A Free Guide to Agoge Diet for 2023: Is It Good for Weight Loss?

What Is an Agoge Diet?

The Agoge Diet aims to provide eating habits based on what ancient Spartan warriors ate by prioritising health, physical activities, and longevity.

The diet is based on eating unprocessed foods, including meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Grains and dairy products are used at minimum amounts or avoided altogether.

It also includes intermittent fasting, where there are short times of eating with long periods of fasting throughout the day.

The Agoge Diet focuses on nutrient-dense foods and welcomes healthy fats of olive oil and avocados. It also draws attention to hydration and suggests drinking plenty of water every day.

You may wonder why the diet is named ‘Agoge’ and what it means. The next section will do a little bit of etymology!

What Does Agoge Mean?

The word "agoge" stems from the Greek verb "ago", meaning "to lead" or "to guide", and these days, agoge is translated to "leading" or "guiding".

Ancient Spartans used the Agoge system to educate and train young boys, aiming to create strong, disciplined, and skilled warriors and defenders.

That’s what the Agoge diet aims to do, i.e., following the ancient Spartans’ system to train normal people to achieve warrior bodies with diet and physical activity.

Just note that the exact eating habits of Spartan warriors are not documented, so the Agoge diet is based on a mix of historical knowledge and modern nutrition science.

Let’s see what this combination yields and what are the benefits of the Agoge diet.

The Benefits of the Agoge Diet

• Strengthening the digestive system [1]
• A better lifestyle that can result in longevity, easier pregnancies and nursing
• Improving general health, including skin, teeth, and eyes
• Improving the performance of the immune system
• More powerful muscles [2]
• Healthy and strong bones
• Improved metabolism [3]
• Decreasing common diseases related to food like heart diseases [4], some disorders, and type 2 diabetes [5]

Now that we know the basics and benefits of the Agoge diet let’s see what foods are allowed and prohibited in this diet.

The Agoge Diet Rules

The Agoge diet is simple to follow but can also be super delicious. Here are some of its key rules.

• Whole Foods: Avoid processed food and eat whole, natural foods like meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
• Protein: Every meal should contain a source of protein like meat, fish, eggs, or dairy.
• Processed Carbohydrates: Processed carbohydrates, including bread, pasta, and sweets, are not welcome in the Agoge diet.
• Healthy Fats: The healthy fats allowed in the Agoge diet include oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds.
• Intermittent Fasting: Agoge diet allows intermittent fasting, i.e., periods of fasting followed by periods of eating.
• Hydration: The Agoge diet encourages drinking a lot of water every day.

Considering these dos and don’ts, one might wonder if it’s hard to follow the Agoge diet. The following section will answer this question.

How Hard Is the Agoge Diet?

The difficulty level of almost every diet depends on every individual's lifestyle, body structure, and social preferences, and the Agoge diet is not an exception.

Healthy eating can be challenging for those accustomed to eating junk food or processed stuff. It also encourages intermittent fasting, which can be hard for some.

However, if you’re eager to improve your health, are not used to eating too much fast food, and can avoid eating for some hours during the day, the Agoge diet is your thing.

Following the Agoge diet, you can increase your energy, improve digestion, and manage your weight smartly. Also, intermittent fasting can boost insulin sensitivity and metabolic health.

Now, if you are in favor of improving your eating habits and lifestyle, follow me to the next section to learn what you can and cannot eat on an Agoge diet in detail.

Foods to Eat

• Lean meat like chicken, turkey, beef, and pork
• Seafood
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds
• Low-carb veggies like broccoli, spinach, kale, and cauliflower
• Fruits, including berries, apples, and oranges
• Healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, and coconut oil

Foods to Avoid

• Processed foods, including chips, cookies, and candy
• Sugary drinks like soda and juice
• Foods high in carbohydrates, like bread, pasta, and rice
• Fast food and fried foods
• High-sugar fruits like bananas and grapes
• Dairy products, including milk, cheese, and yoghurt
• Alcohol

If you still need more details about the foods allowed on an Agoge diet, read through the next section.

Agoge Food List

As mentioned above, the Agoge diet favors whole, natural foods high in protein and healthy fats and low in processed carbs. The following list is your ultimate guide to what to eat on this diet.

Protein Sources

• Meat: beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, etc.
• Fish: salmon, tuna, cod, etc.
• Seafood: shrimp, crab, lobster, etc.
• Eggs: whole eggs or egg whites

Healthy Fats

• Olive oil
• Avocado
• Nuts: almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.
• Seeds: chia, flax, pumpkin, etc.
• Coconut oil

Carbohydrate Sources

• Vegetables: spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, etc.
• Fruits: apples, berries, oranges, etc.
• Legumes: lentils, chickpeas, etc.

Beverages

• Water
• Coffee
• Tea