Strength is a matter of the made-up mind.
According to last week's release of the United States Department of Agriculture's review on popular diets, traditional programs, such as Weight Watchers, have the best scientific evidence to back up their success rates and health claims. They are the most nutritionally adequate and show some of the best improvements in blood levels of the most dangerous cholesterol and blood fats and in blood-sugar control, the study found. These programs recommend consuming no more than 30 percent of calories as fat, limiting protein to about 20 percent of the diet and consuming more fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates to help satisfy hunger with fewer calories. The study, which was the first comprehensive scientific review of diets by the Department of Agriculture, found that any diet that limits food to about 1,500 calories per day produces short-term weight loss. The study report also said that addressing psychological issues through dietary counseling and group support is more important to achieving long-term weight loss than the nutrient composition of the diet.