Blog

Revolutionary Healthy Diets

posted by TrueNorth Employee Benefits on Tuesday, March 22, 2016

As obesity rates continue to rise and health care costs go with them, many Americans are searching for diets that will help them finally win the weight battle. There are so many diets advertised on the market today, it's hard to tell which ones will produce positive results in a healthy way. 

Luckily, scientists have provided a guideline for what to look for when determining which diet is best. According to the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center compared four popular diets - high-carbohydrate, high-fat, low-fat and high protein - to see which diets generated the most weight loss for participants.The study revealed that the calories consumed were ultimately the most important factor in determining weight loss success, regardless of what form they came in. If calorie intake was reduced, study participants lost weight.

With this knowledge in mind, here are diets that are designed to provide participants with nutrient-rich foods and help them keep calories in check. 

The Structure House Weight Loss Plan

Written by Dr. Gerard Musante, this diet asserts that many Americans eat to fill emotional voids, such as loneliness, boredom or sadness. Therefore, it targets a dieter's relationship with food while emphasizing the need for overall health and fitness. 

• Helps dieter identify food triggers and develop coping strategies for triggers.
• Provides meal plans and ways to eat healthy while on vacation or eating out. 
• Offers a lifestyle shift to heal the mind, body and spirit.

The Step Diet

This diet consists of a walking program designed to help people lose weight and keep it off. The Step Diet was devised by a group of weight-control experts from the University of Colorado.

• The philosophy is based on the idea that if more calories are burned than consumed, dieters will lose weight. 
• Dieters use a pedometer to track the number of steps taken in a day and then the diet requires adding 2,000 steps to that number. Gradually, this number increases even more as fitness levels rise. 
• Dieters are told to eat one-quarter less the amount of food they were eating before they started the diet. 

Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet

This diet, developed by Dr. Ann Kulze, teaches individuals how to select the right carbohydrates, fats and proteins to lose weight and feel good. 

• Recommendations for meals are realistic, comprehensive and flexible to most lifestyles. 
• Diet tells people when to eat, what to buy at the grocery store, what to avoid eating, how to prepare meals at home and how to dine out wisely. 
• Provides 10 steps for preventing 10 of the most chronic conditions, including breast cancer, colon cancer and heart disease. 

Weight Watchers^®

This well-known diet program centers on their four pillars of weight loss - "Eat Smarter, Move More, Healthful Habits and Get Support." The focus of the diet is to support individuals and help them adopt a healthy lasting lifestyle. 

The EatingWell® Diet

This diet, developed by Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino and the editors of EatingWell magazine, focuses on the idea that weight loss can only be achieved when individuals exchange their everyday habits with healthier alternatives.

• Provides goal-setting tools, self-tracking and assistance with controlling cravings. 
• Contains recipes from chefs and nutrition experts from EatingWell.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan

This diet is designed to allow individuals to indulge from time to time so that they stick to the program. Barbara Rolls created the concept of Volumetrics. 

• It allows dieters to eat foods that are low in "energy density" (such as vegetables, fruits and soups). This means that these foods have a high water content and are low in calories. Therefore, dieters can eat more of that food without consuming too many calories. 
• Program includes forms for charting daily food intake and weight-loss progress.
• Offers many recipes that are delicious and low in calories.  

The Best Life™ Diet 

Created by Bob Greene - best known for being Oprah Winfrey's personal trainer - this program is divided into three phases to teach the necessary skills to change life for the better. Each phase re-examines decisions made on a daily basis and offers suggestions for altering unhealthy habits to achieve positive results. The diet includes meal plans to allow dieters to meet nutrient requirements easily, even when their time is limited. 

The Solution Diet

Promoted by Laurel Mellin, this diet asserts that there are six causes of weight gain and six cures - two focusing on the body, two on the mind and two on the lifestyle. 

• Helps dieters understand the emotional and psychological reasons for why they gain weight. 
• Provides suggestions for nurturing the mind and for controlling eating in a feasible manner. 

You: On a Diet

This diet was developed by Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. It is based on the biological reasons why people indulge in their cravings and overeat. By understanding how the body stores fat and burns it, dieters can learn how to control their weight for the long term. The diet plan offers information about how the brain, stomach, hormones, muscles, heart, genetics and stress levels impact the body size. 

The Spectrum

Created by Dr. Dean Ornish, this diet is based on the philosophy that lifestyle modifications can reverse some severe medical problems, such as heart disease, without surgery or medication. 

• Focuses on nutrition (low-fat and vegetarian), exercise (aerobic training, resistance, and flexibility), stress management techniques and developing good relationships.
• Recipes offered use seasonal ingredients and are designed to be modified based on a dieter's progress in the program. 

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet focuses more on improving heart health and less on losing weight; but it is still useful to people who want to transition away from unhealthier foods and eating habits. The nutritional guidelines in the diet are inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Greece, southern Italy, and Spain, pioneered in the U.S. in the 1940s, gaining widespread popularity 50 years later. In 2013, a major medical study found the diet can reduce cardiovascular disease and illness by up to a third in high-risk individuals. 

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes: 

• Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. 
• Replacing butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil. 
• Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods.
• Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month. 
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week. 
• Drinking red wine in moderation (optional).

The diet also recognizes the importance of being physically active and enjoying meals with family and friends. 

Low-Fat Lies 

This program is based on a typical Mediterranean diet, which is rich in seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables and olive oil. Drs. Kevin Vigilante and Mary Flynn wrote a book about this plan. 

• Includes recipes from famous American restaurants.
• Offers ways to fit exercise into your day. 

Though there may not be a cookie-cutter diet out there for you, one of these programs may be just the ticket to get you on your way to shedding pounds, looking great and feeling more vibrant than ever. As we mentioned earlier, calories are calories, plain and simple. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. However, if you trim the number of calories that you consume and increase your activity level, you'll see a positive change in your weight.

TrueNorth's Employee Benefits Division is here to help. 

TrueNorth offers businesses of every size comprehensive solutions to meet their business needs and those of their employees.  If you are in need of business solutions or are looking to start a business of your own, please call TrueNorth.  Our Employee Benefits division would be happy to assist you in providing the well-being of both you and your staff.  Call us today at 1-800-798-4080.