Dieting? Fill the nutritional gaps

If you have a few pounds to lose, chances are you’ll choose a diet that lets you eat more of the foods you love no matter what the experts say. If you pine for pasta you’ll pick Pritikin or the Zone, but if you crave a juicy ribeye you’ll opt for Atkins. The diet that works for you is the one you’ll stay on-whether its popularity is peaking or passing.

Scientists argue over which diet is best, or whether diets work at all long term, but most agree that to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat. If you cut calories by eliminating entire food groups, though, you could miss out on the important nutrients those foods provide. To find the potential gaps, look closely at the foods you’re eating and the foods you’re not eating.

LOW-FAT DIETS

As the name suggests, low fat diets reduce fat grams to a minimum. Exactly how low you go depends on the particular plan. Popular low-fat plans include Ornish (Eat More, Weigh Less: Dr. Dean Ornish’s Life Choice Program for Losing Weight Safely While Eating Abundantly by Dean Ornish, MD, and Pritikin (the latest book: The Pritikin Principle: The Calorie Density Solution by Robert Pritikin, son of founder Nathan Pritikin).

While most Americans consume around 40 percent of their total calories in the form of fat, the Ornish program limits fat consumption to 10 percent of total caloric intake. You’re allowed unlimited fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and small amounts of skinless chicken breast or low-fat fish. Pritikin is more lenient where good fats (monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids) are concerned and allows more lean meats and fish. The newest version focuses on calorie-dense foods like oatmeal, apples, and broccoli.

What’s to like

“The great thing about these diets is that you get lots of fiber and phytonutrients and all kinds of vitamins and minerals because of all the vegetables and whole grains-if you don’t mind spending lots of time at home chopping and cooking vegetables,” says Carol Porter, PhD, RD, FADA, director of nutrition and food services at the University of California, San Francisco.

What’s missing

The nutrients you’ll miss depend on the plan you follow and your personal food choices. “If you get the fat too low, you won’t get all the essential fatty acids and you may also not get some of the fat-soluble vitamins,” says Porter. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K. Porter cites a 2003 study reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in which researchers found women on a 15-percent-fat diet most needed to supplement vitamin E and essential fatty acids (EFAs).

“If you severely limit meat Ornish-style, you may miss out on vitamin B-12, zinc, and iron,” says Angie Makris, PhD, RD, a weight and eating disorders expert at the University of Pennsylvania. “Even though Pritikin allows more meat and fish, it all depends on how much you incorporate into your own diet,” says Makris.

Zap the gaps

• “Get the most out of the fat you are allowed by choosing foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like almonds, fatty fish, walnuts, and olive oil because they reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, depression, and other diseases” says Jane Kirby, RD, owner of The Vermont Cooking School and Farm and author of Dieting for Dummies, second edition (For Dummies, 2003).
• “Take flax seed oil along with a supplement that includes fat-soluble vitamins-particularly one that supplies 100 percent of the daily value of vitamin E,” adds Porter.
• Nutrient-rich snacks: “Top low-fat cottage cheese (vitamin B-12) with chilled mango chunks (vitamin A). Or sprinkle a fortified whole grain cereal like raisin bran (iron, vitamin B-12, zinc) with wheat germ (vitamin E), chase it with a glass of orange juice (vitamin C, and to absorb iron from the whole grains), and top with milk (calcium, vitamin D),” says Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN, a nutrition professor at Boston University.

LOW-CARB DIETS

A low-carb diet limits carbohydrate intake to 100 grams or less per day. Popular plans include Atkins-Dr. Atkin’s New Diet Revolution, Revised by Robert C. Atkins-and South Beach-The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss and The South Beach Diet Good Fats, Good Carbs Guide: The Complete and Easy Reference for All Your Favorite Foods by Arthur S. Agatston.

Atkins allows unlimited fats and proteins, including saturated fats from bacon, cheeseburgers, and steak. During the early phase Atkins limits carbohydrates to 20 grams per day, which is the equivalent of a few cups of salad. Even the 40 to 60 grams of carbs recommended during the maintenance phase is low, according to the US Dietary Guidelines. Studies show you can lose weight on Atkins over the short term and even improve blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides), but the high saturated fat content and low amounts of fruits, vegetables, and fiber can leave gaping nutritional holes in the diet.

South Beach takes a more moderate approach by encouraging lean meats and monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids over saturated fats. “The South Beach diet doesn’t ban all fat; rather, it recommends moderate amounts of healthy ones,” says Kirby. But like Atkins, the early phase severely limits carbs. Later phases add low glycemic (GI) carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains-foods that release sugar into the blood gradually-and eventually a few higher-GI carbs as treats.

What’s to like

“The thing about South Beach and Atkins, and all of these popular diets, whether they are wacky or not, is that it makes people stop and look at what they’re eating,” says Kirby. In a fast-paced world, that’s an important contribution. When you eat in your car, swipe a few M&M’s off of a colleague’s desk, or take a bite out of your kid’s sandwich when you’re cleaning up the dishes, it’s too easy to ignore what and how much you’re eating, explains Kirby.

What’s missing

“Leaving out whole grains can make it difficult to get enough fiber, magnesium, thiamin (B-1), niacin, and folic acid. Skipping dairy can deprive you of popular sources of calcium, vitamin D, and riboflavin. Limiting fruits and vegetables leaves out vitamins A and C, potassium, and folate (the plant form of folic acid). Fruits, vegetables, and whole grain cereals also contain a number of phytochemicals that may be protective against chronic diseases, and not all of these substances have been identified,” says Porter, who finds the Atkins diet the most prone to micronutrient deficiencies-particularly folate, which you get from fruits and many vegetables.

Zap the gaps

• “The biggest concern is getting enough fiber, so use the carbs you’re allowed to get some whole grains which have more fiber than fruits or vegetables: or take a good fiber supplement; and make sure you take it with lots of water to maximize its effectiveness. Of the two kinds of fiber, you especially want the gritty kind (insoluble) predominant in whole grains. You need the soluble fiber-the gooey stuff around oatmeal and plentiful in fruits in vegetables-to lower your risk of heart disease. Then you need the bulky kind (roughage) to keep your digestive tract healthy,” says Kirby.
• “Try some firm tofu, dark green leafy vegetables, or fortified soy milk for calcium, or take a daily supplement to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis, particularly if you’re a middle-aged woman; and unless you’re getting vitamin D from the sun or another source of food, the calcium supplement should contain vitamin D,” says Porter. Porter also suggests vitamin C supplements if your diet excludes citrus fruits, strawberries, cantaloupe, and potatoes.
• Nutrient-rich snacks: “Top light yogurt (calcium, potassium) with raw bran (fiber, thiamin, magnesium). Or munch on broccoli (vitamin A via beta carotene) dipped in salad dressing (vitamin E),” says Blake. Editor’s note: To keep it healthy, choose salad dressing made with whole, unfiltered, unprocessed vegetable oil.

VEGETARIAN

A vegetarian diet is a long-term eating plan rather than a weight loss diet, but you can reduce overall calories to lose weight. Vegetarian diets include lacto ovo (no meat, fish, or poultry); lacto (no eggs, meat, fish, or poultry); and vegan (no animal products or byproducts, including honey, dairy, eggs, meat, fish, or poultry). “A well-planned vegetarian diet includes nutrient-dense foods and is a healthy alternative to the traditional American diet,” says Porter.

Problems arise when vegetarians make unhealthy choices. “Often people think if they go vegetarian they can eat all the cheese in the world. That’s not true. You can’t have fried eggplant parmesan-where the eggplant pieces act like little oil sponges-and then pile cheese on top; you’d be better off with a hamburger, calorie- and fat-wise,” says Kirby.

What’s to like

“If you make good protein choices as a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and you don’t live on pizza, you’ll get everything you need; but vegans need to plan carefully,” says Tara Gidus, MS, RD, LD/N, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. The more types of foods you eliminate, the more potential deficiencies you face.

What’s missing

“A vegan diet could be low in calcium . . . and also B-12, iron, and zinc which you would normally get from meat,” says Makris, adding that unless you’re eating lots of beans you’ll also need to supplement protein.

Zap the gaps

• “To get plenty of protein, eat beans, nuts, seeds, and veggie burgers; and soy actually has all of the essential amino acids that you need. Vitamin B-12 is only in animal products, so you either have to take a supplement or eat foods that are fortified with B-12,” says Gidus.
• “Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement that contains 100 percent of the daily value of most nutrients; and if you’re not getting milk, calcium-fortified drinks, or lots of beans, broccoli, leafy greens, and tofu, take a separate calcium supplement,” says Porter.
• Nutrient-rich snacks: Try a soy burger (fortified with B-12) on a whole-wheat roll (zinc). Or toss a pasta salad, (enriched with iron and B vitamins), with tofu (calcium) broccoli (calcium), a bit of parmesan cheese (calcium), and some olive oil to hold it all together,” says Blake.

BALANCED PROTEIN/CARBS/FATS

The new Food Guide Pyramid (www.mypyramid.gov) offers excellent diet advice for balancing calories and nutrients from all food groups. It encourages adequate protein and fiber along with good carbs and good fats, but experts say it can be difficult to follow at first. Experts also recommend Weight Watchers (www.weightwatchers.com) as a balanced long-term plan with flexibility, but Porter warns that their point system leaves room for poor food choices.

If you’re looking for a no-brainer you can also get a fairly good balance of proteins, carbs, and fats from meal replacement diets like Slim-Fast (www.slim-fast.com), and from pre-packaged meal diets like Jenny Craig (www.jennycraig.com) and The Zone (The Zone: Revolutionary Life Plan to Put Your Body in Total Balance for Permanent Weight Loss by Barry Sears). The Zone offers premade meals that are a little high in protein compared to the others. It calls for a ratio of 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat and encourages eating good carbs and good fats. Meal replacements based on diet shakes and bars are a popular option, but they’re not all the same. “Some of these products replace the flavorings and the fat with a lot more salt, so they aren’t always the healthiest choice,” says Porter.

What’s to like

An eating plan based on the Food Guide Pyramid will not only supply all the nutrients you need, it will also supply all the naturally occurring phytonutrients, including those we don’t even know about yet. “We think they protect against diseases, even though we’re not sure what it is in these foods that are protective,” says Porter. “The Weight Watchers people are also very good at encouraging a moderate diet and supporting lifestyle changes,” says Porter. If you hate to cook, studies show you can lose weight with replacement shakes over the short term.

What’s missing

The Food Guide Pyramid and Weight Watchers, followed correctly, should cover all bases. Meal replacement shakes and bars could be low in fiber. “And they guarantee that you’re going on a diet and going off a diet, so you’re one bite away from failure,” warns Kirby.

Diets based on prepackaged meals have the same long-term problems. “The Zone diet offers recipes, but it’s difficult to maintain without buying their products. If you don’t get the proportions right, it’s like any other diet where you might not get all the nutrients you should across the day,” says Makris. Porter agrees, adding: “The biggest problem is that if you don’t change your habits you’ll just bounce back up to where you were before.”

Zap the gaps

• No matter which plan you choose, spend some time on the Food Guide Pyramid website to help you plan balanced, nutrient-dense meals.
• If you opt for meal replacement shakes and bars for short-term weight loss, read the labels to find out what nutrients they actually contain and replace what’s missing with real food.

Diet fads come and go, many with little scientific evidence to support them. “Any diet that says one food is the secret because it burns more calories than it contains, or it has an enzyme in it that burns other foods, simply isn’t true because if it were, none of us would ever have to go on a diet again-somebody would have identified it, put it in a pill, and become one of the millionaires we read about it in People magazine,” says Kirby. Rather than focusing on quick weight loss, set reasonable goals and take your time. That way eating well and getting all the nutrients you need will become a natural part of your life.

QUICK PICKS

Eating plan	What gets cut	What to add
Low Fat	Oil and good fats, meat, poultry, and fish	Vitamins A, D, E, and K, essential fatty acids (EFAs), B-12, zinc, and iron (if low on meat, poultry, and fish)
Low Carb	Fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy	Vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, thiamin (B-1), niacin (B-3), folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium (if low on dairy and vegetables), and fiber
Vegetarian	Meat, poultry, fishdairy, and eggs	Vitamin B-12, calcium, iron, and zinc; protein

EAT WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY

Do you recognize your body’s natural hunger signals or do you wait until you’re drop-dead ravenous? That can lead to overeating, explains Kirby in Dieting For Dummies, second edition. Kirby offers the following signals that it’s time to eat:

• Mild stomach gurgling
• Stomach talking
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Light headedness
• Headache
• Feeling faint

To get back in touch with your body’s natural hunger signals:

• Eat slowly.
• Don’t wait until you’re famished.
• Pay attention to how you feel and eat mindfully.
• Buy only single servings of foods you crave, or you may find it difficult to stop eating even when you’re full.

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