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Summary
If you are overweight or obese, losing weight can improve your health. It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers. A healthy diet is an important part of a weight-loss program. It
- May include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
- May include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts
- Goes easy on saturated fats, trans fat, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars
The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat and drink. A diet can help you to do this through portion control. There are many different types of diets. Some, like the Mediterranean diet, describe a traditional way of eating from a specific region. Others, like the DASH diet, were designed for people who have certain health problems. But they may also help you to lose weight. There are also fad or crash diets that severely restrict calories or the types of food you are allowed to eat. They may sound promising, but they rarely lead to permanent weight loss. They also may not provide all of the nutrients your body needs.
In addition to a diet, adding exercise into your daily life can help you to lose weight.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Latest News
- More Signs Mediterranean Diet May Boost Your Brain (01/04/2017, HealthDay)
- Plant-Based Diets Score Big for Healthy Weight Loss (01/04/2017, HealthDay)
- Americans' Cholesterol Levels Keep Falling (11/30/2016, HealthDay)
Related Issues
- Dieting and Gallstones (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Enjoy Your Food, but Eat Less: 10 Tips to Enjoying Your Meal (Department of Agriculture) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Glycemic Index Diet: What's Behind the Claims (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Just Enough for You: About Food Portions (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
- Smart Substitutions for Healthy Cooking (American Heart Association)
- Stop the Cravings! (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Weighing the Claims in Diet Ads (Federal Trade Commission) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Atkins Diet: What's Behind the Claims? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- DASH Diet: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Energy Density and Weight Loss: Feel Full on Fewer Calories (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Low-Carb Diet: Could It Help You Lose Weight? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Mediterranean Diet (American Heart Association)
- Myth vs. Fact: The Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Diet (Endocrine Society, Hormone Health Network)
- Very Low-Calorie Diets (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Health Check Tools
- Body Weight Planner (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Portion Distortion! Do You Know How Food Portions Have Changed in 20 Years? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Search Recipes (Department of Agriculture) Also in Spanish
- SuperTracker: My Foods. My Fitness. My Health. (Department of Agriculture)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Diet, Reducing (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Weight Loss (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- Definitions of Health Terms: Nutrition (National Library of Medicine)
- Glossary of Terms Related to Healthy Eating, Obesity, Physical Activity, and Weight Control (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Find an Expert
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Weight-Control Information Network (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Children
- Is Dieting OK for Kids? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Keeping Portions Under Control (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- 5 Ways to Spot a Fad Diet (Nemours Foundation)
- Are Detox Diets Safe? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Deal with Diets (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Fad Diets vs. Healthy Weight Management: A Guide for Teens (Children's Hospital Boston)
- Low-Carb Diet (Children's Hospital Boston) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- 10 ways to cut 500 calories a day (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Calorie count - Alcoholic beverages (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Calorie count - Fast food (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Calorie count - sodas and energy drinks (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Diet for rapid weight loss (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Diet myths and facts (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Diet-boosting Foods (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Diet-busting foods (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Mediterranean Diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish