USA Diet Plans

Diet Comparisons
By John Erickson

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Every major diet institution across America has conflicting viewpoints in regards to what they consider a healthy meal. As a result of having so many different ways, or “styles” of eating, society has become "thoroughly confused about food."

“Methods are many, principles are few, methods often change, principles never do.”

Atkin's Diet
On a graph Atkin’s diet recipes are clearly dominated by protein and fat, and carbohydrates are virtually non-existent. For example, their Steak Au Poivre has 798 calories per serving and only 7 grams of carbohydrate.

"A extreme low carb dieter who brags they lost 7 pounds in 2 days loses 5-6 pounds of lean muscle, water and minerals and 1-2 pounds is fat. As muscle shrinks in mass, they also perform less metabolic work. This causes extreme low carb dieters to eventually hit a "metabolic hole."

I do not agree with Atkins for the following reasons:
Your carbohydrates are severely restricted. You start out by eating 20 grams of carbohydrate per day. This is equal to one apple per day!
You will enter the state of ketosis, a metabolic state in which your own muscle protein is broken down.
You will have bad breath. Ketosis will give your breath a fruity odor.
When people say they feel good on the Atkin's diet, it's a fake high. Your hunger will be masked by the stress hormone adrenaline and cortisol, substances that cause muscle loss.
The effects of low carb diets mimick the starvation state of the body.
The weight loss is deceiving: Most of the weight you lose while following an extreme low carbohydrate diet is from water loss.

food guide pyramid

The carbohydrate recommendations of the food guide pyramid are set at 55%-60% and the worst types of carbohydrates are at the base of the pyramid. A combination of the wrong amounts and types of carbohydrates drives insulin levels through the roof. High levels of circulating insulin has been attributed to all chronic illnesses including but not limited to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune disease, attention deficit disorder, depression, menopause, andropause and aging in general.

I do not agree with the Food Pyramid for the following reasons:
The Food Guide Pyramid is promoted by the same committee responsible for feeding all the children of America trans fats in high school, donuts, cookies, fruit drinks, fried chicken patties, french fries, tator tots, and ice cream sandwiches. By default everyone who claims to be a Registered Dietician must also claim responsibility for the food served in public schools, hospitals and nursing homes because the same organization that gives a Dietician a degree is the same organization that feeds children in school, the sick in the hospital and the elderly in nursing homes.
The nutritional beliefs of the Food Guide Pyramid are from a one-party system in America. 99% of all Registered Dieticians, Doctors, nutritionists and personal trainers across America are brainwashed by the Food Guide Pyramid simply because they are afraid to come out of the closet. For them it's easier to go with the mainstream.
The food guide pyramid is exploited on the back of junk food cereal boxes which is responsible for training children how to think about food.
Their philosophy is based on the calories in/calories out theory which puts blind faith in food restriction and the fear of fat.
The theory and practice of the food guide pyramid that operates in hospitals is based on 1950’s science of thinking fat causes fat storage, salt causes water retention and high blood pressure, and cholesterol causes heart disease. Advanced nutritional knowledge acknowledges the root of all evils is from another scenario.
Daily calorie levels are extremely overstated because the food pyramid uses BMI formulas. BMI formulas provide females with way too many calories. According to the food guide pyramid the average female should consume 2500 calories. 55-60% carbohydrates at 2500 calories is an insulin-stimulating, pro-aging, fat-storing, disease, etc. In their case the calorie theory does work because at this stage eating more calories would work.

oprah's Diet By Bob Greene's "Best Life Diet"

Anyone following the USA Diet Plans® meal program is eating healthier than the wealthiest celebrity in America! Nutritionally speaking Oprah's influence may not be a good thing. I can find many fundamental flaws in the eating technique used by Bob Greene, Oprah's nutritionist. Oprah blames her lack of weight loss success on her own food cravings and thyroid conditions, both of which can be fixed with the right diet. Low thyroid and food cravings/addictions are caused by applying the wrong diet methodology.

Oprah’s Breakfast
4 oz orange juice
1 cup berries
1 banana
1/2 peach yogurt
Handful almonds

For example, Oprah's breakfast is balanced according to the standards of the Food Guide Pyramid which has mostly carbohydrates.

Oprah’s Morning Snack
Wasa cracker with
Peanut butter and Jam

Here we go again. Insulin, the only known fat storing hormone needs to be stabilized, not thrown into overdrive by eating too many high glycemic carbohydrates. Oprah’s poor pancreas is already overworked and its not even lunchtime yet!

Oprah’s Lunch
3 oz turkey
1 oz cheese
Onions sliced
Olive oil
Avocado slice
tomato, lettuce

It seems Oprah’s trainer has her on the Atkins’ Diet. This meal is missing a viable carbohydrate souce and resembles a low carb fad diet. I haven’t yet been able to figure out the strategy here.

Oprah’s mid-day Snack
6 watermelon balls
Leftover yogurt from breakfast

I am not terribly impressed by Oprah’s daytime snack for the lack of protein and fat. In addition I would still be hungry after eating this meal. Not eating enough snowballs as the day goes on. By night the hunger will lead to uncontrollable binge eating.

Oprah’s Dinner
2 chicken breast
(6 oz)
1 cup wild rice
Olive oil

Finally, we agree on dinner, except I would reduce her portion of rice to ¾ cup. Oprah only eats one balanced meal per day but this may be too little too late. Let's find out, we have one more meal to go.

Oprah’s Evening Snack
Nothing!

Oprah is not allowed to eat past 7 oclock because Bob Greene thinks your body is dead at night. By contrast the brain is working at 80% maximum capacity at night. As a painful result m any people think you can not eat at night due to the celebrity trainers that promote the public’s understanding of nutrition.

As Oprah and Oprah's Diet followers are trying to starve themselves to sleep, people who follow USA Diet Plans are enjoying a balanced meal before they go to bed.

If you take a snapshot of Oprah’s metabolism during the 24 hour cycle, she starts storing fat immediately after breakfast, and her mid-morning snack. Then suddenly Oprah shifts into the muscle and fat burning mode during lunch because her insulin secretion is virtually null during this time. Not enough insulin causes both fat and muscle breakdown. For Oprah’s daytime snack, she is back to eating carbohydrates again and her dinner is closely balanced according to the higher standards of USA Diet Plans®. Without a before bed snack, Oprah’s metabolism may prove to be a bit sluggish while she is sleeping. The human body burns about 55 calories per hour when at rest, and during sleep the brain is working at 80% maximum. You have to add some fuel to the fire at night to keep your metabolism running while you sleep. This way you can burn more fat and less muscle.

Oprah set out to cure Mississippi, the fattest community in America. Oprah and her Bob Greene travelled there to hold huge press conferences about eating healthy. This is a nice gesture however I see a mis-information campaign that can do more harm than good. I spend my days trying to unbrainwash everything people learned from Weight Watchers, Zone, South Beach, Oprah, the Biggest Loser, etc.

When compared to Oprah’s diet, you will find USA Diet Plans considerably more enjoyable, more plentiful and more nutritious. The millions of Americans who follow Oprah’s lead also experience a slowed metabolism, hunger as well as the famous yo-yo diet effect: they initially lose weight, then gain it back.

Quaker "Weight Control" Oatmeal I find nothing "weight control" about Quaker Weight Control oatmeal. I wish I could have a conversation with the Quaker man logo and ask him if he knows maltodextrine an insulin-stimulating glycemic index of 105. If I was the CEO of Quaker Oats I would put the "Weight Control" logo on their Steel Cut oatmeal. Do not let food manufacturers define what is healthy.
Slim Fast Slim Fast shakes control your hunger because they have a favorable protein to carbohydrate to fat ratio, however shame on Slim fast for serving partially hydrogenated (trans) fats. Partially hydrogenated (trans) fats should be totally avoided for heath reasons -unless you would like to lose weight in an unhealthy way.

"Trans fats will stay in your body 51 days after you eat them and lead to chronic illness by decreasing delta 6 desaturase enzyme. With trans fats in mind, Slim Fast is a perfect example of a company that will make you lose weight in an unhealthy way."

South Beach Diet
The philosophy of the South Beach diet has multiple personality disorder. Upon analyzing South Beach Diet recipes, you will find large fluctuations in regard to the amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats as well as the total calorie level of each meal.Some recipes resemble the Atkins diet (virtually zero carbohydrates), some meet the requirements of the Food Guide Pyramid (60% carbohydrates) and there is actually a Zone Diet meal in the South Beach Book (40% carbs). For instance, one phase I meal consists of 183 calories and another one consists of 501 calories. The South Beach diet does contain healthy food...but their meals are not balanced consistantly.

I do not agree with the South Beach for the following reasons:

You will have breads, pastas and cereals restricted for some time. The fad diets of America, like the Zone, Weight Watchers, South Beach and Atkins use fear mongoring to teach people about food.
There is no consistency.Your macronutrient intake (protein, carbohydrates, fats) and calories are extremely varied: sometimes you're eating 183 calories and other times you're eating over 500 calories at one sitting. The protein to carbohydrate to fat levels are also extremely varied.

Some meals resemble the 60% food guide pyramid, other meals are like the zone diet (40%) and other meals resemble the Atkin's Diet (only 7% carbohydrates). The tremendous variations in regard to the amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats contained in each meal will cause hormonal imbalances. This makes the South Beach the most consistently inconsistent diet on the market! Yet, it remains the most popular because it has a trendy name.

Special K Diet
Special K original cereal (not the stawberry flavor) was found to have a low glycemic index, however I do not agree with the philosophy of their shakes or nutrition bars.
Slim Fast shakes have maltodextrine and the protein to carbohydate to fat ratio isn't that great.
The nutrition bars have partially hydrogenated (trans) fats which is blatent ignorance.

People can not wait for the companies to change. Corporate companies have to be seen as one human being, sort of like the bully in high school that really doesn't care about you if he is going to serve you trans fats this day and age. Perhaps they will change. This analysis of Special K was done on 11/3/09. It is hard for me to keep track of all these companies -some change for the better and some for the worst. I used to recommend Slim Fast shakes but now I found they changed the ingredients and now serve trans fats.

Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig is a great talk show host but she has no formal training in nutrition. What's next? The Jerry Springer diet! My friends wife asks me "what do you think about Jenny Craig?" I responded "I know no logo" because I do not know logos, I judge diet products for what they are worth (nothing!). I told her I must see the box to judge Jenny Craig to see what she is actually serving you. She handed me a box of Jenny Craig macaroni and cheese. The first thing I noticed was the meal contained was mostly carbohydrates and low in protein. Furthermore there was trans fats in the meal. Processed foods often contain trans fats because nothing can compare to the trans fats ability to preserve food. Microscopic bugs will not eat trans fats. Perhaps single celled organisms are smarter than the general public. What actually is Jenny Craig? Jenny Craig is someone's name designed into a corporate logo, printed on a cardboard box filled with processed food.

Not every Jenny Craig meal has trans fats and some Jenny Craig meals are somewhat balanced. A client of mine had a few Jenny Craig meals on hand and I was able to make some Jenny Craig meals work. For example, there was a Chicken dish that was a little low in protein and fat. Therefore I had my client add a litte reduced fat cheese to bump up the protein and fat.

I do not agree with Jenny for the following reasons:
The main philosophy involves processed food that comes in a box.
Shame on Jenny Craig for serving partially hydrogenated (trans).
You can get nutritional advice from what they call "Corporate Dieticians who apparently advocate partially hydrogenated (trans) fat if that's what they serve.

Medifast
The Medifast processed food company advertising slogan states “15,000 doctors recommend Medifast.” Perhaps this is why doctors in general have a bad rap these days. The problem is that Medifast is processed food from a box that

contains Trans fats and maltodextrine in their products – in other words 15,000 doctors across America are recommending Trans fats and high glycemic carbohydrates! This is because doctors who recommend Medifast make 30% commission (doctors make $90 commission off a $300 order).

For $300 you get 49 processed shakes, 28 processed nutrition bars, 14 processed oatmeals, 7 processed scrambled eggs, 21 processed soups, 7 processed fruit punch drinks, 7 processed chocolate puddings and 7 processed cappuccinos. It's amazing how large yet nutritionally unless a company could be. For example, lets analyze their scrambled eggs:

INGREDIENTS: eggs, maltodextrine (sugar), polydextrose (sugar), modified corn starch (sugar), corn oil (omega-6 bad fat), titanium dioxide for color (I have no idea what this is), salt, guar gum, xanthan gum, annato spice) chicory root extract (inulin, a plant fiber), calcium carbonate, tetrasodium pyrophophate, dipotassium phosphate, magnesium oxide, ascorbic acid, ferric orthophosphate, dicalcium phosphate, d-l alpha tocopheryl acetate, ciacinamine, zine oxide, manganese sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrocholoride, vitamin A palmitate, riboflavin, thiamion mononitrate, chromium chloride, sodium molybdate, folic acid, biotin, potassium iodide, sodium selenite, vitamin K-1, Vitamin D3, cyanocobalamin.

I wonder why people can't just get a container of egg substitute that just contains one ingedients.

weight watchers
I have major theoretical problems with the Weight Watchers point system as well as the processed food concept. The Weight Watchers point system was developed in a basement by a group of Long Island neighbors in 1963. This is an inspiring story, not a scientific one. The point system is based on 3 variables: fat, fiber and calories. Since fiber has no nutritional value, you are just left with fat and calories. The Weight Watchers point system restricts your calorie intake by allowing you a number of food points during the day. All calorie restricted diets fear fat because fat his high in calories. Any diet that restricts any of the three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate or fat) is a fad diet.
On the point system, you are restricted to a certain amount of food "points" each day.
The main philosophy involves processed food that comes in a box.The human body is made of food -people who eat processed food all day are made of the same ingredients as processed food and they will never improve themselves physically, mentally or spiritually.
Shame on Weight Watchers for serving partially hydrogenated (trans) i.e. the little cakes you guys sell at my local 7-11.
You get nutritional advice from customer service representatives with no formal training in nutrition.
If you use of all of your food points during the day you have to starve yourself to sleep!

Zone Diet
There is no longer such thing as the zone diet due to the fact the word "zone diet" is too generic and could not be trademarked. There exists dozens of "zone" diet companies, many of whom do not serve actual 40/30/30 diet food, and some funded by the By mafia (New York Post April 18, 2007).
The main zone diet menu planning service hires dieticians to help you with the zone diet. This is like hiring a tae kwon do master to teach you jiu jitsu -they are two totally different styles. I was not surprised when I saw the zone diet meal planning website telling people ketchup was a free carbohydrates. A traditional dietician would actually think that.

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