Total Wellbeing Diet (CSIRO)

The latest diet to hit the market is 'scientifically proven', but does the Total Wellbeing Diet really work?

Read all about it! Could the Total Wellbeing Diet (Dr Manny Noakes with Dr Peter Clifton, Penguin Books, £9.99) be the next big thing in the search of that Holy Grail for many women – the ideal weight? Having reputedly outranked bestsellers in Australia, where the diet originates, are we to believe it will rival the established slimming plans that we know and love (as well as hate!) in the UK too?

What is it?
If you haven't heard about it, the major selling point appears to be the fact that it's the result of a clinically developed eating plan with a scientific basis, rather than the spoutings of some old charlatan with no real nutritional training to speak of. And according to the authors, researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation based in Adelaide, this diet is a nutritionally balanced protein-plus, low-fat diet that 'bears virtually no resemblance to other popular high-protein diets you may have heard about'.

The science
Around 100 women took part in a trial where half were on the CSIRO plan and the other half were on a higher-carbohydrate, low-fat diet over a period of 12 weeks. Those on CSIRO's higher-protein, low-fat plan lost more weight and, the authors say, more fat around the tummy - crucial in terms of preventing illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

The diet accommodates most food groups and has a daily calorie limit. It doesn't support quick weight loss, but instead promotes steadier, more sustainable reductions. It sounds great, but could it really be the next 'miracle diet' to supersede all others, and what about rivalling diets that we've come to think of as reasonably sensible, such as the GI?

Amanda Johnson, a dietician at the British Dietetic Association, says that from what she can see, it does seem to be a nutritionally balanced plan, but doesn't think that is has been researched enough to be given the all-over seal of approval. "Anything that has a good balance of nutrients and food groups is fine," says Amanda, 'but from only one small study, it is hard to know if this is to be the next big thing in dieting.

"It's quite a different approach from the GI, which is based on the glycaemic index and eating foods that have low GI scores. Different people need different approaches, however, and though the CSIRO diet may be scientifically based, it might not be right for some people."

As with all diets, Amanda is cautious about the possibility of the vicious cycle that can start once you begin a slimming plan. "The challenge is finding something that suits you in the long term rather than a diet," she remarks. "There is a lot of evidence to show that people who go on diets eventually put on more weight." Instead, she recommends switching to healthier eating and watching your portion sizes.

And certainly, with the 'carefully calculated' menus that the CSRIO diet contains, if weighing foods and eating according to a strict plan bores the pants off you, then the TWD may last as long as the Christmas jumper your granny bought you last year. But if your eating habits need an overhaul, check out what's on offer with the Total Wellbeing Diet - it might not be such a bad thing.

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