Free Nutritional Diets

Although many would have you believe quality nutritional advice costs money, there are a number of free weight-loss plans that are as high-caliber as any. The main problem with searching out dieting information on the Internet is that it can be hard to tell the difference between fad diets and plans that get results without compromising the long-term health of your body. When in doubt, stick to a plan from a trusted medical source such as the Mayo Clinic or Medline Plus.

Nutritional Diets

• There are no real secrets to sustainable weight loss---most professional dieting advice overlaps substantially, making it important to find and implement the information upon which the experts agree, as opposed to focusing upon the points upon which they diverge. For example, both Medline Plus and the Mayo Clinic recommend a heart-healthy diet, consisting of ample amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, moderate amounts of dairy and lean protein, and limited amounts of fat---taking particular care to limit consumption of saturated and trans fats. Generally speaking, consume no more than 30 percent of your daily calories from fat, keeping in mind that a gram of fat contains twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrates. Check the nutritional label on a product to find out how many calories in that particular food are from fat, carbs and protein. Healthy sources of fat are those found in nature, such as nuts, seeds, oils, and fat-containing fruit such as avocados and coconuts. For carbohydrates, limit yourself to fresh, natural foods---raw and cooked fruits and vegetables, along with whole-grain items. Look on the package for the label 100 percent whole grains---if this label is not present it is likely that a fair portion of the ingredients are from undesirable carbs like added sugar and refined flours. Regarding protein, stick to lean protein sources such as seafood (which is also rich in heart-healthy fats), poultry and low-fat cuts of red meat.

Macronutrient Balancing

• Balance the content of each meal to ensure that you do not inadvertently overconsume any one macronutrient (fat, carbohydrate and protein) and neglect the others. Consume a fruit and vegetable with every meal, a whole grain (oats, wheat, brown rice, etc.), a modest serving of lean protein, and a small helping of healthy, unsaturated fats. Remember that unsaturated fat content in the meal can easily come from the use of healthy cooking oils such as peanut, sesame and olive, so do not think that you need go out of your way to include healthy fat in your diet. Doing this consistently while minimizing your consumption of "off-diet" items is the key to achieving sustainable health without shelling out money on expensive diet books and plans.