Health

Losing weight has become an immediate priority for Americans, especially given the intense media spotlight on the issue of obesity. A topical survey conducted by the Calorie Control Center noted that more than 70 million people, or one-third of the entire population of the United States, is engaged in some form of dieting.

The Centers for Disease Control contends that something like 30% of adults 20 years of age and older, about 60 million people, are obese. This can result in the development of a wide range of medical issues, including heart disease and diabetes. The government has publicly declared that the lowering of adult-onset obesity has become one of its primary objectives over the next four years.

Securing this result involves making consumers aware “of the calories they are consuming and the calories they are expending,” declares Robin Steagall, R.D., nutrition communications manager of the Calorie Council. Adopting a regime that includes lower-calorie foods and beverages and incorporating exercise into the daily lifestyle, suggests that weight loss and improved health can be maintained for life.

The edict is to lose weight and keep it off. The Calorie Control Council is predicting the following top five dieting trends in 2007:

Earning high popularity points with consumers will be light functional foods. These include low-calorie options that also provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition -- foods that bring together fewer calories and a low glycemic response.

Restaurants will provide entire menu offerings that will include more low-calorie and reduced-fat foods. This follows an FDA report encouraging restaurants to offer lower-calorie foods and state requirements (starting with New York) to eliminate trans-fat from restaurant kitchens.

Families will collectively accept responsibility for healthy living. By understanding the link between what they eat and how they live, families will take major steps to ease the accelerating growth rate of childhood obesity.

Consumers will accept individualized eating plans. Americans are discovering it is not practical to eliminate an entire food group or endure a liquid diet for long periods. People will begin to ignore fad diets and focus on sensible nutrition and controlling calories with customized meal plans, often found through dieting websites.

Exercise will become part of the “everyday.” Busy Americans find that fitting exercise into a demanding schedule can be difficult. However, many will make small changes to incorporate fitness into their daily lifestyle and burn extra calories, such as taking the stairs and parking far away in parking lots.

In general terms, the Calorie Control Council considers that this will be a year of positive change for weight loss and weight maintenance. “By focusing on calories in and calories out and not being misled by the latest weight loss fad and instead adopting healthy long-term habits, the New Year can be happy and healthy,” says Steagall.