2007 Diet Trends Identified

Shedding excess pounds is a top priority for many Americans as the media continues to proclaim the dangers of obesity. A recent Calorie Control Council survey found that the highest number of Americans in the past 15 years, 71 million, or 33% of the population, are currently on a diet.

The CDCs National Center for Health Statistics claims that 30% of U.S. adults 20 years of age and olderover 60 million peopleare obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher. This can lead to a host of health problems, from heart disease to diabetes. The U.S. government has made the reduction of obesity among adults to less than 15% as one of its national health objectives for 2010.

To achieve this, Consumers must be aware of the calories they are consuming and the calories they are expending, says Robin Steagall, R.D., nutrition communications manager of the Council. By choosing lower-calorie foods and beverages and incorporating exercise into the daily lifestyle, weight loss and improved health can be maintained for life.

Because the diet is critical to losing weight and keeping it off, the Calorie Control Council is predicting the following top 5 dieting trends in 2007:

1) Restaurants will serve more low-calorie and reduced-fat foods. A recent FDA report encouraged restaurants to sell lower-calorie foods and increase customers calorie awareness. This will lead to an increase in lower-calorie and reduced-fat options for patrons trying to manage their weight.

2) Consumers will create personalized 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.

3) 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.

4) Functional light foods will gain popularity. Low-calorie options that also provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition will increase. For example, foods and beverages that combine fewer calories with eliciting a low glycemic response provides beneficial to everyone, not necessarily just people with diabetes.

5) Healthy living will become a family matter. Families will take major steps to slow the growing rate of childhood obesity. Many will make proper nutrition and exercise a priority for the entire family.

Overall, the Council calls 2007 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.