PureHealth

based on 3 reviews

Goal: to eat healthier and more sustainable

Be aware: this is only the goal of this diet, not necessarily its outcome. Results vary from person to person. Consult your doctor or dietician before starting this (or any other) diet.

PureHealth

PureHealth was invented by 3 dieticians (Karine Hoenderdos, Mary Stottelaar and Christel Vondermans) and 1 nutritional scientist (Angela Severs) and has been developed as a guideline for adults. The PureHealth guideline is based on the Guideline for healthy food of the Health Council of the Netherlands.

You can compare PureHealth with various diets on the homepage.

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Basic principles

PureHealth has 10 basic principles. They are briefly outlined below. A full description (in Dutch) can be found here.

The advice from PureHealth ...

  1. Is based on the use of unprocessed products with a high nutritional value.
  2. Uses the PureHealth pyramid and the recommended amounts of products to indicate your daily basic need.
  3. Focuses on eating (or drinking) enough fruits and vegetables.
  4. Is focused on sufficient exercise.
  5. Follows the supplementation recommendations of the Dutch Health Council (e.g. folic acid in pregnancy, vitamin A, D and iodine).
  6. Is based on an average basic diet of 1825 calories. There is also room for extras.
  7. Is based on sustainable products and food choices. Think of eating seasonal vegetables and organic products and eating vegetarian 2-3 days a week. Additionally, food waste is minimised.
  8. Consists of three satiating meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with a maximum of four healthy snacks in between, if needed.
  9. Is not communicated in calories or nutrients. Instead, it talks about products and quantities.
  10. It is based on self-cooking (also suitable for people with little cooking experience).

The PureHealth Pyramid

The diet uses a pyramid to visualise the products that are recommended. The pyramid has 6 different layers, which are discussed below. 

         

Layer 1: Drinks

The bottom layer of the pyramid is all about what to drink. The advice is to drink at least 2 litres of fluid. Here, this includes water, dairy products (for example milk) and possibly 1 glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice. Products with a lot of sugars, such as soft drinks, are not recommended. 

Layer 2: Fruits & vegetables

The second layer represents fruits and vegetables.  The recommended daily intake is 300-400 grams of (fresh) vegetables and 3 pieces of (fresh) fruits.

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Layer 3: Plant-based products

Plant-based products include legumes, nuts, seeds, but also bread and potatoes. The third layer of the pyramid represents these products. It is recommended to eat enough nuts and seeds (25 grams per day for women, 25-40 grams for men), potatoes, pasta, rice and/or cereal products (250-300 grams per day for women, 300-350 grams for men) and pulses (200 grams per week).

If you want to lose weight, the advice is to eat smaller portions of bread, potatoes, pasta or rice (with a maximum of 200 grams for women and 250 grams for men per day). Smaller portions of nuts are also recommended (15 grams for women and 25-30 grams for men per day).

Layer 4: Protein-rich products

Protein-rich products include dairy products, meat, fish, tofu and eggs. These products are represented in the fourth layer.

It is advised to eat fatty fish once a week, among other things, for your omega-3 fatty acids intake. In addition, 3 portions of dairy products per day are recommended. An example of one portion is 150 ml of milk or 20 grams of cheese. 

You need a total of 125 grams of meat, fish, eggs and tofu per day, according to the authors of PureHealth.

Layer 5: Fats 

Fatty products, such as olive oil, vegetable oil and butter, form the fifth layer of the pyramid. Of these, 30-40 grams are recommended per day (30 grams for women, 30-40 grams for men). 

Layer 6: Extras

The sixth layer of the pyramid represents the extras. This includes a piece of cake, a bag of crisps or a glass of wine.

How much extra you can or may eat depends on your weight and how much you exercise.

According to the authors, daily menus averaging 1825 calories per day give women 175 calories and men 725 calories of margin. Provided you are at a good weight.

Extra layers: sun and exercise

At the top of the pyramid is the sun. The advice is to go outside to enjoy nature, for fresh air and for sunlight. You need sunlight to produce vitamin D. 

It is recommended here that you expose yourself to the sun for 15-30 minutes a day and be outside for at least half an hour.

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The bottom of the pyramid shows all kinds of different activities: from athletics to mowing the lawn. The advice is to exercise at least one hour a day (moderately intensive with both cardio and strength training).

Books

The following Dutch books are associated to PureHealth:

  • PureHealth! Slim in 8 steps
  • Eat more! Feeling good with PureHealth
  • 7 insights for a lasting good weight

PureHealthy! Slim in 8 steps and Eat more! Feeling good with PureHealth were written by Karine Hoenderdos. The first book contains an 8-week step-by-step plan, the aim of which is to eat healthy. The second book is intended to help you maintain your weight and contains 70 healthy recipes and 14 daily menus. The book by Mary Stottelaar, '7 insights for a lasting good weight' contains 100 PureHealth recipes.

Comparable diets

Just like the Disk of five, PureHealth is a guideline. The most important differences between PureHealth and the Disk of five are discussed here (in Dutch) by PureHealth and are: more vegetables and fruits, fewer products rich in carbohydrates, no margarine, but oil/cream butter, full-fat dairy products and full-fat cheese, no ban on fruit juices and more eggs.

Another diet that uses a food pyramid is the Nutrition hourglass

More by Karine Hoenderdos

Another diet by Karine Hoenderdos is Type 2 diabetes? Improve your health

The above text was produced in cooperation with PuurGezond.

 

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Allowed

  • Vegetables (300-400gr p/d)
  • Dairy products
  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Cereal products
  • Potatoes
  • Bread
  • Meat (preferably max 3 to 4 times p
  • Fish (1 time per week)
  • Nuts/seeds (25-40 gr p/d)
  • Legumes (200 gr p/week)
  • Fruits (3 pieces p/d)
  • Oils and fats

Not allowed

  • Processed products (less)
  • Added sugars (less)
  • Snacks (less)

Goals

  • Lose weight
  • Reduce cholesterol
  • Less sugar
  • Less carbohydrates
  • Less salt
  • Improve fitness
  • Sustainable diet
  • Eating healthier

Exercise

Exercise at least 1 hour per day (moderately intense with both cardio and strength training)

Reviews (3)
Sara van Grootel, Dietician VIE
Dietician

PureHealth provides practical guidelines for making healthy food part of a healthy lifestyle. There are clear similarities with the 'Disk of five', but also some differences: PureHealth prescribes more vegetables, fruits and legumes, and is opposed to products From PureHealth good books are written and delicious recipes published. Highly recommended!

Ellen Kant, Dietician Consultancy Nutrition & Lifestyle
Dietician

We have already supported many people to a healthy(er) weight with pleasure and success using the PureHealth method. We ourselves stand 100% behind this method and our clients also find it a very nice method. They regularly tell us that if they had known it was so easy to lose weight, they would have gone to a dietician sooner. The focus is on what you can and cannot eat instead of what you can and cannot eat and on food that satiates. By eating more healthy, unprocessed food, the tendency towards unhealthy products automatically becomes less, so that you lose weight without too much effort, you feel fitter and more energetic and you literally and figuratively feel better about yourself. We also receive many enthusiastic reactions to the PureHealth recipes. So we can really recommend it to anyone who wants to start living healthier and/or lose weight. If you live in the area of Den Bosch and would like to know more about the PureHealth method or if you would like guidance/coaching, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact details, consultation locations and more information can be found on our website.

Alice Lagendijk, dietician Beter Fit
Dietician

In my practice, I guide people with the PureHealth Pyramid. The starting point is to work with pure, unprocessed products as much as possible. These are full of flavour, so you often need less. You are also challenged not to cook from a packet or sachet. On the website of PureHealth you will find delicious recipes, in which you can use the right herbs, without the need for packets and sachets. These guidelines pay a lot of attention to vegetables, fruit, legumes and nuts. In my practice, I have also created weekly menus that comply with the recommended quantities and the PureHealth principle.

https://selectyourdiet.com/en/diet/purehealth In my practice, I guide people with the PureHealth Pyramid. The starting point is to work with pure, unprocessed products as much as possible. These are full of flavour, so you often need less. You are also challenged not to cook from a packet or sachet. On the website of PureHealth you will find delicious recipes, in which you can use the right herbs, without the need for packets and sachets. These guidelines pay a lot of attention to vegetables, fruit, legumes and nuts. In my practice, I have also created weekly menus that comply with the recommended quantities and the PureHealth principle. 5 out of 5
https://selectyourdiet.com/en/diet/purehealth We have already supported many people to a healthy(er) weight with pleasure and success using the PureHealth method. We ourselves stand 100% behind this method and our clients also find it a very nice method. They regularly tell us that if they had known it was so easy to lose weight, they would have gone to a dietician sooner. The focus is on what you can and cannot eat instead of what you can and cannot eat and on food that satiates. By eating more healthy, unprocessed food, the tendency towards unhealthy products automatically becomes less, so that you lose weight without too much effort, you feel fitter and more energetic and you literally and figuratively feel better about yourself. We also receive many enthusiastic reactions to the PureHealth recipes. So we can really recommend it to anyone who wants to start living healthier and/or lose weight. If you live in the area of Den Bosch and would like to know more about the PureHealth method or if you would like guidance/coaching, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact details, consultation locations and more information can be found on our website. 5 out of 5
https://selectyourdiet.com/en/diet/purehealth PureHealth provides practical guidelines for making healthy food part of a healthy lifestyle. There are clear similarities with the 'Disk of five', but also some differences: PureHealth prescribes more vegetables, fruits and legumes, and is opposed to products From PureHealth good books are written and delicious recipes published. Highly recommended! 5 out of 5
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Dietitians

With the professional help of a dietitian it should be easier to reach your goals. Please contact a dietician in your area or talk to a doctor before starting any diet.

General warnings

Please take note that most diets do not have a scientific basis.

Consult your doctor or dietician before starting a diet, especially if you have a chronic condition like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease or kidney disease.

Eating disorders

If you think you might have an eating disorder (like anorexia or bulimia), it is important to look for professional help. Contact your (house) doctor or find help elsewhere. Here you can find a list of several websites that can provide (online) help. These sites also provide information for people that know someone with an eating disorder.