Heart Association Diet Book Offers Recipe for Success

After being fed a steady diet of faddish and rigid weight-loss plans, Americans

may now have a recipe for permanent success, courtesy of the American Heart

Association.

“No-Fad Diet: A Personal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss” is the association’s

first diet book, offering up old-fashioned common sense that is described in the

book as “think smart, eat well and move more.”

The book recommends a three-pronged approach to lasting weight loss:

• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein and

  moderate in healthy fats;

• Become more physically active;
• Minimize temptations.

The book’s release this month comes as the obesity epidemic threatens the

health of a growing number of Americans. Nearly two-thirds of adults are

overweight or obese, putting them at risk for a variety of ills, including

diabetes, certain cancers, and, of course, heart disease, according to the

federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The pendulum is swinging back toward a more reasonable approach to weight

reduction,” said Dr. Robert Eckel, president-elect of the American Heart

Association and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado

School of Medicine. “There is nothing fancy here [in the book]. It’s good, sound

science applied to an everyday approach.”

The book is based on medical research into diet, exercise and behavior with

the common denominator being that no single weight-loss plan works for everyone.

Indeed, there is a menu of three options for cutting back on calories and three

for increasing physical activity.

For example, the “switch and swap approach” recommends making lower-calorie

substitutions. If you usually start your day with a cinnamon roll, try a

cinnamon-raisin English muffin with 2 teaspoons of light tub margarine instead.

For those whose dietary downfall is the quantity of food they consume, the

book outlines “the 75% solution,” in which people eat only three-quarters of the

amount they normally eat. Leaving 25 percent on the plate will help dieters trim

calories from their daily food intake.

And for those who are most comfortable following meal plans, the book has

nearly 200 recipes to try with 1,200-, 1,600- and 2,000-calorie heart-healthy

menus.

There are also different suggestions for fitting more physical activity into

the day. Are you someone who spends the majority of the day at a desk? Opt for

the stairs over the elevator and park your car as far as possible from your

office. Or are you energized when you work out with other people? Then,

scheduling exercise classes or team sports may be best for you.

The book also has quizzes to help dieters decide which weight-loss and

activity approach is best for them, and sample forms and questionnaires to help

them gauge their commitment to weight loss, set realistic goals and monitor what

they eat.

To this end, the book recommends keeping food and activity diaries. According

to the National Weight Control Registry, one study found that such diaries

proved valuable to people who lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off

for one year or more. This is important because the majority of people who lose

weight will gain it back over time because they can’t stick to a rigid plan.

For this reason, the AHA’s approach is more like a gradual lifestyle change

than a traditional diet, Eckel said.

“There is more to a diet than losing weight. It’s about lifestyle changes

that emphasize physical activity and behavioral changes that are necessary to

accomplish your goals,” he said.

To be sure, the approach is not new. Dietitians have long advocated a diet

rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein and low in fat and

refined sugar. Why then, do the majority of Americans remain overweight?

“A person’s response to food is more complicated than just following a plan,

even for only 25 percent of the time as this diet plan suggests,” said Sharron

Dalton, associate professor in the department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and

Public Health at New York University.

“When our body is overfed and loses its ability to sense fullness and our

mind is stuck with the notion of good/bad food, even the most customized plan

may be more work than pleasure.”

More information

To learn more about the book, visit the American Heart

Association.

SOURCES: Robert Eckel, M.D., president-elect, American Heart

Association, and assistant professor of medicine, University of Colorado School

of Medicine; Sharron Dalton, Ph.D., associate professor, department of

nutrition, food studies and public health, New York University, New York City

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