Fad Free Nutrition Tips

“Cures” for being overweight are everywhere. Bookstore shelves and supermarket checkout lanes display the latest diets. TV advertisements hawk fat-burning pills and other quick-and-easy weight-loss gimmicks. The Internet runs rampant with unproven “miracle” remedies.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has a different message, and it’s a good one for these media-saturated times: Be 100% Fad Free. You don’t need fad diets to lose weight, the ADA says. Simply eating less will do the job. The trick is to make it a habit for life rather than a short-term trend.

That’s a message worth sharing with your employees, and here’s how:

Direct employees to the USDA site where consumers can tailor a healthy eating plan for their individual lifestyles and goals. The ADA points out that developing a lifelong eating plan, not one fueled by fads, is key to good nutrition and weight control.

Be nutritionally diverse. You don’t need to eradicate candy, cupcakes and other fats and sweets from your vending machines or grab bowls. Just be sure they’re balanced with healthier choices, such as pretzels or dried fruit — even part-skim mozzarella sticks in the company refrigerator. When eaten in appropriate portions, all foods can fit into a healthy diet.

Help employees balance food and physical activity. Offering a company discount on health club memberships, promoting local volleyball and basketball leagues, and starting a lunchtime walking club can help employees stay physically active — an essential element of weight control.

Offer nutritional counseling. Consider partnering with registered dietitians (RDs) through your local hospital. They can advise employees on how to adopt solid, time-tested strategies for eating well that fit right in with their lifestyles.

Seeing the big picture rather than jumping from fad to fad is the key to long-term weight control — and long-term health. Help employees focus on overall health, and good nutrition can come naturally.