Comparing Today's Popular Diets
Diet trends often focus on one food or one nutrient, promising it will be the magic bullet for losing weight and keeping it off forever. But when registered dietitians analyze a weight-loss plan, invariably it turns out that the key is reducing your intake of calories. "There is no panacea for weight control," says registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Cathy Nonas. "It's all about the calories you put into your body versus the calories you burn. Eat a balanced diet with mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains as your base. Accompany this with daily physical activity to help your body burn those calories so you can maintain a healthier weight." Nonas adds: "Budget yourself, just like you would your finances. If you overspent in the calorie department one day, try to make up for it in the exercise department the next. Over time, if you save up calories, you are able to have that once-in-a-while splurge and not feel like you've blown your calorie budget." The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide provides great calorie-burning activities to do per hour by body weight:
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Milk Your Diet: A New Approach to Fuel Your Weight Loss Efforts
Have you vowed to lose weight this year? If so, listen up. There is a new approach to losing - one that doesn't mean depriving yourself or following the latest fad diet. Emerging research suggests that including calcium-rich milk to your weight-loss plan does more than just keep your bones healthy, it may be a key to your healthy weight-loss strategy. Studies indicate that calcium may make it easier to lose weight.
A calcium-rich eating plan, especially one that includes at least three servings of milk a day, seems to provide the nutritional support you need for healthy effective weight loss. In fact, research suggests that milk may help promote the loss of body fat while maintaining more muscle, which is important when dieting. Dropping dairy foods as a calorie-cutting tactic is not only bad for bones, it could make it even harder to lose weight. So try "milking your diet" instead. That means 24 ounces in 24 hours, just three eight-ounce glasses of lowfat or fat-free milk every day to get the calcium your body needs.
Learn more about the 24/24 eating plan.
Learn more about the new dietary guidelines.
Learn more about the recommendations for daily exercise.
Do you know how many fruits and vegetables you need? Take the quiz.
Find out how to include more fruits and vegetables - in all forms - into your family's meals every day.
