The mono diet: Understanding modern day dieting

The mono diet is a straightforward eating plan where a person only consumes one food item for a number of days or weeks. People who want an easy approach to losing weight tend to opt for this plan.

It made headlines in 2016 when magician Penn Jillette mentioned following the mono diet to kickstart his weight loss, in his book “Presto! How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales.”

Since then, it has become a favourite among dieters seeking a simple way to boost weight loss without all the rules and restrictions of other eating plans. Several variations of this diet have also risen in popularity, including the milk diet, carnivore diet, fruitarian diet and egg diet.

---

Following the mono diet

Following the monotropic diet (Image sourced via Pexels/Andres Ayrton)

There are several types of mono diets and many ways to follow the plan. Eating just one food item like apples or eggs are some of the commonly used options in this plan.

You can also choose to switch between “mono meals” by eating a different food item at each meal.

Many people who follow this diet do so for one to two weeks at a time to achieve quicker weight loss, so there are no major rules to follow. In such cases, normal diets can be resumed soon after, and gradually, a balanced diet can be fully incorporated.

However, some people choose to follow specific diets, like fruitarian or carnivore diets, with no additions whatsoever.

A major tool required for losing weight successfully with this method is calculating the daily calorie requirements. Generally speaking, for weight loss, 1,500 calories should be consumed daily; for weight control, 2,000 calories are required daily.

Calories for weight loss (Image sourced via Pexels/Lumn)

However, these figures can differ depending on factors, like age, weight, sex, genetic background and ethnicity.

---

Benefits of mono diet: Aiding weight loss?

Losing weight with monotropic diet (Image sourced via Pexels/Ketut)

One of the biggest benefits of the diet is its simplicity. Unlike other fad diets, there're no complicated guidelines to follow. However, that's because most of these diets are extremely restrictive and cut out most healthy foods. Just because a diet is simple doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

The mono diet also doesn’t require dieters to track nutrients, count calories or measure portion sizes, which could be appealing to some. Depending on the things you eat and how much of them you take in, it could also be useful for temporary weight loss.

The calorie limitation that results from eliminating most foods is the only reason weight reduction is possible when following this diet. Any rigorous diet is probably going to cause you to lose weight temporarily. However, major weight loss is hardly ever sustained over time.

Mono dieting is best used for jumpstarting your weight loss journey before switching to a more sustainable approach. Whether you lose weight on the mono diet depends on which foods you’re consuming and how much of them.

Weight loss tips for mono diet (image via Pexels/Kampus)

While on this regime, if you consume only low calorie foods, you will naturally consume fewer calories, sometimes fewer than required or necessary. That will cause you to lose weight, but it's often difficult to sustain or follow as a routine.

Hence, it's fair to assume that there's a divided opinion on the benefits and sustainability of this diet. One must assess its pros and cons thoroughly before making it a part of daily life.