Written by Michael Reavis Jr. | Lead Dietitian

A recent client asked me about the following diet and I figured this may help a number of people.

The Human Being Diet, like many diets before it, focuses on whole foods, low sugar intake, restriction, fasting, and a caloric deficit—without explicitly calling it such.

The Pros of This Diet:

1. It creates a caloric deficit, which will unsurprisingly promote weight loss. People seeking weight loss will view this as “it works,” which confirms the diet’s validity.
2. It focuses on whole foods. As the diet claims, these foods are properly digested and utilized by the body, helping with insulin, hormone, and cortisol levels. However, I would ask the creator to explain exactly how it does this. The reason I question this is that many diets use these terms as buzzwords to build trust, even if the writer can’t explain what these terms mean or how food affects these factors.
3. It is clear and concise, which makes it easy to follow. This is particularly helpful for people with busy lives who are just trying to get through the day.

The Cons:

1. If you are athletic or exercising, I strongly recommend avoiding this diet. You’re limited to <900 kcal for the first 18-19 days, which is extraordinarily low.
2. Whole foods are fantastic—as a dietitian, I’d be remiss to tell clients not to eat more of them. However, eating only whole foods can be an abrupt change, especially for people who have a family, a full-time job, little cooking experience, or have never eaten this way before. I would recommend reframing phase two to be a longer process, where each week you add 1-2 new whole foods, gradually replacing more processed foods. In 8 weeks, you could add 4-8 new whole foods, moving toward a more whole food-focused diet.
   Additionally, there’s the cost of these foods to consider. While I believe that whole foods are not as expensive as they are often made out to be, navigating the grocery store to make this diet feasible can still be a challenge.
3. It seems extremely low in protein. Most protein sources also come with some form of dietary fat. At 9 kcal per gram, this means the energy from fat adds up quickly. For example, during the 700-900 kcal phase, your meal plan might look like this:
   • 15-20g dietary fat (135-180 kcal)
   • 90-100g carbohydrates (360-400 kcal, mostly from fruits and vegetables as per the diet)
   • 75-90g protein (300-360 kcal)
4. Maintaining this can be extraordinarily challenging, especially for most working adults. Yes, the routine and habits would get easier over time, but in the meantime, you’d likely lose a higher percentage of lean muscle mass than is desirable. Proper weight loss should aim to keep <20% of the weight lost from lean muscle tissue. This requires consistent lean protein intake and exercise—both of which could be challenging to sustain on this diet.

Would I Recommend This Diet as a Whole?

There are parts of this diet that I think can be very beneficial. First, focusing on more whole foods and preparing your own meals is something many Americans have fallen away from, and it can be incredibly helpful. Secondly, learning to give our body time between meals can help teach proper hunger cues. When nourished with balanced nutrition, the body signals when it needs energy. In a world of highly processed foods, these signals can get skewed. Lastly, the diet offers people a plan and structure to follow. This alone is valuable because most people don’t take the time to think about what they’re eating. In slowing down and reflecting on food choices, we can make a significant impact on our health.

However, to answer the question directly: No, I would not recommend this diet as it is currently laid out. While the “veggies-only” phase for two days may sound appealing and “green,” in reality, it’s likely to leave you feeling miserable and unproductive. There are better ways to begin a diet than by eating only one food item.

Additionally, the diet is quite restrictive and focuses very little on other habits that promote health, such as movement, sleep, food environment, healthy relationships, and time management. My main concern is that diets like this often foster feelings of failure and inadequacy. Health is a massive challenge that we face every day in the modern world. We are surrounded by external cues that make us feel like “we just can’t do it” or “we can’t be healthy.” This diet could easily contribute to that mindset, especially since many of my clients struggle with health confidence. Diets like this often undermine the progress they’ve made in believing that they can make healthy choices, cook healthily, live healthily, and move healthily.

Is the Phase Two Detox Safe?

“Safe” is a very broad term. For some, this phase may be manageable, but it’s important to recognize that the energy our body requires doesn’t just go toward physical activity. Most of our energy goes toward maintaining vital functions—like keeping the heart, brain, lungs, and other organs functioning. A 700-900 kcal diet is insufficient for supporting these systems, and I would not consider it safe for long-term health.

Would This Plan Result in Speedy Weight Loss?

Undoubtedly, yes. However, I would argue that if research were conducted on this diet long-term, the rebound weight gain would likely be high. This plan doesn’t teach its users anything beyond following the diet. In real-world situations—seeing friends and family, dining out, cooking for children, or going to work each day—this plan would be unsustainable and could lead to a typical “yo-yo” dieting pattern.