Weight Loss & Diet Plans

The Shangri-La Diet

The Shangri-La Diet: What the Experts Say

Linking flavor and weight loss is an interesting concept, but not one familiar to most registered dietitians.

''It sounds sexy and easy, but it is riddled with holes,'' says American Dietetic Association spokesperson David Grotto, RD. ''What I like is that you can eat whatever you want. But choosing unfamiliar foods and drinking olive oil or sugar water between meals is not practical, nor is it likely to be something most people will do for a long time.'' He points out that there is no scientific literature to substantiate Robert's approach to manipulating hunger and set point with tasteless calories.

Another nutritionist dismisses The Shangri-La Diet as mostly gimmick. ''It is ludicrous to make a statement that the better a food tastes, the more fattening it is. Delicious food does not need to be fattening," says Ellie Krieger, RD, host of Food Network's Healthy Appetite.

Some of the book's advice is not in line with expert recommendations on weight loss. For example, Grotto takes issue with the author's recommendation to add cinnamon to pizza. (The idea is that making the flavor less familiar will help break the taste-calorie connection.)

''Cinnamon may have an impact on blood sugar but adding it to pizza will not make it any less fattening, even the first time,'' says Grotto.

''It would be very hard to sustain a diet like this one because the enjoyment factor of food is not part of the program and neither is exercise, which is almost more important than what you eat when trying to lose weight.''

The Shangri-La Diet: Food for Thought

If The Shangri-La Diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The diet's premise is unusual. It is based on a few studies in rats, anecdotes of successful dieters, and the author's personal experience -- not the clinical trials that scientists insist upon when making public health recommendations.

Testimonials are not a substitute for science, and anecdotal evidence is not sufficient to prove Roberts' theory behind The Shangri-La Diet. More studies are needed to test what effect tasteless and unfamiliar foods have on appetite regulation.