5-Factor Diet, by Harley Pasternak, is a super-sized (256 pages in hardcopy) expansion of the dieting division of his 2004 book 5-Factor Fitness, which is based around the factor 5 - 5 meals a day, 5 workouts a week of 5 exercises each.

The book includes over 40 pages of recipes for sample meals.

The principles outlined are:

1. Eat 5 meals daily.
2. Adopt the 5 criteria for each meal.
3. Spend 5 minutes in preparation for each meal, using only 5 ingredients.
4. Workout 25 minutes 5 days a week for 5 weeks.
5. Indulge in a weekly ‘cheat’ day.

5 ‘Fat-loss’ keys

1. Metabolism — faster metabolism burns more calories, hence less fat.
2. Exercise — stay in the fat-burning zone and build lean muscle.
3. Right calories — have foods with the right kind and amount of calories.
4. Glycemic Index — low-GI foods keep blood-sugar levels steady.
5. Rest and recovery — encourage growth hormone for muscle condition, and reduce cortisol (’stress’ hormone).

5 Criteria for each of 5 meals per day

1. Low-fat, quality protein
2. Low-GI carbohydrate
3. Fiber
4. Healthy fat
5. Sugar-free beverage

Sundays are considered a ‘cheat day’ - eat what you like, while sticking to the 5-meals principle.

Meal Guidelines

Breakfast

Sugar-free cereal with at least 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving,(eg Kashi Go Lean!), with some fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries. Use non-fat cottage cheese or sugar-free yogurt in place of cereal for a change.

For something warm, use egg whites as a base for a low-fat omelette, or try the Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal Frittata.

For hot cereal, make some oatmeal and blend in a scoop of whey-protein powder.

Lunch

Soups & salads, with no-flour bread or tortilla for open sandwiches or wraps, or a rice cake.

Dinner

Lean chicken/steak/fish for protein, and fibrous, moderate-GI carbs in vegetables like wild rice, squash, sweet potato, broccoli, spinach, or cauliflower.

Sample 5-Factor Meal Plans

Sample 1	Food	Protein	Carbohydrate
Breakfast	Apple-cinnamon oatmeal frittata	Egg whites	Dries apples
Morning Snack		Nonfat cottage cheese	Apple
Lunch	Curried chicken salad	Chicken breast, nonfat yogurt	Slice of no-flour bread
Afternoon Snack		Veggie salami, nonfat cheese	Brown rice cake
Dinner	Lemon salmon	Salmon	Quinoa, side salad
Day 2
Breakfast	Cereal	Skim milk	Kashi Go! Lean cereal
Morning Snack	5-Factor protein shake	Whey protein	Frozen berries
Lunch	H-P’s Big-City Chili	Lean ground beef	Mixed beans, stewed tomatoes
Afternoon Snack		Smoked salmon, nonfat cream cheese	Slice of no-flour toast
Dinner		Grilled chicken breast	Wild rice, broccoli
Day 3
Breakfast	5-Factor frittata	egg-whites, nonfat cheese, chicken	bell pepper
Morning Snack	Cinnamon apple treat	Nonfat yogurt	apple
Lunch	5-Factor Reuben	Turkey pastrami, nonfat cheese	Sauerkraut, no-flour bread
Afternoon Snack	Jerky	beef, turkey or salmon	1 piece fruit
Dinner	Asian wraps	Ground chicken breast	Shiitake mushrooms, Boston lettuce
Day 4
Breakfast	5-Factor french toast	Egg whites, nonfat milk	2 slices no-flour bread
Morning Snack		Nonfat yohurt	Peach
Lunch	Turkey stew	Turkey breast	Sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Afternoon Snack	Thai Egg Strips	Egg whites	Shallot, scallion, red chili
Dinner		Fillet of Tilapia	Spaghetti, squash, sidesalad
Day 5
Breakfast	Cereal	Skim milk	Kashi Go! Lean cereal
Morning Snack	5-Factor Berry Shake	Whey protein	Frozen berries
Lunch	Chef salad	Turkey breast, boiled egg whites, nonfat cheese	Romaine lettuce
Afternoon Snack		Nonfat French onion/sour cream dip	Celery sticks
Dinner	“I can’t believe it’s not Pizza” Pizza	Veggie pepperoni, nonfat cheese	Flourless wrap, tomatoes
Day 6
Breakfast	Breakfast Burrito	Egg whites, veggie bacon, nonfat cheese	Flourless wrap, salsa
Morning Snack		Nonfat cottage cheese	Pear
Lunch	Mediterranean Tuna Salad	Albacore Tuna, chickpeas	Tomato, lettuce
Afternoon Snack		Turkey breast slices, nonfat cream cheese	Lettuce, green pepper
Dinner		Grilled chicken breast	Sweet potato, peas
Day 7 Free day - eat as much as you want