When it comes to losing weight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends aiming for a maximum of 2 lbs. per week. Choosing a healthy diet plan to help you achieve this amount of weight loss can be a little overwhelming with so many choices out there. To weed out the fad diets and unhealthy eating plans, it's best to follow a proven plan, based on scientific research on the topic of good nutrition.
MyPyramid Diet Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture makes it easy to get a free personalized diet plan, based on the latest scientific research related to good nutrition with its tool at MyPyramid.gov. This comprehensive tool allows you to lose weight, based on the USDA's dietary recommendations. MyPyramid will show you exactly how many calories you should be consuming each day to burn fat and get down to a healthy weight. It also shows you exactly what types of foods you should be consuming. This diet plan is a well-balanced approach to dieting, and the primary food groups associated with MyPyramid include whole grains, vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy and limited lean meats.
DASH Diet
Although this diet plan was first designed to lower the blood pressure of people suffering from hypertension, it has been shown to help some people lose as much as 10 to 35 lbs. within about three months, according to DashDiet.org. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet is a high-fiber, low-calorie diet plan that limits salt, sugar and fat intake. It focuses on many of the USDA dietary recommendations, and as a matter of fact, was the basis for the development of the USDA Food Pyramid. So, it's no surprise that the DASH diet plan is endorsed by multiple health organizations, such as the USDA and the American Heart Association. The primary food groups recommended by the DASH plan includes grains, fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy, lean meats, nuts/seeds/legumes and fats/sweets--in order of priority.
Mayo Clinic Recommendation
The nutrition experts at MayoClinic.com offer easy-to-read dieting advice for people looking to lose weight the healthy way. They recommend portioning out your food choices based on the number of carbohydrates, protein, fat, cholesterol, fiber and sodium in the food. The MayoClinic.com recommends consuming 45 to 65 percent of your calories from carbohydrate, such as potatoes, fruits and whole grains. When it comes to protein, the MayoClinic.com recommends getting 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories from protein sources, like lean meats, broccoli and low-fat dairy products. The MayoClinic.com suggests a fat intake of 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories, including no more than 7 percent from saturated fats. Additionally, sources of cholesterol and trans fat should be limited. Sodium, or salt, intake should not exceed 2,300mg, at the most. Finally, women should aim for 21 to 25 g of fiber each day while men should aim for 30 to 38 g from foods like peas, nuts and seeds.
Member Comments