How does the Microbiome Diet compare to other popular diets?
The takeaway
We are onto Phase 3 of the Microbiome Diet, where most foods can be consumed, and the diet is followed with 70% compliance.
This week, I compare the following diets: Microbiome Diet, Paleo, Whole 30, Whole Life Challenge, Atkins, Ketogenic, and Mediterranean.
All of these diets recommend a foundation based on vegetables, fruits, [lean] meats and poultry, fish, eggs, and healthy fats, and nuts and seeds.
Consumption of grains, legumes, dairy and starches vary across these diets.
All of these recommend avoiding refined grains, processed/packaged foods, most added sugar/sweeteners, industrial oils, alcohol, and hydrogenated fats.
Read on for more!
We have completed Phase 2 of the Microbiome Diet and are officially in Phase 3, which is lifetime maintenance. This is where the restrictions list loosens up a bit and compliance drops to 70%. All forms of dairy, as well as grains and sugar are now compliant, but should still be eaten in moderation. And 70% compliance means that out of the approximately 35 meals and snacks eaten weekly, 10 can be whatever you like. This approach seems pretty reasonable and easy to maintain: make 70% your diet high fiber low inflammation and indulge responsibly.
One reason I like the Microbiome Diet so much is that it has really taught me about eating to support a healthy gut, which we have learned is at the crux of many health issues. The diet starts out pretty restrictive, but the purpose of the restriction is to lower inflammation, repair the intestinal wall, and restore the balance of beneficial gut microbes. For me these goals are meaningful and relevant and therefore easier to adhere to rather than goals like losing weight or trying to banish cravings.
I personally like to be on a diet “program.” It works for me. It often takes a lot of guesswork out of figuring out what to eat because the guidelines naturally steer me towards certain foods. I have done so many programs throughout my life, including Atkins, Whole 30 and the Whole Life Challenge, but The Microbiome Diet seems to have stuck for me. Many people as me how the Microbiome Diet compares to other programs, so I decided to cover that in this week’s post.
Below you will find a brief summary and Eat/Avoid lists of some of the more popular diets, programs, challenges, or eating approaches, including the Microbiome Diet, Paleo Diet, Whole 30, The Whole Life Challenge, Atkins, Ketogenic, and the Mediterranean diet. The descriptions and lists are not exhaustive, and I am not evaluating these diets from a health or safety standpoint. Rather, I just want to briefly compare approaches.
Microbiome Diet
The Microbiome Diet aims to restore the health of the gut by reversing leaky gut and promoting the growth of beneficial gut microbes (“microbiome”) while limiting harmful ones. A main focus of the diet is consuming adequate dietary fiber, since our beneficial gut bacteria ferment fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids which help with gut and immune health. The other main focus is avoiding inflammatory foods, which contribute to leaky gut and chronic, widespread inflammation.
There are 3 phases to the Microbiome Diet; restrictions decrease as the diet progresses.
EAT (in all 3 phases: vegetables (especially those high in prebiotic fiber like onion, garlic, leeks, asparagus and artichoke), fruit, meat, seafood, nuts and seeds, healthy fats, and fermented foods.
AVOID (in all 3 phases) soy, canned fruit, sugar/sweeteners except Lakanto (a sweetener containing monkfruit and erythritol), canola and cottonseed oil, hydrogenated fats, processed food including meat and packaged snacks, alcohol, artificial colors and preservatives.
More specifically:
Phase 1 (3 weeks long): Avoid eggs, all grains, legumes (except chickpeas and lentils), dairy except butter, potatoes/sweet potatoes, corn.
Phase 2 (4 weeks long): Add back in eggs, gluten-free grains (quinoa, amaranth, gluten-free oats, millet, brown and wild rice), all legumes, sheep and goat’s milk products (milk, cheese and yogurt), cow’s milk kefir, potatoes/sweet potatoes. Follow with 90% compliance.
Phase 3 (lifetime): Add back in all dairy as tolerated, limit gluten to twice weekly, limit sugars/sweeteners (except monkfruit and erythritol) to twice weekly, limit corn consumption. Follow with 70% compliance.
Paleo
The focus of the Paleo Diet is to “eat as our ancestors did.” The mantra is basically “if our ancestors didn’t eat it, neither should we,” which means eat food in its original form with minimal processing. Most people on the Paleo Diet use this framework as a template <https://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-moving-from-a-paleo-diet-to-a-paleo-template/> and may still allow some processed food like dairy, wine and dark chocolate. Overall, the idea is to reverse the trend of modern, chronic, non-infectious diseases that are associated with poor diet.
EAT vegetables, fruits, lean meats, seafood, eggs, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats.
AVOID grains, dairy, legumes, potatoes, processed food, sugar and other added sweeteners, refined vegetable oils, and alcohol.
Whole 30
The Whole 30 is a 30-day challenge to eat whole food and replace unhealthy habits with healthy mindful choices. A major focus is to improve overall health by avoiding foods that have negative impacts on well-being, both physical or emotional. Overall, the focus is to change how you think about food, to overcome cravings, and to improve your relationship with food.
EAT vegetables (including starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes), fish, meat, poultry eggs, fruits, nuts, and fats like avocado, ghee and oils.
AVOID grains, dairy including butter, legumes/beans, real or artificial added sweeteners, alcohol, or non-compliant food recreated with compliant ingredients (like almond flour pancakes).
Whole Life Challenge
The Whole Life Challenge is a 6-week program that aims to improve 7 aspects of life, including nutrition, exercise, mobility, hydration, sleep, well-being and reflection. The diet component follows Paleo principles and has 3 levels with increasing strictness: Kickstart, Lifestyle and Performance.
EAT vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts and seeds and healthy fats.
AVOID flour of any grains, cheese, beer, desserts/sweets, and fried food.
More specifically:
Kickstart: Avoid flours of any grains, beer, cheese, soda, and desserts/candy, and fried food.
Lifestyle: Avoid deli meats, soy, hydrogenated oils, flour of any grain (and any products made with flour like bread and pasta), milk, sour cream, cheese, beer, and added sugar/sweeteners except stevia, monkfruit and coconut sugar.
Performance: Avoid white potatoes, corn, beans/legumes (including peanuts), soy, all grains, dairy except butter, processed meats, industrial oils (canola, corn, peanut, soy, sunflower), hydrogenated oils, alcohol, added sugar/sweeteners except stevia and monkfruit.
Atkins
The Atkins diet is a low carbohydrate diet that is usually recommended for weight loss. It contains 4 phases: induction, balancing, fine-tuning and maintenance. During Phase 1, carbohydrates are restricted to 20 grams net carbs (carbohydrates minus fiber) per day, and then slowly added back in through the remaining 3 phases. The goal is to figure out how carbs you can eat while maintaining your goal weight.
There is a new version of Atkins, called Atkins 40, which is designed for people who have less weight to lose or need a wider variety of foods due to pregnancy or breastfeeding. The dietary guidelines are similar, but more relaxed because more carbs are allowed within each phase.
EAT meat, fatty fish and seafood, eggs, low-carbohydrate vegetables, full-fat dairy, nuts and seeds and healthy fats.
AVOID/LIMIT added sugar, vegetable oils (like soybean, corn, cottonseed and canola), trans fats and processed foods marketed as “diet” or “low-fat” which usually contain lots of sugar.
During Phase 1 (2 weeks), avoid high-carbohydrate foods, including starchy vegetables like carrots and turnips, fruits like banana, apple, orange, pears and grapes, potatoes/sweet potatoes, legumes/beans, nuts and high carb dairy like milk and yogurt. Atkins 40 allows fruit, whole-grains and nuts.
Ketogenic
In the Ketogenic diet, the goal is ketosis, or switching from glucose to ketones as the body’s primary energy source. Ketones results from the breakdown of fat in the liver. This is achieved by consuming a diet extremely low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and high in fat. Daily caloric intake follows the general ratio of 70% of calories from fat, 25% from protein and 5% from carbohydrates. Initially carbohydrates are limited to 20 grams net carbs (carbohydrates minus fiber) per day.
EAT non-starchy green vegetables, fish, meat/poultry, and eggs, fat in the form of nuts, hard cheeses, cream, butter, and oil. Low-glycemic fruits like berries are ok in moderation. Sugar alcohols are ok.
AVOID/LIMIT grains, starchy vegetables, legumes/beans, fruit (besides berries), most dairy items, and added sugar or similar sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. No food is off-limits per se, but choosing foods and quantities that allow you to stay in ketosis is crucial.
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Diet represents a traditional way of eating in countries like Italy and Greece. has been associated with exceptional health, including lower incidence of diseases like heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimers. The overall focus is eating a plant-based diet that includes healthy fats. A unique aspect is the recommendation that food should be enjoyed with family and friends.
EAT vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, breads, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, herbs, and spices. Eat in moderation poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt. Rarely eat red meat.
AVOID added sugars and vegetables, processed meat, refined grains, refined oils and highly processed food.
Table summarizes Eat/Avoid lists
Click here for a larger version (opens a Google drive sheet).
Summary
Although every diet here aims to improve health, they each vary quite dramatically in terms of the specific goals and ideals, from changing relationship with food or getting back to roots to changing physiology like improving gut health or switching to ketosis. Maybe one approach motivates you more than another or speaks to you on a more personal level. Perhaps your goals align with one plan over another. If you want to follow a program, there is probably one that fits you!
In terms of foods to eat and avoid, the diets vary, but converge on some levels. The Microbiome Diet starts out similar to a Paleo or Whole 30 approach and ends up more like Whole Life Challenge Lifestyle level or Atkins, where more foods are allowed but consumed in moderation.
What we can gather from looking at all of these approaches is that a diet based on whole, unprocessed or minimally processed foods, primarily vegetables and fruits is a good place to start. High quality meats/poultry, fish, eggs, and healthy fats should also be a cornerstone. Nuts and seeds can be consumed in moderation. Depending on your preferences, needs and goals, you may add in some potatoes/sweet potatoes, legumes, dairy products, and whole grains, perhaps gluten-free if you are sensitive to gluten. Across the board, all of these diets recommend avoiding or altogether eliminating highly processed foods, refined grains, industrial vegetable oils, added sugar/sweeteners and hydrogenated oils.
Have you followed any of these approaches, or a different one? What worked and what didn’t? I’d love to hear from you!