Mono diet for weight loss: How to follow it?

The Mono diet, also known as the monotrophic diet, is an eating pattern that involves eating just one food item or food group for days or weeks.

Magician Penn Jillette, who claimed to have lost weight through this diet, said:

“Presto! How I made over 100 pounds disappear and other magical tales.”

This diet gained popularity in 2016, and since then, many people have tried this diet and have claimed to have got good results, but is such a diet feasible?

In this article, we analyze whether the mono diet can be a safe and effective way to lose weight along with a list of common types of the monotrophic diet.

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How to follow mono diet?

The boiled egg diet is a monotrophic diet. (Image via Unsplash/Tamanna Rumee)

The plan is simple; just choose a particular food item or a food group, and only eat those foods for 1-2 weeks.

There are very few guidelines regarding this diet, and hence there's a lot of confusion. Several types of the mono diet have gained popularity, including the milk diet, carnivore diet, fruitarian diet and egg diet.

From the third week, other food items can be reintroduced, including soups, salads and smoothies. Afterward, a healthy and balanced diet can be followed as usual. Here are a few foods that can be included in the mono diet:

• potatoes
• apples
• eggs
• milk
• bananas
• pears
• watermelon
• chocolate
• grapefruit

Apart from individual foods, certain food groups can also be consumed in this diet, including:

• meats
• fruits
• vegetables
• legumes

Several recipes can be prepared using these foods for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. For example, the boiled egg diet includes recipes made with boiled eggs, including egg salad and grilled eggs.

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Mono meals

The meals in a mono diet can vary depending on the food or food group chosen.

Potato diet

If you're following the Potato diet, you can include:

• Baked potatoes, oil-free
• Boiled potatoes
• Steamed potatoes
• Air-fried, oil-free hash browns
• Air-fried, oil-free French fries

Egg diet

If you're following an egg diet, you can plan the meal the following way:

• Breakfast: At least two eggs and one piece of fruit
• Lunch: Eggs and low-carb vegetables
• Dinner: Eggs and low-carb vegetables

Low-carb vegetables are allowed, as they do not cause weight gain and are considered a good option to get dietary fiber.

Fruitarian diet

It's a type of vegan mono diet that only includes only raw fruits along with small amounts of vegetables, dried fruits, nuts and seeds. It's a highly restrictive diet that completely restricts animal foods.

Milk diet

It's a 4-week plan that includes milk along with small amounts of other lean proteins or fruits.

A typical plan looks like this:

• Breakfast: 1 cup fat-free milk + 1 banana pancake
• Lunch: Tuna salad followed by 1 cup of fat-free milk
• Dinner: Grilled veggies and tofu followed by 1 cup fat-free milk with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

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Benefits of mono eating

A monotrophic diet might not be effective in the long run, (Image via Unsplash/Gilberto Olimpio)

This diet limits calories and may help jump-start weight loss by creating a calorie deficit.

A mono diet might also be easy and simple to follow than other restrictive diets. People who have followed this diet have claimed positive results in their weight loss journey. The meals are easy to cook, and the food items are easily available. The mono diet is also affordable and cost-effective.

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Drawbacks of mono diet

Sudden calorie restriction might increase cravings and hunger pangs. A low-calorie diet is not sustainable for many, and people end up binge eating unhealthy foods. Such a restrictive diet may also prevent the person from getting several essential nutrients from other foods or food groups.

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Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.

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