The DASH Diet & Weight Watchers Are the Real Deal in Diet Plans
We've all tried a lot of diets in our own personal battles of the bulge, and U.S. News & World Report now says the DASH Diet ranks as the best overall diet for 2012. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is relatively easy to follow, nutritious, safe, and effective for weight loss and against diabetes and heart disease. It's great for controlling diabetes and for bettering your heart health. The Mediterranean Diet ranked #4, while Weight Watchers ranked #5 for this category. The Jenny Craig Diet and Biggest Loser Diet also made the list.
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Judy Weitzman, also known as "Diet Coach Judy" and author of How to Eat When Life Gets in the Way, says not overeating and following certain base guidelines in any diet is a surefire way to lose weight.
"The DASH diet ranks best overall in U.S. News' Best Diets 2012 with Weight Watchers coming in second. Both eating plans are well-balanced and healthy diets to follow. The DASH diet is focused on lowering hypertension and by lowering the caloric intake you can also lose weight," Judy says. "The winning diets of 2012 are all based on eating more fruits and vegetables, high fiber and lower salt and sugar. So what else is new? It is a wonderful way to eat and I highly recommend it. They have done a nice job of packaging healthy eating. We could all cut back on the fat, sugar and salt in our menus. Dr David Kessler talks about it throughout his book, The End of Overeating. Eating small portions of lean protein, using non-fat dairy products and high fiber grains will definitely lower anyone's blood pressure."
Related:Tips to Keep Your 2012 Fitness Resolutions
Judy also suggests cutting your calories by 500 a day to see quick results, drink more water, and to watch your sugar and salt intake.
"If you want to lose weight, the DASH diet is a very well-balanced menu plan. In order to lose weight, you have to eat less. A pound equals 3,500 calories. If you want to lose weight, you should decrease your daily intake by 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week," she said. "Eating fresh foods versus processed foods helps enormously when it comes to lowering your salt and sugar intake. By increasing your fiber and eating lean protein, you will feel full after eating. Another important aspect of any meal plan is to drink lots of water. It is good for you and helps you to feel full. Often, people think they are hungry when they are thirsty. By hydrating, the feeling of hunger will lessen."
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