The Hallelujah Diet

The Hallelujah Diet is a distinct low-calorie vegan diet which promotes the use of raw organic foods more, than of cooked foods. In fact, it is comprised of 85% raw organic foods and only 15% cooked foods.

What’s more unique about the Hallelujah Diet is that it was not written by a health expert or a fitness specialist. Surprisingly, it was written by a dedicated faith teacher, Rev. George Malkmus. Together with his wife, Rhonda, Malkmus developed the diet to eventually promote what he called “the optimal health”.

For Malkmus, “our bodies are designed by God to receive raw or living foods, where the life force and nutrition are available to nourish our bodies and prevent disease”. He strongly believes that the Hallelujah Diet is something that could pave the way to the original diet which is the most powerful among all diets.

However, according to Malkmus, though Hallelujah Diet is already effective in a way, it would still be best if you make some efforts. Likewise, it would be helpful if you make the “juicing” stuff. Malkmus believes that “juicing” can really help particularly in bringing nutrients into your body.

Unfortunately, according to Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, “juicing pulverizes foods, reducing the fiber, but it does not increase the absorption of the nutrients”. Similarly, Gerbstadt sees “juicing” as something not to necessary.

Recommendations, Limitations and Restrictions

The Hallelujah Diet, for some reasons, is quite confining. Aside from the “juicing” of plant foods and vegetables, the diet also emphasizes the need for taking in of some supplements, including B12, oils, digestive enzymes, a “cleansing” product, and barley powder.

It also strongly suggests the need for a 30-minute regular exercise, strength training as well stretching, specially when the sun is still up.

In terms of foods, you will normally be required to eat raw organic fruits and vegetables, have “barleymax,” which is three daily servings of the supplement and one meal of cooked grains and vegetables with a little oil. Typically, the two meals and snacks are raw foods, and the dinner is usually more on cooked foods.

Fruits on other hand, are allowed but should of course make up the15% of the daily food allowance.

About the foods that are not allowed, well there’s the animal products, dairy, non-organic dried fruits ,white or brown sugar and sugar syrups, refined flour, seasonings like salt or pepper, alcohol, caffeine, coffee, tea, cocoa, artificial fruit drinks or juices, soft drinks, sports drinks, and canned and sweetened fruits.

White rice, cold breakfast cereal, roasted or salted seeds and nuts, peanuts, margarine, shortenings and anything with hydrogenated oils, soups, candy and gum, cookies, donuts, cakes, pies, products with refined sugars or artificial sweeteners, canned vegetables, and vegetables fried in oil are also prohibited.

The Hallelujah Diet Works

The Hallelujah Diet is effective because actually of its low-calorie approach. In a way, you may lose weight because of this approach, however, with consequences of course.

With the Hallelujah Diet, aside from high-calorie foods, you will also be kept away from addictive foods like sugar, animal products, salt, caffeine, and white flour products. But you will be kept close to eating raw foods as when you eat living or raw foods, you no longer have to deal with hunger pangs or cravings at all.

All of the stuff aforementioned are with basis according to Malkmus but not for some health concerns like Gerbstadt.

Insights of Some Experts

Some nutrition experts are in between in terms of their feelings toward the Hallelujah Diet. They are in favor of the approach relating to rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. However, to some extent, they believe that the Hallelujah Diet has no enough scientific proof and evidences for its claims and premises.

For Yale researcher David Katz, MD, “there is a misperception that raw food is more nutritious than cooked, but it really depends on the food, because cooking food can enhance the digestibility”.

For Gerbstadt, “any motivation that helps people eat healthier and lose weight is fine, but this plan has glaring nutritional deficiencies that must be addressed in order for it to be a suitable diet for anyone.”

For Stephen Barrett, MD, founder of Quackwatch, the safeness of Hallelujah Diet is also questionable. For him, “extremely restrictive diets like the Hallelujah Diet are not safe for children, pregnant or lactating women, or any adult because it is nutritionally unbalanced, misleading, untrustworthy, and has not been scientifically validated”.

The Hallelujah Diet

If you’re looking for a healthy weight loss plan and is soundly based on science, well then the Hallelujah Diet is not for you. Its plans and menus are not that healthy and its principles are not well-backed up with scientific proofs and evidences. There’s a lot better diets out there, just be patient and keen in seeking and you’ll surely find one for yourself.