The Traffic Light Diet

People follow a diet to lose weight and to live their life in a healthy manner. Indeed some might go for great challenges as opting for a plan that is more complicated and requires calculations and strict rules.

However there are some nutritional plans that can be adopted not only by those who want to shed some pounds and also for those who crave for a healthier lifestyle.

The following plan fulfills everybody’s expectation, let’s see the benefits of traffic light diet. The diet designed by Leonard Epstein, PhD, and nutritionists at the University at Buffalo is a comprehensible and easily adopted plan.

Basically the foods and different ingredients are grouped into three categories all having a specific color.

Depending on the calorie content the healthiest ones get into the green group, the amber foods are equally high in calories and nutrients and finally the red ones should be avoided or consumed less.

These are the foods that belong to each category: Green Foods High in nutrients and low in calories these foods, are highly recommended both to lose weight and to improve our health condition. Fruits, vegetables, seafood, white fish as well as low-fat yogurt and milk can be included in this group.

Amber Foods These are rich both in calories and nutrients. The dieters are advised to look at portions when going for this category. The color coded chart will help you in deciding how much is still healthy and beneficial for your weight loss plan. Oily fish, poultry, lean meat, beans, nuts, potatoes, high-fiber cereals and breads as well as seeds, pasta and rice are enlisted here.

Red Foods The list of these foods are almost endless since the ones that are not included in the earlier two groups belong here. These ingredients are rich in calories and contain less nutrients.

The traffic light diet doesn’t promote that you should quit eating these foods, just that it’s better if you reduce their consumption as much as you can.

The trick is to have more meals per day, and place foods from the green category on your plate as veggies, fruits and fish for example.

Then add a smaller amounts of amber foods as eggs, yogurt or cheese, and finally more less of the red ones as butter, red meat or whole milk.

The traffic light diet’s point is to reduce the calorie intake still have all the nutrients the meal offers us. The careful planning of the meals will help you in controlling the calorie intake. Indeed there’s need for motivation and perseverance to maintain a healthy nutritional routine.

As one of the easiest nutritional plans is followed by more and more people. It can be practiced both by busy as well as younger persons.

There are no dangerous side effects or cravings in fact it is rather a lifestyle than a simple eating plan. The only condition to have success is self control because the portions are not restricted.