Nutrisystem is a meal-replacement program that encourages the dieter to eat four to five prepackaged diet items per day, then to supplement the packaged meals with fresh groceries, such as fruits, vegetables and dairy items. Low-fat dairy or dairy alternatives are part of the Nutrisystem plan, especially for women.
Servings of Dairy
Women on the Nutrisystem diet choose three dairy or protein items per day, whereas men select two dairy or protein items. Dairy is a key component in any diet because calcium serves to accelerate weight loss in dieters and to prevent osteoporosis. Two to three servings of dairy per day significantly enhance weight loss; calcium plays a key role in inhibiting the storage of fat.
Permitted Dairy Items
Nutrisystem allows a variety of dairy items in the program, including fat-free milk, light yogurt, low-fat cheese, nonfat cottage cheese, fat-free cream cheese and low-fat string cheese. The calorie and fat requirements are very precise, which can make finding appropriate dairy add-ins a challenge. For example, yogurt must contain 120 calories or fewer with 7 g of protein, and the serving size is 6 to 8 oz. Most individually packaged servings of yogurt exceed the serving size and the calorie requirement, and many do not have this amount of protein.
Dairy Items Included in Meals
Many prepackaged Nutrisystem meals include some dairy as well. All of the pizzas include mozzarella and other cheeses. The pastas, such as ravioli formaggio, include ricotta cheese. Dried breakfast cereals incorporate milk as part of the meal. The meals that include cheese or other dairy typically account for 20 to 25 percent of the daily requirement for calcium, which adds to the diet's effectiveness.
Alternatives to Dairy
As of the spring of 2011, Nutrisystem does not include a dairy-free or vegan diet specifically. You can select all menu items that do not contain dairy, however, if you have a milk allergy. Alternatively, soy milk and soy cheese count as dairy items if you cannot consume traditional dairy of if you are trying to avoid it.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Role of Calcium and Dairy Products in Energy Partitioning and Weight Management; Michael B Zemel; May 2004
- Nutrisystem: Grocery Food Additions
- "Journal of Dairy Science"; Major Scientific Advances with Dairy Foods in Nutrition and Health; PJ Huth et al; August 2005
- Nutrisystem: Our Menu
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