Every diet you try should be good for your health. An effective yet simple and easy diet asks you to make small lifestyle changes that produce steady weight loss over an extended period of time. Fad diets may seem inviting; however those requiring drastic calorie reductions and eliminating food groups do not provide a balanced diet.
My Pyramid Menu Planner
The online tool My Pyramid Menu Planner from the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes eating a calorie appropriate, balanced diet easy and simple. Type in your age, height, weight and level of daily activity to receive daily portion sizes for each of the six food groups personalized just for you. Input the food you ate today to calculate your daily calorie and portion intake, and compare it to the diet recommended for you.
Calorie Reduction
To lose weight, burn more calories than you consume daily. Snacks and beverages can add a significant amount of sugars and calories to your diet. To lose weight or have a healthier diet, find lower calorie replacements. Drink drip coffee rather than a café late and switch from soda to flavored seltzer. Snack on plain air popped popcorn rather than a bag of chips.
Eat Your Favorite Food
A simple and easy diet allows you to eat the same food you always have and not feel deprived. Simply trim calories off your favorite recipes by reducing the fat content. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends replacing full-fat dairy products with low-fat versions. Try roasting or steaming your vegetables instead of sautéing. Bake breaded cutlets instead of frying them. Cook with ground turkey or a vegetable based protein instead of ground beef.
Healthier Food
Switch to a healthy diet by simply modifying the ingredients you use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest making simple changes to American and international recipes to increase the nutritional value and reduce the fat content. Replace white flour with whole wheat pastry flour in quick-bread, muffin and pancake recipes. Switch to whole wheat or brown rice pasta and bread. Experiment with using olive oil instead of butter in savory dishes. Replace sausage and bacon with vegetarian versions. Buy organic products.
Meal Replacement Beverages
An easy and simple diet might include meal replacements. These vitamin fortified beverages offer instant low-calorie or high-calorie meals to help you lose, gain or maintain your weight. In a double-blind study conducted by Seoul National University and published in the February 2009 issue of the "Internal Journal of Clinical Practice," found participants on high-protein diets with meal replacements lost a similar amount of weight as those on a conventional weight loss diet .
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