The Beyond Diet – A Review

Isabel De Los Rios
Isabel De Los Rios

The Beyond Diet is a new diet plan that was created by Isabel De Los Rios, who also created the Diet Solution Program. The key elements of the Beyond Diet approach is to focus on combining sensible eating with living a healthier lifestyle. The diet is also a Gluten Free diet, which means that all wheat products are eliminated or eaten in moderation. This is really how people used to stay slim before the world was introduced to processed meals and fast food.

The only way to really effectively do the Beyond Diet Program is to use the official website, BeyondDiet.com. Through the website you will be taught more about the diet approach and also have access to the support community, meal plans, recipes and an online journal to help track your progress. Here we provide some of the main parts of the diet along with our review of the Beyond diet program:

Stop Eating Bread

Isabel calls our obsession with bread as bread-sanity! While bread is undoubtedly a vital staple food and has helped society to move from a state of subsistence farming and hunting / gathering, it is no longer required in the volumes that the average family consume it in. Bread is very high in calories. One thin slice of white bread contains around 100 Calories.


“I whole-heartedly believe that the high consumption of bread is one of the leading contributors to America’s increased incidence of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.” – Isabel De Los Rios.

White bread is also high-GI, which means that your body converts the carbohydrate into sugar faster, and this sugar is often stored as fat. The relationship of bread and obesity is certainly not new.

Even in the post-war period people were advised to not fill up on bread at each meal. Doing so means poor nutrition and excess energy. The Beyond Diet also takes this simple but effective approach.

The main suggestion is to eat “breadless sandwiches“, which really means eat salads! Just about any sandwich filling can make a healthy salad, just mix your usual cheese, ham, chicken, egg or tuna with some salad leaves and vegetables and you have a tasty and nutritious meal.

Not all bread is bad though. Breads made from sprouted whole grain (SWG) are low GI, which means they do not cause spikes in blood glucose levels, so help you control hunger and weight better. Bread is just one of the key 5 things not to eat on the Beyond diet.

One of the key goals of Isabel De Los Rios’ Beyond Diet is to make simple changes to the way you eat and the way you think about food. Why do we eat sandwiches? For convenience – but you did not need that convenience when preparing food at home. See, the system goes Beyond Diet.

Good Fats


Gone are the days that nutritionists advise us to eat less fat. Now the advice is to eat healthier fat. Some sources of saturated fat are still thought to be unhealthy (although some primal dieters will say otherwise) as it leads to elevated bad cholesterol levels.

However, omega 3 and omega 6 fats are very healthy and actually help to keep the internal organs healthy and arteries clear. These fats are found in nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables and deep-sea fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines.

Also, the saturated fats found in dairy are now considered healthy – so cheese is back on the Beyond Diet menu.

Oils can also be healthy. Sunflower, vegetable and olive oils, along with coconut oils, all make healthy replacements for saturated oils from animals, which again raise cholesterol levels. Olive oil also makes the perfect salad dressing.

As well as being better for your internal health and helping to control appetite, the good fats are vital for the healthy functioning of the nervous system, which includes improved brain function and muscle responses.

Fish is good for both brain and brawn! The Beyond Diet aims to introduce you to tasty and nutritious foods which will help you to lose weight and stay in great shape.

Organic Eating


Isabel De Los Rios’ Beyond Diet also favors organic eating. While this is not actually essential to weight, going organic does reduce your exposure to agricultural chemicals, and this may help to improve health.

“Organic foods should not be optional; they should be mandatory and should grace every table” – Isabel De Los Rios.

It is interesting that Dr. Robert Atkins was also saying this about 40 years ago. His main reason for going organic, particularly with meat, was to reduce intake of nitrogen in the form of nitrates and nitrites.

Best Foods To Aid Weight Loss

It always seems a little contradictory to talk about food to aid weight loss, but healthy foods (instead of unhealthy foods – not in addition too) can help you to lose weight. Our bodies need food, so fad starvation diets really will never work.

Some of the foods that Beyond Diet recommends above others are spinach, lettuce, asparagus, strawberries, apples, mango, almonds, peanut butter, organic eggs, raw milk, wild fish, shrimp, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, Ezekiel bread, quinoa, wild rice, oatmeal, buckwheat, lentils, avocado, raw organic butter, coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, unsweetened cocoa, erythritol, stevia, organic red wine. This is just an example of some healthy food options.

Sample Meal Plan

  • Breakfast – Greek yogurt with fresh berries and sliced almonds
  • Lunch – Fast and Easy Tuna Salad Sandwich
  • Afternoon Snack – Homemade humus with raw vegetables
  • Dinner – Beef, snap pea, asparagus and mushroom stir-fry
  • Dessert – Pumpkin in Coconut Milk

Nitrates and Nitrites

Nitrates and nitrites can cause decreased functioning of the thyroid gland, increased cancer risk and a reduction in the oxygen capacity of the blood – which will affect your fitness, and ability to get fitter.


Again, the Beyond Diet is teaching you how to construct a health meal plan without making any major changes to what you eat.

Is Beyond Diet a Good Program?

To follow the Beyond Diet program fully you need to become a member, which costs around $47.00. While this is certainly pretty good value, as you receive great support from the website community, a large selection of recipes and meal plans, you can follow a similar diet without investing such a large sum. [please note, this was written in 2013, but judging from some of the more recent comments below, the level of support is no longer as good].

Really the Beyond Diet is very similar in its approach to a low GI Diet plan. This mostly involves eating carbohydrates which are unprocessed, i.e. fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoiding all processed foods and alcohol. Re-educating yourself about food is the key. This plan will certainly do that, but then so will a book on healthy eating from your local library.

If you are the type of person who prefers to have your weight loss plan set out for you, and wish to have the additional peace of mind of being able to ask Isabel (or her team of advisers and the community) for additional help and advice, then this plan will suit you. If you are confident in reading and self-teaching, then you can live without the plan.

The Beyond diet reviews we have seen have all mostly been positive, so this is a good sign that this is a good product that may stand the test of time. Of course, as with any weight loss plan, you need to exercise too, so aim to go Beyond diet alone!

As with Isabel’s other product, the Diet Solution Program, the emphasis here is on the food. You also must remember to start exercising on a regular basis to speed up and help maintain weight loss. While exercise is not essential, it makes the process much easier. To really go Beyond Diet you need to look beyond what is put on your plate and consider your entire lifestyle. Which is what we at MotleyHealth also advocate!

References and Research

“Consumption of drinking water with high nitrate levels causes hypertrophy of the thyroid” by Johannes M.S. van Maanen (and others). Toxicology Letters Volume 72, Issues 1–3, June 1994, Pages 365–374

A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens” by Hafström, B. Ringertz  (and others). Rheumatology (2001) 40 (10): 1175-1179.

27 Comments on “The Beyond Diet – A Review”

  1. Isabel is one of the great lady who help thousands of people around the world.
    using their diet solution program beyond diet !!! people losing incredible amount of weight..!! Your Review Is Much Much Appreciate Thankyou For Great Review
    Regards
    Syed Sameer Ayub

  2. kelly yang says:

    isabel you are a very beautiful woman and in very good shape. i am so proud of you. i hope one day i will lose all my weight. my double chin is annoying me too as well. i bought the neck slimmer so we will see if that really works. :)

  3. i would love to join but how much will it cost me for the 12 months

  4. MotleyHealth says:

    I think it is one payment. We are not affiliated with this product so do not actually know a great deal about how membership works, but it seems to be a single payment for access to the diet information and some sort of support. They have a Facebook page (linked at the bottom of the article), you should be able to get more info there, or from their website, beyond.com

  5. I have Thyroiditis – 100 lbs overweight. I can lose 15 – 17 pounds without too much difficulty. But then all weightloss stops. Then after many weeks of no success I get discouraged and in one week can gain most of the weight back. Are thyroid issues addresses in the beyond diet program? I never hear success weightloss stories from people like myself.

    Thanks for taking the time to read.

  6. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Carla, I do not know if The Beyond Diet addresses this specifically. Many people do suffer from this problem and the same rules really apply – you need to maintain a healthy, balanced diet and get regular exercise. If you are losing 15 pounds with little difficulty it sounds that your biggest problem is finding the motivation to continue. Even with a medical condition such as hypothyroidism, to gain weight you must eat too much. On the NHS page on the topic there are comments from people who have lost weight with good diet and exercise.

    “Exercise is a must! It puts me in a good mood, make me feel more awake and keeps the weight off.” Charliecox on NHS

    The hardest thing is to keep exercising when you are feeling tired, aching, depressed and exhausted. This really applies to everybody, especially once you hit middle age (i.e. like me)

  7. I tried this and want to make a complaint. I have tried to follow the plan but failed to lose weight. Who do I contact?

  8. MotleyHealth says:

    Sorry to hear that T. We do not actually have any direct relationship with the company; you should have a customer support contact in your original emails received when you signed up, they should be able to assist you. Good luck, if you have any questions on other topics please drop by and ask, we can help too.

  9. Hello,

    How does her diet plan differ from a paleo diet? As I reflect back on all these different diet fads over the years, her diet plan doesn’t appear to be any different than the original health guru Jack LaLanne. His motto was if it doesn’t come off a tree, vine or out of the ground, don’t eat it. Are these diets just rehashing what Jack had been stating all along?

  10. MotleyHealth says:

    Yes, many of them are based on the basic prinicpals of eating less (or no) wheat and sugar etc. I guess what you get with a premium service is some guidance and good meal plans etc. Although with soem research you can find cheaper resources and get guidance and help through forums, social media sites and here etc.

  11. one correction, gluten is a protein, not a carbohydrate, so it is not converted to sugar??

  12. MotleyHealth says:

    Gluten is a protein, but most of the energy in bread is carbohydrate / sugar.

  13. I have been on the Beyond diet for almost 5 weeks and have lost 12.6 lbs… 2 inches in my thighs and 2 inches in my waist. It’s a great healthy program no scam lots of recipes and resources

  14. MotleyHealth says:

    Great to hear this Amy.

  15. Avoid it, it is a scam. My credit card was charged but I did not receive even a login info, let alone the books I ordered. The email I registered with is unregistered according to their site. Do avoid this site, it only takes your money and offers no support whatsoever. I wrote them twice, no reply, three days passed. Is that a normal customer service? I will contact my credit card company to block the transaction.

  16. Their website is working, but I cannot login, the ‘forgot password’ function does not work, says my email is not registered. But I was using all functions for about an hour after payment, so then it was apparently ‘registered’. The non-existent customer service is really irritating. I will try their facebook.

  17. rich mcgary says:

    I signed up for your yoga classes and cannot find how to get back to them on my computer can you help me ?

  18. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Rich, we do not run any online classes here at MotleyHealth. I assume this is something you ordered from Beyond? You will have to contact them direct.

  19. I too was scammed after buying the book. I received the book I ordered but they began charging for the on-line service $14.95 per month. I called and the customer service was always closed even during the very limited posted times on their website. I emailed them and received a reply that I needed to call during posted hours…I had to cancel my credit card and dispute the charges. No reputable business does this–don’t be scammed!!!

  20. I have been doing the beyond diet plan for a week now and am down 5 lbs so far. I have not started exercising yet. I am 235 lbs and want to lose 100 lbs so I’ve got a long way to go. Not sure why so many people think it’s a scam? I paid a 1 time fee of $37, and have access to their website and like 9 books/manuals. I choose not to order the hard copies, it does ask for alot of add ons but that shoots the price up so I stuck with the $37. I promptly received a confirmation email and a link to confirm it and login, which I did. I have been able to access it just fine.

  21. MotleyHealth says:

    Thanks for the update Natasha. Glad to hear the service is being delivered.

  22. Chantal Boton says:

    I did not recived my book yet , it was charge on my visa 2 weeks ago

  23. MotleyHealth says:

    Did you contact Beyond?

  24. Iwant beyond diet

  25. Edwin Kennedy says:

    I ordered and paid for your book and never received it …..kindly re-reimburse me or send the book
    Thank you
    Edwin Kennedy

  26. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Edwin, sorry to hear you did not receive the book. You will need to contact them direct though, we do not sell the book ourselves, we just reviewed it a few years ago.

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