Perricone Prescription Diet

What it is: Created by Dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, the Perricone Prescription Diet is designed to help prevent health conditions and diseases, reduce wrinkles, and enhance your metabolism to help you lose weight.

How it works: Dr. Perricone asserts that cellular inflammation is the common denominator among many common diseases. His anti-inflammatory diet is designed to keep you healthy and keep away unwanted illnesses. Perricone believes that inflammation is the rest of high blood sugar, which causes chemical reactions in the body. He recommends cutting out sugar and glycemic carbs that fuel these reactions and using proteins to repair the damaged cells. Not all proteins are equal, however, and Perricone warns against eating pork, veal, lamb and beef, which may actually promote inflammation.

What you do: Dieters eat three meals per day, as well as a midday and after-dinner snack. It is also recommended that you drink no less than 8 glasses of water each day. Recommended foods include bread, coffee, granola, vegetables, fruits, pizza, turkey and eggs, among many others. The Perricone Prescription Diet also encourages regular exercise and taking an anti-inflammatory supplement.

Benefits: Encouraging dieters to consume healthy proteins and fruits and vegetables is looked upon favorably by doctors and nutritionists. The diet is also said to be successful in reducing wrinkles and is backed by celebrities like Courtney Cox-Arquette and Kim Cattrall.

The Down Side: Experts disagree with Perricone’s recommendation for taking anti-inflammatory supplements and many do not support his claims about cellular inflammation and blood sugar.