The Galveston diet -part two

Dr. Mary Claire Haver shares her recommendations for eating well during perimenopause/menopause in her best-selling book The Galveston Diet. In our last blog article I reviewed the first part of the diet, Fuel Refocus. In my opinion Fuel Refocus is a pretty restrictive diet that includes undereating in a limited time period each day; I think it would be quite difficult for many women to follow for four weeks.

The second part of the diet is meant to be ongoing, a maintenance phase of sorts. It is a wonderfully balanced diet that includes anti-inflammatory foods, lots of fiber, and adequate amounts of lean protein. It highlights nutrients like magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D that are vital to healthy aging. In fact, these recommendations are in line with what we recommend to our clients at Chesapeake Nutrition Company.

And here’s the but… BUT as nutrition experts that have worked with thousands of clients through the years we understand that there is no such thing as a maintenance diet. The results you get from the first phase of a two part diet are only able to be maintained if you keep doing the first phase of the diet forever. The Fuel Refocus is a “quick fix” for those who are able to complete it but I question if the results remain once someone switches to the second part of the diet, the maintenance phase.

While the Galveston Diet as a whole isn’t something I’ll be trying, I continue to follow Dr. Mary Claire Haver on Instagram to learn all the nitty gritty details of perimenopause and healthy aging. If you’re a middle-aged woman that wants to learn more about perimenopause, I think her book it worth a read. If you want help with your diet during this stage of life, get in touch with us for a customized plan!

Author: Jodi Serafin RDN, CDCES