Weight Control - Meaningful Diet Goals

When you get started with a PersonalDiets plan, you'll receive a set of goals and strategies to follow. Is there a method to the madness? Most definitely. Each goal in every food category is based upon a compilation of scientific data on people's eating habits. These habits and food choices, added up, make up the nutritional composition of your diet. The eating goals you were given add up to a diet that achieves all of the following goals:

less than 30% fat - depends on individual need
low in saturated fat
low in cholesterol
emphasizes monounsaturated fats
reduced in sodium
cuts most people's sugar intake by about half

increases dietary fiber
increases intake of fruits and vegetables (and the vitamins/minerals in them)
increases omega-3 fatty acid intake
encourages moderate intake of alcohol and caffeine
encourages fresh foods with reduced pesticide use

These goals are all associated with reducing risk or preventing the killer diseases - high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes. Each goal is very important and is quantified for good reason. For example, you can not achieve this level of healthy eating if you do not keep your total meat intake within the amounts suggested. Likewise, if you choose high fat dairy products, the saturated fat and cholesterol would be too high. Using a lot of processed and prepared foods increases the sodium (salt) in the diet, so unless you dilute these foods, your sodium intake would be too high. All of these nutritional endpoints are considered for each and every goal, and there is no goal listed that does not contribute something important to the overall plan. There's a reason for everything in your plan!

If you are just concerned about maintaining or reaching a desirable body weight, Balanced diet plans

why follow these goals? As I have said often, you can lose weight on any diet, just by cutting back on your food intake - it's a "no brainer". But if the plan is short term, and has no long-term structure for continued good health and weight maintenance, you'll go back to your old ways, and your old weight. Why should you follow different rules for weight loss? It makes no sense to have to learn new eating rules when you reach your goal weight, and scientific evidence supports this claim.

What's in it for you?
Your health risks are considered in your PersonalDiets' plan. For some people, the rules are different because they have heart disease, high blood cholesterol, etc. already. For others, having a family history of certain inherited diseases makes them vulnerable as well. Generally, these diet goals fit most people very well. The closer you can get to achieving all of your eating goals on a continuing basis, the more quickly you will see the benefits of desirable body weight (maintained, not lost and gained!). Reduced blood cholesterol and triglyceride values, reduced risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure, and a higher energy level are other benefits because of your increased fitness and improved nutrition.

For some people, achieving the goals of this healthy diet can reduce or eliminate medications. There are no side unhealthy side effects to eating right, and wouldn't it be nice to avoid costly medications? The effect of a healthy diet is not the same for everyone. For some, it makes a dramatic difference in their health profile. For others, it takes more for cholesterol, triglyceride, or blood sugar levels to normalize. But diet is the cornerstone of treatment for these diseases, you can't ignore it even if you do need medication!

In the treatment of obesity, the smart money is on reducing body weight for health reasons, not just to look good. Of course, it's great to get compliments and feel better about your appearance, these are very valid reasons to lose weight. But what sustains a person in achieving a difficult task (it's not easy to change when everyone around you seems to be eating the wrong foods all the time!) is the positive reward of good health. We all have the potential to live longer now, but let's improve the quality of those years by keeping our bodies in the best working order possible. There are plenty of things in life you simply can't change and must accept. Your diet is not one of them! Eating right, making an effort to make the best eating decisions possible as frequently as you can is one of those things you can control. Your efforts really will make a difference.