The Skinny on Popular Diets
Article By: Cynthia Ross CravitJust in time for swimsuit season, a report weighs in on the best diets.
Wanted: A diet that actually works. A diet you can stick to for more than a week. A diet that doesn’t consist of primarily cabbage.
In response to the unrelenting desire to shed pounds (and fast), 2,215 new health and fitness books were published in 2006 alone, according to R.R. Bowker’s Books in Print, which tracks information on the publishing industry.
With so many weight-reduction diets claiming to be the long-awaited “breakthrough” not to mention the masses of contradictory advice from “experts”, who’s to say whether carbs are good or bad, or whether you should be tracking calories or fat grams.
The June 2007 issue of Consumers Report took on the challenge by rating eight diet plans based on the results of randomized clinical trials and the diet’s adherence to nutritional guidelines. The studies reported on both short-term (3-6 months) and long term (12 months) results with at least 40 participants per diet.
The report goes on to critique popular diet books based on ease of use, quality of meal plans, validity of nutritional science and exercise.
Best diets for weight loss: the top four
1. Volumetrics diet. The top-rated diet uses a strategy of consuming "low-density" foods to take the edge off of hunger. Dieters are encouraged to start their meals with a low calorie soup or salad. The idea is to fill up on lower calorie foods and at the same time, stave off hunger by eating larger volumes of food. (The report notes that other diets also employ this strategy, although not as explicitly.) The diet was developed by Barbara Rolls, PhD, and a professor of nutritional sciences at The Pennsylvania State University.
2. Weight Watchers. This well known approach uses weekly meetings and weigh-ins for motivation and behavioral support for diet and exercise changes. It scored average on weight loss but first in long-term adherence. Recipes were found to be appetizing and fairly easy to prepare.
3. Jenny Craig. Another popular program, Jenny Craig provides individual counseling and meal plans at company outlets, by phone, or online. While client histories revealed a high dropout rate, those who stuck with the plan lost considerable weight. The diet requires minimal food preparation.
4. Slim-Fast. This brand of controlled calorie shakes and bars is widely available in drugstores and supermarkets. The menu meets dietary guidelines, and clinical studies show above-average long-term weight loss but a high long-term dropout rate.
Best diet books
The Consumer Reports rating of popular diet books was based on an expert-panel questionnaire and the organization’s own analysis of nutritional quality. None of the books have been tested by large clinical trials.
Top-rated was The Best Life Diet – an Oprah-endorsed best-seller. The experts praised its straightforward recipes and nutritional meal plans.
Other favourites included:
• Eat, Drink, & Weigh Less — the panel liked the Mediterranean recipes but noted too little emphasis was placed on exercise.
• You: On a Diet — experts praised the book’s simplicity but said it lacked in details and flexibility.
• The Abs Diet— this book places good emphasis on exercise, experts said. However, the panel expressed concern about the book’s endorsement of whey supplements.
No one weight-loss plan works for everyone
The ratings are intended to help dieters figure out a place to start, Nancy Metcalf, Consumer Reports’ senior project editor told MSNBC. “There’s no such thing as the perfect diet for everyone,” Metcalf added. “You’ve got a better chance of doing better on one of the higher-rated diets.”
Dieters on the CR’s higher-ranked weight-loss plans shed more pounds and were more likely to stick with those diets, the panel said.
Weight loss tips
Are you a do-it-yourself dieter? If you’re attempting to lose weight without the help of a formal program or counseling, Consumer Reports offers these tips.
1. Don’t skip breakfast. 75 per cent of successful dieters say they start off the day right – by eating breakfast, typically some cereal and fruit.
2. Choose and limit your fats. Good fats include olive and other monounsaturated oils, nuts, avocados, and omega-3 oils from seafood and plant sources. But good or bad, keep in mind that all fats have big calorie counts.
3. Eat healthfully, but sparingly. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and some lean meat and fish, healthy fats, and whole grains. Minimize refined grains, potatoes, and full-fat dairy products. But no matter how “healthy” your diet is, you still have to restrict quantities to lose weight.
4. Crank up the activity. To control weight from exercise alone requires 60 to 90 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous exercise. But any amount of exercise, no matter how modest, will help you shed pounds.
5. Consider cutting carbs. Virtually all diets restrict or eliminate “bad” highly refined carbs such as white bread, cookies, chips, and soft drinks. While a wholesale cutback on grains, fruits, and the sweeter vegetables such as the popular Atkins diet works for some dieters, it is not for everyone.
6. Fill up on low-density foods. One way to reduce calories and still eat a satisfying amount of food is to focus your diet on foods that have fewer calories per bite, or low “energy density.” This strategy recommends starting your meals with a low-calorie soup or salad and eating main dishes that are full of vegetables and fruits.
7. Don't banish the scale. Successful dieters weigh themselves at least once a week.
8. Bore yourself thin. Since variety tends to stimulate appetite, dieters might do better to restrict selections (i.e. the buffet table).
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Smart Tips for a Healthy Diet
Quick-fix diets don't work in maintaining a healthy weight. Here are some tips to eat right forever.If you usually skip breakfast, change this habit Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day for good reason: it enhances learning and physical performance. After 12 to 14 hours without food, your blood sugar is low, you're hungry and your brain as well as the rest of your body needs refueling to start the day. Eat something anything you like for a few mornings to get accustomed to the experience. Begin with traditional or nontraditional foods that you enjoy from cereal to leftover pizza. Try cereal with milk and fruit, a frozen waffle or a flour tortilla with cheese melted in the microwave. If you eat breakfast in the car, take fresh fruit and bite-size pieces of cheese or a sandwich. If you cant face food first thing in the morning, eat something at your first break.
Try a new fruit or vegetable every week Concentrate on dark-green or richly coloured produce, which is rich in vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals that are linked to a lower risk of cancer and heart disease and to slowing down the aging process. Try different greens, such as kale or Swiss chard, or new fruits, such as mangoes or papayas. If you eat lettuce, select the darker romaine instead of iceberg lettuce for a bigger nutritional hit.
Season your dishes with herbs and spices instead of butter or gravy Try a flavoured vinegar (for example, raspberry or balsamic) on greens. One tablespoon of oil has 120 calories; one tablespoon of vinegar has fewer than five.
Substitute a bagel or English muffin for a large muffin The muffin may have more than 400 calories and 15 grams of fat, while the English muffin has fewer than 200 calories and fewer than four grams of fat. If you switch your morning muffin to an English muffin, you'll save more than 1,400 calories over the course of a week.
Eat more fish Its low in fat, and even fatty varieties, such as salmon, are good sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Have a meatless day once a week Try some of the newer vegetarian entrées from your local grocery store, or cook meatless chili, bean soup or lentil curry. Beans and lentils have a low glycemic index and may leave you feeling fuller. (See High protein, low carb diets. Are they healthy?)
Supplement low-calorie frozen dinners with some vegetables or a bowl of soup You'll feel fuller and less likely to eat more later. Always keep a bag of frozen vegetables in your freezer. Add them to pasta, or steam and serve them as a side dish. Or buy fresh pre-cut vegetables.
Treat yourself once a week If you love chocolate, have a small piece. Other great treats are a skinny latte topped with cocoa, or a scoop of frozen yogurt or chocolate gelato. Enjoy your treats guilt-free!
If you want to spend some money spend it on a dietitian who can help personalize your eating program, or on a personal trainer who can help you get fit.
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