Would you try the Human Being Diet?
From intermittent fasting to going plant-based, the Atlantic diet to the cabbage soup diet, there are endless diets out there promising optimal health, wellness and weight loss.
But finding one that actually works for you can be both difficult and frustrating.
Nutritionist Petronella Ravenshea, who had a clinic in Chelsea before the pandemic but recently relocated to Florida, says she noticed her clients were having this exact issue – they were trying different diet and exercise routines but not seeing any results.
Her solution? The Human Being Diet (also known as the ‘HBD’ to its followers).
Designed not only to promote weight loss but to offer more energy, improved skin and better sleep, the three-month diet is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, not only does Ravenshear herself have 49.7K followers on Instagram, but the hashtag #thehumanbeingdiet has nearly 15,000 posts from her loyal HBD followers – each sharing their results, plus tips and recipes.
So what exactly is the Human Being Diet? And does it work?
What is the Human Being Diet?
‘The HDB is a three-month programme that involves fresh, nutrient-dense, minimally processed and anti-inflammatory foods,’ Ravenshear tells Women's Health.
There are a few different elements to the HBD, but one of the main principles is a focus on whole foods to ‘reestablish your body’s long-term balance’. This means cutting out any ultra-processed foods – including things like meal replacement bars and shakes.
The Human Being Diet is also centred around metabolic balance, hormones, insulin and cortisol and how the foods we eat affect our hormone levels. This is because these hormones play a big role in metabolic health and weight gain.
The first phase of the Human Being Diet is the most intense, as it involves a 16-day detox, designed to be done no more than once or twice a year. It is not recommended for those under 18 or for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
‘The first 16 days are known as “The Reset”,’ Ravenshear explains. ‘They are oil, alcohol, sugar and grain-free.’
What can you eat on the Human Being Diet?
The HDB encourages eating vegetables, high-quality protein sources such as fish and eggs, healthy fats and some fruits. While similar to a Mediterranean diet, HBD recommends cutting out all pulses, wheat and grains.
‘Possibly the most important rule is to fast for five hours minimum between meals,’ Ravenshear says.
‘Many of us have come to believe that we need to “keep our metabolism active” by eating three meals and two snacks a day. But all we’re achieving by eating all the time is chronically high insulin levels and inflammation.’
Phase one: 48 hours
For the first two days of HBD, you eat nothing but vegetables.
That means no oil (just to keep calories low), no grains, no dairy, no protein, no pulses, no alcohol.
Phase two: 14 days
During the 16-day detox, it’s recommended that you restrict your calories to 700-900 calories a day. This is where you can start to introduce other food groups, but there are still restrictions on wheat, sugar, nightshades (which includes vegetables like tomatoes and aubergines) and dairy.
You can have unsweetened black tea and coffee with meals but between meals it’s just water.
Phase Three: 10 weeks
Phase three is meant to last around 10 weeks, but HBD-ers stay in this phase until they’re happy with their weight loss
Does the Human Being Diet work?
Ravenshear explains that the HBD isn't designed to be a fad diet that you follow for a few weeks and then stop. Instead, it should help you permanently adjust the way you eat.
‘The majority of HBD followers are interested in healthy weight loss. But the weight loss occurs as a side effect of reduced inflammation, and rebalanced hormones and blood sugar,’ she says.
‘This is why the beneficial effects are so wide-ranging. They include improved energy, better sleep, glowing skin, improved digestion, and a resolution of pain.’
Ravenshear also claims that some people see results immediately after completing the 16-day detox: ‘It’s common for people in the first 16 days of the programme to lose 7lbs to a stone in weight and at the same time, and sometimes for the first time in many years, to experience a dramatic resolution of pain and a marked increase in energy,’ she says.
Although there's plenty of anecdotal evidence, it's worth noting that there haven't been any scientific studies on whether HBD is effective.
There are plenty of benefits to switching to a whole foods diet though, which is part of what the HBD encourages. In fact, a recent study found that the participants who ate more processed foods were 53% more likely to suffer from anxiety and/or depression and 50% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
Is the 16-day detox a good idea?
There are some risks involved with the 16-day detox period which involves heavily restricting your daily calorie intake. For context, the NHS recommends that the average woman should consume around 2,000 calories per day, so HBD's suggestion for the detox period is less than half of that.
‘I'd really discourage anyone from doing a very low calorie or detox type diet,’ says Sophie Medlin, registered dietitian and founder of City Dietitians.
‘The reason for this is because, ironically, when we undereat in this way, and particularly skip important nutrients like protein, what actually happens is our body goes into a starvation mode, which increases stress in the body, thus increasing toxins that occur as a result of normal metabolic pathways that happen during starvation.’
Although it is possible to hit your protein goals by eating only vegetables, it is a lot more difficult. And since the 16-day detox involves two days of only eating veg, some critics of the Human Being Diet have warned that restricting your calories to such an extent means you'll naturally miss out on essential vitamins and nutrients.
‘When we don't eat any protein, our body uses our stored protein to make sure that we have adequate protein within our blood vessels at all times,’ Medlin explains. ‘This means that when we don't eat any protein, even just for a couple of days, we will start breaking down our muscles because they're our biggest store of protein in the body.’
Plus, restricting calories could lead to disordered eating habits and have a negative impact on your mental health. ‘Heavy restriction in this way can lead to and trigger disordered eating behaviours and even eating disorders,’ Medlin says.
‘We would also worry about your ability to function in your day-to-day life,’ she adds. ‘When you're eating so little, it can be difficult to focus and concentrate at work. People are also likely to get headaches and be more irritable with their family and those around them, which can lead to more emotional problems.’
Should I cut out whole grains?
Whole grains like cereal, brown rice and quinoa are generally considered very healthy. But the Human Being Diet recommends cutting them out because of their association with leaky gut.
Leaky gut is a fairly new medical diagnosis – and a controversial one at that (it's not recognised by the NHS) – but essentially, the idea behind ‘leaky gut syndrome’ is that certain foods can damage the lining of your gut, which allows partially digested food, toxins or disease-causing microbes into your bloodstream, and this makes you sick.
Wheat is associated with a leaky gut, which is why wheat and grains aren’t recommended at the start of the Human Being Diet.
But, according to Medlin, there's no solid evidence that cutting out grains is good for us. ‘In fact, gut bacteria really love whole grains in particular, and they provide a really important role in protecting our intestinal barrier,’ she says.
What about cutting out sugar?
The Human Being Diet recommends measuring vegetables and fruit intake because of their sugar content, as well as cutting sugar out completely during the detox phase.
‘It is useful for all of us to be aware of the sources of added sugar in our diet,’ Medlin says. ‘But we don't need to be overly concerned about cutting it out altogether.’
‘The only thing that healthcare professionals worry about with sugar is added sugar – that means foods that contain refined sugar that's been added during the manufacturing process or the sugar that you might add to tea or other foods and drinks, as well as things like fizzy drinks,’ she says.
Is the Human Being Diet for you?
It’s fair to say that the Human Being Diet – and the 16-day-detox period in particular – is pretty extreme, and could have various negative side effects on your physical and mental health.
While plenty of HBD followers have seen improvements in health concerns, and share their success online, remember to always talk to your doctor or nutritionist before starting a new diet programme.
Medlin advises against doing any kind of diet that you can't sustain in the long term. ‘If diets worked, there would only be one diet,’ she says, adding: ‘Often, strict and highly restricted diets like this only lead to failure and for people feeling worse about themselves and their bodies, so there are no known benefits to restricted diets like this, but plenty of downsides.’
Read next: Strong. Smart. Cool as f**k… and Jo Whiley is just getting started
More in Nutrition
Dense bean salads are trending on TikTok - are they the answer to easy high-protein meal prepping?
‘I tried 6 popular Huel products – and this is my honest review’
6 foods to include in your diet as you enter the perimenopause
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
You Might Also Like
