4 Important Tips for Choosing a Diet Meal Plan



If youre searching for a diet meal plan that you can live with, follow the four important tips below before heading to the bookstore. A well-written and well-researched book can help you make a lifelong change in your eating habits. And if you choose the right diet plan, you'll enjoy your meals even more than you did before, so you won't even remember that you're "dieting."

Since there are hundreds of diet, weight loss and nutrition books on the shelves at your local bookstore, how do you choose the right one for you?

If you want to make a permanent change in your eating habits, I suggest you make your choice very carefully. This is especially important since many overweight people also have significant health issues that need to be taken into account before making any drastic dietary changes. For that reason, it just makes good sense to discuss any eating plan with your doctor before beginning your program, and then choose a meal plan that is based on solid science.

1. When choosing a diet book, be sure to pick one that is based on real nutritional research. It wont be quite as easy to read as the latest fad, but you should be making plans for long-term health, not just weight loss.

2. If there is a lot of controversy surrounding the diet book, like there was when the Atkins diet was so popular, you would be better off choosing a different book. It may be emotionally exciting to be part of the in crowd that knows the scientists are all conspiring against you, but you could end up damaging your health. On the other hand, dont dismiss well-researched books, like The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, just because you dont see anyone else reading it.

3. Dont choose a diet book that will make you feel punished or deprived. Who need that? Sooner of later youll rebel, anyway, so go ahead and put it back on the shelf and pick another book that is more enticing. You dont need to eat less food to lose weight you just need to eat the right food with more nutrients and fewer calories. A good book will show you which foods you can include in your diet meal plans, and which ones are best to avoid.

4. Choose a plan that fits your own learning style and personality. Some people like to have a full month of specific menus laid out, along with ingredients and recipes. Other people just want the basics, with enough guidelines so they can build a new healthy diet program for themselves. Some folks cant imagine themselves living without meat, while others are on the verge of becoming a vegetarian, and just need a little nudge from the right author. Just make sure you arent trying to shoehorn yourself into a diet plan just because you think you should.

The best diet books dont actually have much to do with dieting. The same nutritious eating plan that helps you lose weight will also improve your immune system, make you feel more energetic and alive, and may even help you manage some chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. In fact, a diet meal plan that helps overweight people slim down can also help underweight people gain a few pounds. Nutritious food is good for you, all the time. A book that talks only about weight loss will be too narrow in scope for a lifetime of healthy eating.

If you can't stick with a diet meal plan, no matter how hard you try, your food cravings may be getting in the way. Be sure to visit Jonni's website at http://www.HowToThinkThin.com and set the stage for a lifetime of good health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonni_Good


Plagued By Diet Disasters? A Visit To A Registered Dietician Could Help
Studies indicate more than one-third of adults are trying to lose weight, but few have long-term success. Many can't stick to diets and exercise routines and struggle to stay afloat in a sea of popular diets, fitness programs and foods with "healthy" claims.But weight-loss seekers have someone to turn to. [click link for full article]

A Short Walk Helps Smokers Quit
Smokers should do short bouts of exercise to help them resist the temptation to light up, say experts at the University of Exeter. A review, recently published in the international journal 'Addiction', concludes that when smokers abstain from smoking, exercise can help them to manage withdrawal symptoms and resist the urge to smoke. [click link for full article]

Singapore To Cancel Anti-Obesity Program
Singapore plans to end a 15-year-old anti-obesity program in schools after complaints from parents that overweight children, in particular, were being singled out and teased by classmates....

Obesity Surgery Can Lead To Memory Loss, Other Problems
Weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, can lead to a vitamin deficiency that can cause memory loss and confusion, inability to coordinate movement, and other problems, according to a study published in the March 13, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The syndrome, called Wernicke encephalopathy, affects the brain and nervous system when the body doesn't get enough vitamin B1, or thiamine. [click link for full article]

Is Subway Better Than McDonald's?
Subway have taken aim at McDonald's with their new "Fresh Fit" meals. The combo meals are compared side-by-side against a Big Mac meal. Subway's meal comes out at 265 calories, while the Big Mac meal hits a gluttonous 1230 calories. But there's more to it than that......

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie: Fat Camp Counselors?
We truly live in the age of the airhead. The next season of 'reality' show The Simple Life will have Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie as camp counselors. "The girls[...] will be guiding the children through a week of weight loss and fitness exercises." (src)...

Rochester Study Connects Common Chemicals To Rising Obesity Rates
Exposure to phthalates, a common chemical found in everything from plastics to soaps, already has been connected to reproductive problems and now, for the first time, is linked to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult males, according to a study by the University of Rochester Medical Center. [click link for full article]