How to Pick a Nutritional Plan
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When most people think about diet, they focus on weight loss - getting rid of those extra five or ten pounds they've been promising to shed. A booming industry caters to this fascination with weight and appearance, offering scores of books to help people shed weight, improve their sex lives, and look younger; promoting schemes to deliver a thinner you in a matter of weeks; and hawking diet plans based on "magic" foods, "power" foods, fast foods, convenience foods, even liquid foods.
At any given time, 20 million Americans are on a diet of some kind, and another 20 million are convinced they should be. Yet most of them fail to achieve their goals, dropping out because the programs they've chosen are too stringent, concentrate on foods they dislike, or conflict with their lifestyle. Even those who reach their objectives usually slip back, eventually returning to their original eating patterns.
This is not the way it has to be. A diet program needn't be a hardship, doesn't have to include foods you hate, and shouldn't be measured exclusively in terms of pounds lost. Instead, think in terms of your own health and enjoyment. If you simply follow what we know about nutrition today, you can protect your health, find an agreeable style of eating, and maintain a reasonable weight in the bargain.
Most experts, such as New York Times science and medical writer Jane Brody, believe that "unless you have a chronic illness like diabetes, or are genetically prone to heart disease, you need not become an extremist or an acetic, nor do you have to give up everything you love forever."
People adopt diets for two main reasons: 1) to improve their health and prevent serious medical problems or 2) to lose weight. In many cases, the same basic food plan - low fat, moderate protein, high complex carbohydrate - will accomplish both goals. In others, a more specialized program is necessary.
But before you start any new eating program, whether it be for weight loss or health, there are a number of things you should consider. According to Stanley Gershoff, Ph.D., dean of the Tufts University School of Nutrition, you need to ask yourself:
What is my motivation? For example, if you believe losing weight will improve your love life or assure a job promotion, you're bound to fail. While a diet and fitness program can be a positive motivating factor, losing weight, in itself, does not guarantee your life will change.
Why have I failed at other diets? Perhaps it was not entirely your fault. You may have tried one of many fad diets that have been proven time and again to be ineffective. By examining your diet history, you may spot a trend. For example, extremely low calorie diets or organized diet plans may not work for you.
Am I built like other members of my family? Look at your close relatives. No matter how much you diet, you can no more change your genetically-given shape than you can change the color of your eyes.
Do I have "special health considerations?" Are you at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes? Do you have food allergies? Do you have high cholesterol, high blood sugar, or other medical conditions that might make certain diets harmful to you? Are your medications compatible with the program you're considering? If you do have a medical problem, ask your doctor to help you choose a program.
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