What Is the Ornish Diet? A Detailed Beginner’s Guide
If you want to improve your heart health and overall well-being, the Ornish diet might be an option for you.
“This 'diet' is more of a lifestyle, which I genuinely appreciate over fad diets that are unsustainable and ultimately lead to rebound weight gain,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and consultant with Balance One Supplements in Dalton, Georgia.
You won't need to watch your calories unless you're looking to lose weight.
The Ornish diet aims to improve not just your eating habits but also your quality of life by incorporating stress management, exercise, and group support plans.
On the plus side, it can:
“If people follow this diet as intended, the benefits include high amounts of fiber from complex carbohydrates like beans and vegetables,” Stefanski says. “The diet can also provide an abundance of antioxidants from fruits, beans, whole grains, and vegetables.”
In Best's view, the holistic approach is good news for your long-term health. “This lifestyle will allow the individual to integrate healthy practices as a whole person rather than focusing on diet and body weight alone,” she says.
“Weight is only one indicator of true health, and is often a poor indicator at that. Being physically active, living a primarily stress-free life, and having a supportive community makes your life as a whole more rich and healthy,” Best says.
Best says the diet might make you more mindful of what you're consuming, as you have to keep track of your fat, protein, and carb intake.
“The Ornish diet could help someone lose weight if the combination of foods they're consuming and the increased physical activity puts the person in a calorie deficit,” Stefanski says. In other words, you still need to check you're burning more calories than you're consuming.
“Theoretically, if someone feels full consuming vegetables and beans, they may end up eating [fewer] calories than [...] their body is using to support life and activity,” she adds.
“For some people who struggle with a metabolic health profile that causes them to gain weight rather than lose it, they may need to follow this plan for an extended [...] time to overcome their body's tendency to store fat,” Stefaniski also notes.
The Ornish diet may not suit everyone.
Stefanski notes that people might abandon the diet out of boredom. Fat is tasty for humans, and fat-free food can be unsatisfying. The food options can also come to feel limited, she says.
Best doesn't think you need to worry about 10 percent being too low. She believes this can positively impact heart health and weight. “Generally, not getting enough fat in one's diet could be a concern,” Best says. But she adds that you're not likely to experience a fat deficiency on the Ornish diet.
In Best's view, “This fat intake is not a concerning number.”
In the early 2000s, when the Ornish diet was especially popular, many experts believed a total low-fat approach was best for health and decreasing chronic conditions, says Stefanski.
Very low fat levels “may contribute to dry skin and, in some cases, an essential fatty acid deficiency,” she says. “Newer versions of the Ornish plan recognize the role of omega-3 fats, but rather than encourage fish consumption, the Ornish diet program recommends consumption of omega-3 fatty acid supplements.”
While the Ornish diet recommends either vegetarian or fish oil-based cholesterol-free omega-3 supplements, “It's important to keep in mind that not everyone metabolizes vegetarian sources of omega-3 fats in the same manner,” Stefanski says. “The conversion process of vegetarian omega-3 fats may not provide the same benefits as consuming animal sources of omega-3 fats.”
Breakfast Egg white and vegetable frittata, garlic roasted potatoes, strawberries
Snack Nonfat plain soy yogurt, peaches, low-fat granola
Lunch Field green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, lentil chili, corn bread
Snack Sliced cucumber and carrots, hummus
Dinner Leafy green salad with fat-free Italian dressing, spinach and mushroom lasagna
Dessert Fruit salad with nonfat yogurt
Breakfast Apple spice muffin, nonfat Greek yogurt with orange zest, blueberries
Snack Green smoothie with pineapple and mint
Lunch Coleslaw, black bean veggie burger, sweet potato fries
Snack Low-fat pesto dip with raw vegetables
Dinner Arugula salad with beets and oranges, crispy baked tofu, rainbow vegetables
Dessert Fat-free chocolate pudding with raspberries
Breakfast Tofu scramble, country sweet potatoes, sliced melon
Snacks Nonfat yogurt parfait with fruit
Lunch Citrus salad, tacos with corn, edamole, smoky chipotle sauce
Snacks Sweet pea herb dip, low-fat whole-grain crackers
Dinner Green salad with lemon miso dressing, Thai vegetable curry, brown jasmine rice, 1 cup pineapple with chopped mint
Desert No-sugar-added fruit sorbet
Breakfast Oatmeal with berries and soy milk
Snack Greek yogurt parfait with nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and whole-grain cereal
Lunch Sandwich with hummus and veggies on whole-grain bread, apple
Snack Fresh fruit
Dinner Salad of greens and tomatoes with garlic, enchilada made with layers of tortilla, black beans, brown rice, enchilada sauce, spinach, onions, and other veggies
Dessert Low-fat zucchini chocolate cake
Breakfast Southwest breakfast burrito (scrambled egg whites, black beans, salsa, nonfat cheese, and corn or whole-grain tortilla) and fresh fruit
Snack Garden Greens Smoothie with soy or other nondairy milk or water, your choice of fruit or veggies, and optional stevia
Lunch Salad (greens, chopped veggies, salad dressing, and beans), caramelized onion quesadilla with whole-grain tortilla, caramelized onion, spinach, black beans, and nonfat cheese
Snack Carrot sticks and hummus
Dinner Stir-fry with tofu, frozen mixed vegetables, brown rice, and soy sauce
Dessert Summer pudding using whole-grain bread
Breakfast Whole-grain cinnamon French toast made with ¼ cup plain soy milk, egg white, 1 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla, dash of cinnamon, fruit and yogurt on top
Snack Fresh fruit
Lunch Barbecue chopped salad (black beans marinated in barbecue sauce, mixed greens, diced sweet potatoes, and sliced onions), baked corn chips
Snack Fruit smoothie
Dinner Salad (greens, chopped veggies, salad dressing, and beans), Cajun beans and rice (brown rice, black beans, 1 tsp Cajun spice, spinach or kale, salsa or hot sauce)
Dessert Apple couscous (choose naturally sweet apples and leave out the butter and sugar)
Breakfast Egg white veggie scramble with 3 or 4 egg whites or egg substitute, 1 tsp nutritional yeast, and ½ to 1 cup fresh spinach, and salsa; country-style sweet potato
Snack Nonfat plain Greek yogurt parfait with fresh fruit, whole grains (whole-grain cereal, oats, or brown rice), and optional stevia
Lunch Salad (greens, chopped veggies, salad dressing, and beans), chili-baked potato
Snack Slice of whole-grain bread and hummus
Dinner Salad (greens, chopped veggies, salad dressing, and beans), whole-wheat spaghetti with white beans and marinara sauce, and fresh fruit
Dessert Banana pancakes
Ready to start the Ornish diet?
If you can afford it, or if your insurance will pay, now's the time to sign up for the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine nine-week program.
If you want to try Ornish without the program, here are some tips.
Use the plan above or ideas from Ornish.com to decide on what to eat next week.
Set an achievable exercise target. For instance, plan to walk 30 minutes a day during your lunch break or after dinner. Set aside some time for deep breathing exercises or relaxation exercises, too.
And don't forget the social support aspect of the plan. Ornish's five ways to enhance connection can also improve your health.
Most foods recommended on the Ornish diet are easily available, so take your list to your local store and stock up your cupboard.
Using colorful pens, write out a week's menu with the foods you have and post it where you can easily see it.
If you're eating with friends, suggest a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. Otherwise, many places will have vegan or vegetarian options.
Ornish recommends avoiding alcohol, but the plan allows for an occasional drink. For a drink you can nurse, top up a white wine with soda water to make a spritzer.
©2025 sitename.com All rights reserved