Dieting

Its creator , David Zinczenko, editor in chief of Men’s Health, built this diet around 12 nutrient-packed foods (Powerfoods) thought to provide enough vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while also trigger lean muscle growth and help the body burn fat. The Abs Diet is a six-week plan with six  meals a day. No calorie-counting; portion-control is built into the program. Dieters alternate larger meals with small snacks. Each meal must contain at least two of the 12 Abs Diet Powerfoods, such as almonds, beans, spinach, instant oatmeal, eggs, peanut butter, raspberries, olive oil, and whole grains. Ample meal plans and recipes are provided, all emphasizing protein, fiber, calcium, and healthy fats. Refined carbs, saturated and trans fats, and high-fructose corn syrup are discouraged. Exercise is as important as nutrition.  A weekly schedule and visual explanations are included in Zinczenko’s The New! Abs Diet. The New Abs Diet for Women (Rodale, 2010) highlights the same 12 Powerfoods, and keeps calories at 1,400 to 1,600 daily. It includes a section about using the diet to manage hormones, a stress-busting workout, and tips for women who are pregnant or trying to lose baby weight. It can be tailored for women who are vegetarians, lactose intolerant, on antidepressants, or have irritable bowel syndrome.

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) (part of the NIH, a United States government organization) to control hypertension. This eating plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods; includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts and beans; and is limited in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats. In addition to its effect on blood pressure, it is considered a well-balanced approach to eating for the general public. It is now recommended by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as an ideal eating plan for all Americans. The DASH trials, from August 1993 to July 1997, were designed to test the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. This study showed that dietary patterns can and do affect blood pressure in the normal to moderately hypertensive adult population. One of the diets tested in this study, hereafter referred as DASH  was rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium, also high in fruits, vegetables & low fat dairy foods hence rich in fiber and protein. The minority portion of the study sample and the hypertensive portion, from baseline, both showed the largest reductions in blood pressure from the combination diet against the control diet. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which helped develop DASH, publishes free guides on the plan (one here) .As example, for a 2,000-calorie diet, you should shoot each day (unless otherwise noted) for 6-8 servings of grains; 4-5 each of veggies and fruit; 2-3 of fat-free or low-fat dairy; 6 or fewer of lean meat, poultry, and fish, with one serving being equivalent to an ounce (28 grams); 4-5 (a week) of nuts, seeds, and legumes; 2-3 of fats and oils; and 5 or fewer (a week) of sweets. DASH suggests capping sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day and eventually working to stay under 1,500 mg.

The Dukan Diet was created by French physician Pierre Dukan more than 10 years ago as a treatment for obese people. Essentially, it’s a four-phase, high-protein, low-calorie diet plan. There’s no weighing foods or counting calories. Protein is the centerpiece in all four phases, along with oat bran, lots of water, and a 20-minute daily walk. Vegetables are allowed in the second stage, followed by small amounts of fruit and whole grains. Phase 1, the “Attack” phase, is quite simple: Eat all you want of lean protein, along with 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran and 1.5 liters of water daily. That’s it.  Dieters can choose from 72 lean or low-fat meats (excluding pork and lamb), fish, poultry, eggs, soy, and nonfat dairy. This is followed by the “Cruise” phase, which allows unlimited amounts of 28 non-starchy vegetables every other day along with a core diet of unlimited lean/low-fat protein and 2 tablespoons of oat bran. Carrots, peas, corn, and potatoes are not on this list of vegetables but appear in the next phase. Phase 3, “Consolidation,” allows unlimited protein (including pork and lamb) and vegetables every day, along with one piece of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole-grain bread, and 1 portion of hard cheese. Dieters can also have 1-2 servings of starchy foods and 1-2 “celebration” meals (in which you can eat whatever you want) per week during this phase.  In this phase, you begin the lifetime commitment of eating the core diet of pure protein one day each week, preferably the same day. Phase 4, “Stabilization,” is the maintenance portion of the plan.  The author promises you can eat whatever you like without regain if you follow his rules – one day a week, follow the same all-protein diet as in Phase 1; eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day; and walk for 20 minutes daily and never take elevators or escalators. Sugar-free gum, artificial sweeteners, vinegars, and spices are allowed on The Dukan Diet. The book encourages dieters to take a daily multivitamin with minerals.   ****Dukan vs. Cohen lawsuit** In July 2011 a French court ruled against Dukan in his attempt to sue rival nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen for libel, after Cohen had criticised Dukan’s method in the press. The hearing did not judge the rival claims on scientific or health grounds, but solely in relation to the libel claim (read here and  here).        

This diet uses the Mayo Clinic Diet book as guide to recalibrate eating habits; breaking bad ones and replacing them with good ones with the help of the Mayo Clinic’s unique food pyramid. The Mayo Clinic Diet begins with a two-week jump-start phase called “Lose It!” designed to help you safely lose 6-10 pounds in two weeks. It focuses on 15 key habits—ones to add and ones to ditch. After two weeks, you begin part 2,; “Live it !” designed to provide the tools and techniques needed to sustain those healthy habits learned in the first phase. No food group is completely off-limits. *** The phony “Mayo Clinic” diet is a low-carb, high-fat plan that attributes miraculous fat-burning powers to grapefruit. Dieters go on the plan for 12 days, then off for two days, and continue this cycle for 10 weeks with the promise of a 50- to 55-pound weight loss.

Mediterranean diet low in red meat, sugar, and saturated fat and high in olive oil, nuts, and other healthful foods.  Mediterranean diet pyramid emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and flavorful herbs and spices; eating fish and seafood at least a couple of times a week;  poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt in moderation; and restricts sweets and red meat for special occasions. This diet is, however, an eating pattern, not a structured diet. Therefore, each individual has to figure out how many calories can be eaten to lose or maintain weight.

Focused in reducing LDL cholesterol and Created by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet (TLC) is endorsed by the American Heart Association as a heart-healthy regimen that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The key is cutting back sharply on fat, particularly saturated fat. It postulates that saturated fat (think fatty meat, whole-milk dairy, and fried foods) bumps up bad cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. That, along with strictly limiting daily dietary cholesterol intake and getting more fiber, can help people manage high cholesterol, often without medication. TLC cuts saturated fat to less than 7 percent of daily calories and consume no more than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day (guide here).

Weight Watchers is an international company that offers various dieting products and services to assist weight loss and maintenance. The core philosophy behind Weight Watchers programs is to use a science-driven approach to help participants lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise and providing support. Weight Watchers’ PointsPlus program, launched in November 2010, assigns every food a points value, based on its protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, calories, and how hard your body has to work to burn it off.  You can eat whatever you want—provided you stick to your daily PointsPlus target, a number based on your gender, weight, height, and age. You can find the points values of more than 40,000 foods on Weight Watchers’ website. Processed choices like bologna usually have the highest point values (meaning they should be eaten in small amounts or less often) while fresh fruits and vegetables carry zero points, so you can eat as many as you’d like. That’s because they’re high in fiber and are more filling than, say, a candy bar. (Fruit juice, dried fruit, and starchy vegetables don’t count as freebies, since they’re higher in calories.) Weight Watchers also pushes specially- designated Power Foods, or the best choices among similar foods. If you’re mulling 10 types of canned soup, for example, you can quickly see which has the least sugar and sodium, the most fiber, and the healthiest types and amounts of fat. The company offers hundreds of recipes, each with a PointsPlus value, to show how it fits into your eating plan. If you’re preparing a dish that’s not listed in the database, you can calculate points ingredient by ingredient, using tools on the company’s website.Weight Watchers isn’t only about what you eat; support is also a big component. Though you can choose to follow the plan online only, the company says dieters lose about three times more weight if they attend weekly meetings, too. What happens during those get-togethers? You’ll swap weight-loss tips and recipes with other members, and step on the scale for a confidential weigh-in.

…to be continued