure the effect of Warrior Diet, you should insist on it at least three weeks, during this period, you should follow an eating rule. All in all, it is vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, and milk that are suggested for you.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/warrior-diet-guide
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/warrior-diet
https://www.verywellfit.com/the-warrior-diet-4684768
https://www.health.com/weight-loss/warrior-diet
https://www.menshealth.com/uk/nutrition/a31338347/warrior-diet-gains/
