The supermarket diet plan was created by diet and nutrition experts at Good Housekeeping magazine and developed into a book by staff member and registered dietitian Janis Jibrin. The plan makes a healthy diet easy and teaches people how to lose weight by choosing the proper foods at the supermarket.
Features
As detailed in Jibrin's 2007 book "The Supermarket Diet," the plan provides a balanced low-calorie menu of protein, fats and carbohydrates. The diet does not prohibit any foods, but encourages you to read labels and choose healthier versions of certain foods, as noted by the Every Diet website. It also supports cooking meals at home and being reasonable about portion sizes.
Types
The supermarket diet offers three plans, explains Every Diet. The most restrictive is Boot Camp, in which the dieter eats an average of 1,200 calories per day for up to two weeks. The diet is for women only because men usually need a higher calorie intake. A longer-term weight loss plan provides 1,500 calories per day, and a maintenance plan to prevent any weight regain provides 1,800 calories per day.
Menu
For breakfast on the supermarket diet plan, you might choose from scrambled eggs, an egg burrito, whole-wheat toast instead of bread made with white flour, peanut butter on whole-grain toast or whole-grain cereal. Lean protein at lunch could include a chicken wrap with light ranch dressing, a veggie cheeseburger or a tuna sandwich. Have a salad or some raw vegetables as well. At dinner, enjoy vegetarian pizza, pesto salmon or curried chicken, along with a salad. For snacks, have a piece of fruit, a fruit-juice bar, a slice of low-fat cheese, a cup of low-fat yogurt or a cup of skim milk.
Tips
The word "light" or "lite" on food labels doesn't necessarily mean the food is low in calories, cautions Good Housekeeping. It might be describing the taste or even the color of the food. Shopping for whole-grain products requires similar consideration, as the label may advertise "whole wheat" or "whole grains" while the main ingredient is bleached or refined flour. Many breakfast cereals are filled with sugar and contain very low fiber. Choose cereal with at least 4 g of fiber per 100 calories.
Recommendations
The supermarket diet includes additional suggestions for health, such as taking a 30 to 60 minute walk every day, and doing resistance exercises two or three times per week. In addition, take a multivitamin and mineral supplement each day, and if you're a woman over age 50, take a calcium supplement of 200 mg to 500 mg also. The Good Housekeeping website provides many menu samples and recipes for all three plans in the supermarket diet.
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