The Scarsdale diet can be summarized as a very
low-calorie low-carbohydrate diet with a slightly different
ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
An adult
woman who follows the diet exactly will consume
between 650 and 1000 calories per day. The nutrient
ratio, which is unusual for a low-carbohydrate diet, is
43% protein, 22.5% fat, and 34.5% carbohydrate.
The basic Scarsdale diet is to be followed for either
seven to 14 days, alternating with two weeks off. The
dieter is instructed to drink at least 4 glasses of water,
tea, or diet soda every day in order to flush waste
products from the body.
The dieter may add the following
seasonings to her foods: herbs, salt, pepper,
lemon, vinegar,Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard,
or ketchup.
An important feature of the basic Scarsdale diet is
its rigidity. Although calories are not counted, the
dieter is restricted to the three meal plans for each
day; snacking is not allowed.
When the diet was still
in its office-handout stage, some of Dr. Tarnower’s
patients asked him whether they might substitute
other fruits in season for the grapefruit that forms the
centerpiece of the basic plan (18 servings in the course
of the two-week regimen, 14 for breakfast and 4 for
dessert at lunch or dinner), or substitute raw radishes
and cauliflower for carrots and celery sticks.
Tarnower
invariably told his patients that they had to stick to the
plan exactly as written. It was not until the basic diet
was expanded into the book-length edition of 1978 that
Tarnower seems to have realized that the meal plans
could incorporate a greater variety of foods without
requiring alterations in the nutrient balance or calorie
count.
Sample menus from the basic diet
