John McDougall, MD

John McDougall has two formal dietary plans that he recommends: the 12-Day Diet and the McDougal Plan for Maximum Weight Loss (MWL). Both of these plans are nearly vegan, based solely on grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. The MWL plan is for those persons with stubborn weight problems that don't respond to the 12-day diet and severely limits consumption of grain products other than grains cooked whole -- even bread made from whole wheat is eliminated.

The Twelve-Day Diet

Food Guidelines

DON'T EAT:

Milk (for cereal or cooking)
Milk (as beverage)
Butter
Cheese
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Sour cream
Ice cream
Eggs (in cooking)
Eggs (for eating)
Meat, poultry, fish
Mayonnaise
Vegetable oils (for pans)
Vegetable oils (in recipes)
White rice (refined)
White flour (refined)
Refined and sugar-coated cereals
Coconut
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and black teas
Colas and un-colas

NOT ALLOWED ON THE TWELVE-DAY DIET, BUT ALLOWABLE OCCASIONALLY AFTERWARD:

These high-fat plant foods (high in natural vegetable oils) can be used occasionally and/or in small amounts after you have completed the twelve-day diet and regained your health and appearance.

Soybeans
Soybean derivatives (tofu, tempeh, miso, high-fat soy milk)
Nuts and nut butters
Seeds
Olives
Avocado

McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss

Foods you should eat

All whole grains and whole-grain cereals, such as brown rice, corn, oatmeal, barley, millet, and wheat berries; many packaged grain cereals, puffed grains, and other healthful cereals.
Squashes, such as acorn, butternut, buttercup, pumpkin, and zucchini.
Root vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams.
Legumes, such as peas, split peas, black-eyed peas, string beans, and such beans as chick-peas, lentils, and adzuki, navy, pinto, and black beans.
Green and yellow vegetables, such as collard greens, broccoli, kale, mustard greens, cabbage, various types of lettuce, and watercress; celery, cauliflower, carrots, and asparagus, and tomato.
Fruit, such as apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, and pears. (Limited to two servings per day.)
For most people, simple sugars, salt, and spices used sparingly at the table rather than in cooking.

Avoid the following:

All red meat, including beef pork, and lamb. All are rich in fat, cholesterol, and other harmful constituents.
All poultry and fish. Poultry has about the same amount of cholesterol as red meat, while fish varies, depending on the type. Some fish are higher in cholesterol than red meat, others lower.
All dairy products, including milk, yogurt, and cheese. All are loaded with fat and cholesterol. Low-fat dairy products are not recommended because of potential health hazards, including allergies, childhood diabetes, arthritis, and lactose intolerance.
All oil, including olive, safflower, peanut, and corn oil. Oil is simply a liquid form of fat.
All eggs. Eggs are abundant in fat and cholesterol.
Nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and soybean products (including tofu, soy cheese, and soy milk). Soybean products are high in fat, unless they have been specially processed (low-fat varieties are also not recommended).
All dried fruit and fruit juices
All flour products, such as breads, bagels, and pretzels. The less a food is processed the better it is for weight loss. Flour products are composed of fragments of grain, or relatively small particles, which increase absorption and slow weight loss.