Slim-Fast has been helping people lose weight since 1977. While there have been modifications to the diet plan over the past 30 years, the general guidelines have remained constant, two shakes a day plus one regular healthy meal. The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 plan, formally known as Slim-Fast Optima, provides specific guidelines on how to create a balanced regular meal to fit the weight loss plan. The meals do help you control portions, but more closely resemble the new U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate plan, than the Food Guide Pyramid.
Slim-Fast Diet Plan
As a meal replacement diet, Slim-Fast helps you limit and control your calorie intake for weight loss by replacing two of your regular meals with its low-calorie shake or meal bar. In addition, the plan also includes three 100-calorie snacks consisting of either fruits, vegetables or the Slim-Fast snack bar, and one healthy 500-calorie meal. Slim-Fast is a low-calorie diet, limiting your daily intake to about 1,200-calories a day. As with any weight loss plan, you should consult your physician before starting Slim-Fast.
Balanced Meal
To help you create the 500-calorie balanced meal, the Slim-Fast website provides guidelines for what should be on your plate. Slim-Fast recommends you fill half your plate with vegetables such as green beans, carrots or broccoli, one-quarter with a lean protein such as chicken or fish and the other quarter with a serving of starch such as brown rice or potatoes. In addition to the meal guide, Slim-Fast also provides recipes for low-calorie dishes, including fish tacos, veggie meatballs and lasagna.
Food Guide Pyramid Servings
The U.S. Department of Agriculture first introduced the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992. The first Food Guide Pyramid acted as a visual aid, helping Americans determine which foods made the healthiest choices and how much to eat. It provided specific information on how much you should eat from each food group for the whole day, along with serving sizes. In 2005, the Food Guide Pyramid was replaced by MyPyramid, which still included healthy food choices, but did not provide recommendations on how much you need to eat each day. Although the Slim-Fast balanced diet plan includes the healthy foods depicted in the food guide pyramid, its serving recommendations are different.
MyPlate
In 2010, the U.S Department of Agriculture replaced MyPyramid with MyPlate. The MyPlate plan recommends you make half your plate fruits and vegetables, one-quarter whole grains and one-quarter lean sources of protein. MyPlate also recommends you include low-fat milk at each meal. Although not quite the same, the Slim-Fast balanced meal serving recommendations more closely resemble the MyPlate guide than the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations.
References
- Slim-Fast: Understanding Balanced Meals
- Funding Universe: Slim-Fast Food Companies
- USDA's ChooseMyPlate.gov: MyPlate
- Feltsource: The Food Guide Pyramid
- USDA's ChooseMyPlate.gov; USDA Secretary Mike Johanns Reveals USDA's Steps to a Healthier You; April 2005
- Healthy Eating Politics; USDA Food Pyramid History; 2008
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