A Preview on Diet Plans

Obesity, coronary disease, diabetes, and diet plans are hot discussions today. In a fast paced society, it is harder to maintain a healthy diet. Because of lack of time, it is more convenient to have meals delivered. This is where fast foods earn their bucks. But then because of the repercussions of fast foods (did you see the documentary “Supersize Me?”), more and more people are becoming health-conscious and are now constantly looking into the best diet plans that are ideal and perfect for them.

Because of the demand of a healthy lifestyle, there are meal delivery services thatcater to people who wish to eat right. Diet plans for women and diet plans for men adhere to specific food recommendations that cater to their basic nutritional needs. Meal delivery services provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the recommended amounts of calories, nutrients, proteins, and carbs indicated in their ideal diet plans.
Dieting has become a prevalent way to reduce weight all over the world. Dieting involves reducing fats and calories in one’s food consumption. People who restrict themselves to food containing carbohydrates and protein may feel a general sense of weakness but they compensate for it by changing their eating habits and eating more of the recommended food that their specific diet plans allow.

Here are some examples of low fat diet plans that a number of dieticians follow to a T.

1. 21-Day Diet Plan

Montel Williams, Emmy Award-winning talk show host, is the author of this plan. He explored numerous dietary methods and reached a conclusion that good health begins when junk food and processed foods are altogether eliminated from one’s diet.

The foundation of the 21-day diet plan is to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Start every morning with a green drink and then rotate it with different ingredients such as mangoes, beets, lettuce, spinach, peaches and oranges. This particular low fat diet plan complements a Mediterranean style diet that most commonly includes whole grains, nuts and seeds and olive oil. Dieters who follow the 21-day diet plan are also expected to eat more fish than red meat.

2. Atkins Diet

Dr. Robert Atkins wrote about this diet plan in the 1970s. Over the years, it has become one of the best diet plans available for the health-conscious out there. In fact, Time Magazine has even declared it as ‘the most popular diet program.’

However, because of the negative reviews it received in 2004, the program has revamped their plan for 2010. It is a healthier way of eating and is called The New Atkins for a New You.

The New Atkins differs from the original one:

• It emphasizes more on whole some foods.
• It stresses the importance of healthy fats.
• It is more focused on nutrition from lean protein, whole grains, fruits and fresh vegetables.
• It is more appealing to people with busy lifestyles.
• It encourages portion eating and Calorie control.
• It pays more attention to the diabetics and vegetarians.
• It also emphasizes the importance of exercise and an active lifestyle.

Atkins has been quite successful for a number of dieters and turned in excellent results that are significant to health improvement and weight loss. It might be demanding at first since followers are required to undergo significant behavior modifications when one is just starting out with this diet plan. However this is true, all the hard work and sacrifice throughout the diet plan will eventually pay off once an individual starts shedding unnecessary pounds.

3. Carb Lovers Diet

Created by Frances Largeman-Roth and Ellen Kuth, the Carb Lovers diet disproves the myth that carbohydrates are the dieters’ enemy when the primary goal is to shed those excess pounds. In fact, certain high carbohydrate foods are the secret to boosting one’s metabolism because of resistant starch. Eating these can act as appetite suppressant and also produces an increase in an individual’s fat burning rate. There is a reduction of abdominal fat while at the same time increasing the body’s lean muscle mass. In essence, the Carb Lovers Diet aims to suppress the dieters appetite by simply consuming recommended amounts of carbs on a daily basis for a period of time.
Calorie intake is limited to 1200 per day. The dieter consumes four small meals. This diet plan eliminates the feeling of bloating and lets the person shed six pounds in just a week.

It has five rules.

1. Eat one resistant starch food every meal.
2. 25 percent of the calories for every meal must possess resistant starch properties. The rest must be comprised of healthy fats, lean protein, fruits and vegetables.
3. Pay particular attention to portion sizes.
4. Avoid deprivation especially when it is your favorite food. Just moderate your intake.
5. Stock up your customized power pantry with starch-resistant foods.

Dieters must choosehealthy diet plans that balance their carb intake nonetheless. It is always a smart move to consult with a dietician before opting for a specific low fat diet plan. In this way, the dieter and the dietician can check whether this is a good plan or not. Often dieters suffer from mood swings, lack of energy, and hunger pangs simply because their body is not used to this drastic change in eating habit and lifestyle.
Along with dieting is exercise. It is not enough to just change one’s food regimen. To complement the weight loss changes, better yet to make the shedding of pounds go faster, the dieter is advised to participate in an active exercise regimen. However, he or she must be advised with the right exercise. Specific diet plans only become effective when coupled with an exercise program that increases the rate of weight loss and metabolism

Just remember that when one diets, one must not forget to take in the recommended amount of essential nutrients. It is not good to restrict one’s self of all important vitamins and minerals. The enemy is excess calories. By eliminating excess calories, one can achieve the ideal weight that he has in mind.

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