Ultimate Diet Review for Prednisone

Searching for the best diet strategy for the unique needs of people on prednisone? Dr. Megan explains the dietary requirements of people on prednisone. Here is the ULTIMATE Diet Review for people on prednisone! Find out which one is best for you.

 

What do people on prednisone need?

Which Diet is best for people on prednisone? This is one question that has been asked at least once a day or a week? We all know that one of the prednisone side-effects is Weight Gain.

1. So, prednisone is a glucocorticoid meaning glucose and it’s messing with your glucose. We need to find something that will keep your blood sugar steady.
2. Prednisone is like a catabolic hormone it’s breaking down your muscles and bones so we need something that will help to need them back up!
3. Prednisone is stealing nutrients like calcium and potassium and makes you retain sodium so we want to find a diet that is healthy for all of those things. Lastly, Prednisone is hijacking your hunger hormones so we need to find something that would help with those hunger cravings.

And now, I am going to share with you the oldest to youngest as far as diets. Which diets have been around the longest and which of them are kind of new to the scene.

Here is The ULTIMATE diet review for people on prednisone:

Weightwatchers 50th Anniversary cookbook

Weight Watchers: is this the best diet strategy for preventing weight gain—or losing weight—while on prednisone? This is the first #weightloss book in the series I will be reviewing.

Diet Type: low fat, calorie counting.

Pro: support system with tracking, low sodium.

Con: “fake foods” are acceptable (but with points). Low fat isn’t the only thing that matters, as new research shows low fat doesn’t help you lose weight. Who is this for? People who need a support system to succeed. Success stories of people on prednisone? Yep!

South Beach Diet Super Charged

Diet Type: Low Fat, elimination

Pros: Anti-processed foods, especially trans fat. Lifelong lifestyle

Cons: Demonizes butter; use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Canola oil. Demonizes full-fat meats

The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide

Wondering if the South Beach Diet is right for you while on prednisone? This is third on our  ULTIMATE diet review list

Diet Type: low fat, elimination diet

Pros: Anti-processed foods, especially trans fat. Lifelong lifestyle.

Cons: Demonizes butter; use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Canola oil. Demonizes full-fat meats.

The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution

What about going gluten-free? Will that solve my prednisone weight gain?

Diet Type: Low Fat, elimination, gluten awareness. The author discovered that one of the steps in the elimination phase was actually a gluten-free phase. So he suggests for some people staying in that phase long-term.

Pros: Focus on the quality of foods. Ranks foods on a scale from Good to Avoid.

Cons: Demonizes butter; use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Canola oil. Demonizes gluten. Who is this for? Anyone who is interested in trying an elimination diet. Many people who go “gluten-free” will find that they’ve eliminated a majority of foods that contain lots of not only gluten but also refined sugars. Maybe it’s the gluten, or maybe the real benefit for people on prednisone is eliminating so much sugar. Have you tried a gluten-free diet? How did it work for you?

 

Whole

Diet Type:  Whole food, plant-based

Pros: Diet rich in nutrients, Lowers risk of heart disease

Cons: Cut out oils and animal products: meats, dairy, fish, poultry. Social

Who is this best for Conscious of the environment, water usage, and can take time to cook without meat or oils.

The Campbell Plan

Plants: were we meant to eat only plants? Is that the best way to avoid prednisone weight gain?

Diet Type: Whole food, plant-based

Pros: Diet rich in nutrients. Lowers risk of heart disease.

Cons: Cut out oils and animal products: meats, dairy, fish, poultry.

Socially complicated to avoid these food groups. Who is this for? People who are conscious of the environment, water usage, and can take time to cook without meat or oils. This diet gives back many of the nutrients that prednisone steals in a sustainable way.

Forks Over Knives Family

Looking to get the whole family involved in changing your diet and lifestyle? This is a helpful guide to that transition.

Diet Type: Whole food, plant-based.

Pros: Psychological and behavioral strategies to help the whole family. Diet rich in nutrients.

Cons: Social gatherings for children. Hard to convert the entire family to a new diet strategy.

Discovering the Word of Wisdom

If weight loss isn’t your main goal, but having a spiritual foundation, then this book is for you. Discovering the Word of Wisdom by Jane Birch

Diet Type: Whole food, plant-based

Pros: Spiritual benefits to support the plant-based whole food lifestyle. Whole food, plant-based strategies for life.

Cons: Cut out entire food categories. Social complications. Who is this for? Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints interested in more fully living the Word of Wisdom.

Practical Paleo

 

Is Paleo the best diet for people looking to prevent weight gain while on prednisone? It’s very promising because it keeps the sugars low, which is the worst thing prednisone does.

Titles: Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

Diet Type: Low carb: Paleo

Pros: Avoids foods that spike blood sugar. Best to the worst rating of foods, foods for special diets

Cons: Expensive both in money and on the environment.

Who is this for? People who want to eat like the paleolithic (hunter and gatherer) ancestors to eliminate all processed foods and gain control of their inflammation.

Mediterranean Paleo Cooking

Is Paleo the best diet for people looking to prevent weight gain while on prednisone? It’s very promising because it keeps the sugars low, which is the worst thing prednisone does. Guys, I didn’t even know that Paleo is short for Paleolithic, as in Stone Age. I’ve learned a lot!  So, this is another added to our ULTIMATE diet review list.

Titles: Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and Mediterranean Paleo Cooking by Caitlin Weeks, Nabil Boumrar, Diane Sanfilippo

Diet Type: Low carb: Paleo

Pros: Avoids foods that spike blood sugar. Best to the worst rating of foods, foods for special diets

Cons: Expensive both in money and on the environment.

Mediterranean: Buy unique ingredients.

Who is this for? People who want to eat like the paleolithic (hunter and gatherer) ancestors to eliminate all processed foods and gain control of their inflammation. Mediterranean: People who enjoy foods flavored Mediterranean style.

Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook

I simply love the idea of this. A diet to help people like me with autoimmune conditions! This is a spinoff of the Paleo movement into the autoimmune realm. Autoimmune includes rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ITP, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and many more. AIP can stand for AutoImmune Paleo or AutoImmune Protocol.

Title: Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott, NTP

Diet Type: Low carb: Paleo elimination

Pros: Eliminates foods and reintroduces them slowly to help the immune system. Strategy to find what diet works for you and your health conditions.

Cons: Very limited. Expensive. Lots of chewing! Lots of meat.

Who is this for? People with autoimmune conditions willing to make diet their main priority strategy.

Autoimmune Wellness Handbook

Everyone with an autoimmune condition should read this book. Not only is it gorgeously laid out, but it gives you a step by step guide to becoming well. I love the chapters about becoming your own advocate. Breathing. Sleeping. Simple yet profound changes that must be made to have real health.

Title: Autoimmune Wellness Handbook by Mickey Trescott, NTP + Angie Alt, NTC, CHC

Diet Type: Low carb: Paleo elimination

Pros: Entire lifestyle change strategy from sleep to eating. Teaches you how to be your own best advocate.

Cons: Requires deep commitment to get best results.

Who is this for? People with autoimmune conditions willing to make lifestyle changes.

Simply Keto

Diet Type: Low carb:

Keto Pros: Simple guide to what keto means and how to approach this strategy. Keto helps lose weight quickly.

Cons: Unclear data on how ketogenesis affects people on prednisone. A long-term diet strategy can get boring.

Who is this for? People willing to drastically change their diet permanently and give up carbohydrate foods.

The WHOLE30

Whole30 seems like a good idea for someone who wants a guided strategy to reboot their diet in only 30 days.

Title: The WHOLE30, It Starts With Food, WHOLE30 Fast & Easy by Melissa Hartwig + Dallas Hartwig.

Diet Type: Elimination diet. Pros: Only 30 days of complete diet restriction, then reintroduction. Understand in-depth how food affects your body and what types of foods are good and bad. Takes the process and makes it faster and easier. Eliminates sugar which prednisone raises, so fights back. Only 30 days

Cons: Not a long-term strategy as it is 30 days only. Takes time to prepare foods.

Who is this for? People wanting to reset their diet, metabolism, and inflammation and willing to do so for only 30 days. Fast & Easy: Someone who wants to do WHOLE30 but is willing to take a few shortcuts to make it easier and faster.

It Starts With Food

Diet Type: Elimination diet

Pros: Understand in-depth how food affects your body and what types of foods are good and bad. Only 30 days.

WHOLE30 Fast & Easy

Another added to our ultimate diet review list is the Whole30 seems like a good idea for someone who wants a guided strategy to reboot their diet in only 30 days.

Title: The WHOLE30, It Starts With Food, WHOLE30 Fast & Easy by Melissa Hartwig + Dallas Hartwig.

Diet Type: Elimination diet.

Pros: Only 30 days of complete diet restriction, then reintroduction. Understand in-depth how food affects your body and what types of foods are good and bad. Takes the process and makes it faster and easier. Eliminates sugar which prednisone raises, so fights back. Only 30 days

Cons: Not a long-term strategy as it is 30 days only. Takes time to prepare foods.

Who is this for? People wanting to reset their diet, metabolism, and inflammation and willing to do so for only 30 days. Fast & Easy: Someone who wants to do WHOLE30 but is willing to take a few shortcuts to make it easier and faster.

 

The Nourished Kitchen

I wish I could have been taught by my great-great-grandmother how she cooked. I have no idea how to cook without a grocery store and electricity. This lost art is lost no longer!

Title: The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther

Diet Type: Traditional Foods

Pros: Learn how to cook food from the farm to the table. Avoid processed foods and eliminate fossil fuel used to transport your foods.

Cons: The learning curve. Unique foods.

Who is this for? People with the time and budget to learn how to cook in a sustainable way like our farm ancestors.

VB6 Eat Vegan Before 6:00

 

The VB6 Cookbook

My personal favorite diet strategy for people on prednisone: eating Vegan before 6:00 p.m. It’s a great way to ensure that you use your best time of day, with the most self-control and energy, to eat in a nutrient-rich and healthful way. Then in the evenings when you are more sociable and eating around others, you can eat non-Vegan foods. This way you boost your nutrients that prednisone is stealing as the #1 priority. That’s why it is in to our ultimate diet review list!

Title: VB6 Eat Vegan Before 6:00, The VB6 Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Diet Type: Flexible Vegan

Pros: Get the nutrients you need throughout the early part of the day and enjoy meats and dairy in the evening. A balanced approach to get the best of most diet strategies.

Cons: No eggs for breakfast!

French Women Don’t Get Fat

Prednisone gives us an unnatural feeding frenzy. The habits of the French can help combat this insanely animal-like craving.

Title: French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

Diet Type: French

Pros: Learn how to eat with psychological and cultural tricks to keep pleasure and portion sizes. Dietary strategy to learn how to eat French and recipes.

Cons: Unclear if this would work for people on prednisone. Some foods are harder to find in America.

Who is this for? Either people struggling with uncontrollable eating while on prednisone or People no longer on prednisone who want to find a sustainable strategy to approach eating.

Skinny Habits

Have you ever watched Biggest Loser? This book is by one of the coaches. Title: Skinny Habits by Bob Harper

Diet Type: Biggest Loser

Pros: Teaches strategies like they did on the TV show Biggest Loser. Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg): Cue – behavior – reward. How to replace the behavior. Clarity and detail in planning leads to success. Use If/then statements to plan. Break down goals into subgoals.

Cons: Some don’t make sense for people on prednisone, like “waistline signaling”

Who is this for? People who want to set up their lives to support a healthy lifestyle regarding food.

Food Rules

Best food advice: Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not Too Much. The last book for our ultimate diet review list! I think this is the best book to read if you are just getting started learning about nutrition. Implement all of these simple things and you’ll live a great lifestyle.

Title: Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Diet Type: Eater manual

Pros: Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not Too Much. – full of pithy sayings that are easy to digest and implement. Wisdom of grandmothers broken down into a tiny book that should take less than an hour to read.

Cons: No recipes. But is that really the problem? Who is this for? People who want a simple guide to start out their food journey

So Which Diet is BEST?

From this Ultimate Diet Review, you can see that there’s no perfect solution for people on prednisone; each has its pros and cons. It’s pretty hard to go wrong when searching for a diet strategy though. They all have one thing in common: eat more fresh food and less man-made food.

Where Should I Start?

To help you out, I created a kick-start 28-Day Challenge to Lose the Prednisone Pounds (or at least stop the bloat!). The best part? It’s free!

Sign up Here.