Welcome to my Blog and thanks for stopping by. Today’s Blog is a continuation from a previous one about the Fad diets, what works, what doesn’t, which ones to avoid and which ones are pretty good. So this particular Blog is on Nutrisystem. I’m not here to bash any diets or company or people who are on these particular diets mentioned, I’m just pointing out and maybe suggesting other options for you to keep in mind. I’m making sure people explore all their options before making a decision. Some of these fad diets are expensive, don’t work, or may cause more harm than good.
So with the Nutrisystem, the men’s plan is actually higher than the women’s plan, which I am not sure why. But it states that it’s backed by science and has high protein, low glycemic meals with healthy fats and smart carbs to control hunger. Well, let’s take a look at one of the “Enjoy healthier versions of your favorite foods—even desserts!”- Nutrisystem.com
Here is the ingredients to one of the “healthy” bars they recommend for a snack. This is the Chewy Peanutbutter Bar.
“peanuts, corn syrup, polydextrose, dark chocolate flavored coating (sugar, fractionated palm kernel oil, cocoa [processed with alkali], lactose, palm oil, soy lecithin, and vanilla powder [lactose]), soy protein isolate, milk chocolate flavored coating (sugar, fractionated palm kernel oil, nonfat milk, whole milk, cocoa [processed with alkali], palm oil, soy lecithin, vanilla powder [lactose]), peanut butter (peanuts), fructose, peanut flour, whey protein concentrate, organic brown rice syrup, natural flavor, caramel (fructose, corn syrup solids, cream, water, dextrose, modified food starch, sugar, nonfat dry milk powder, natural flavors, salt, cellulose gel and cellulose gum, dipotassium phosphate), milk protein isolate (contains soy lecithin), peanut oil, soy lecithin,sea salt “
Ok, so when you look at the ingredients of this “healthy” dessert bar everything I have highlighted in yellow is SUGAR! The dark chocolate flavored coating isn’t even real chocolate. The palm oil and the palm kernel oil is very bad for you and the USDA does not recommend it. The nutrition label states that it has 220 calories, 10 g of fat with 3.5 g of saturated fat, 10 g of sugar, 21 g of carbs, 45 mg of sodium. Sorry, I’m not seeing where this is a healthy version of your favorite dessert. I checked out the breakfast items and they were worse. These diets and following this system is setting yourself up for a lot of health issues down the road. These ingredients are full of chemicals, unhealthy fats, and not a good source of protein.
Nutrisystem claims that it is backed by science and according to their website:
Nutrisystem meals and snacks, along with fresh grocery additions, deliver a nutritionally balanced meal plan that provides customers the flexibility to align their diet with the US Healthy Eating Meal Pattern, as recommended by the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Nutrisystem plans align with national guidelines for total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, protein and added sugars.
When I checked the US Healthy Eating Plan Guidelines from the USDA website it states do not consume any more than 10% of your total calories from sugar per day. The “healthy” Chewy Peanut Butter Bar has 22% of your total.
So I hope this helps people to really look into what you’re getting when you sign up for these diet plans and “science” backed companies. Look at the ingredients, check out the price and find out exactly what you will be eating. I can almost guarantee that you will do better with a dietitian, personal nutrition trainer or yourself. They have a lot of success stories but what they do not tell you is how many of those people are still on it? Have kept off the weight? And are still eating the same things? Nutrisystem claims they have been around for 50 years but if you look at the pictures in their advertisements, they look like some of them are from 10-15 years ago.
I am not against trying one of these companies to help lose weight, I don’t think some of them really look out for the consumer and in the end it’s still a business that is going to make money! The ingredients are not healthy, they are designed to be packaged and shipped so it has to stay fresh and keep for long periods of time. These meals are stored in a warehouse until you order it and they pick your meal boxes and ship it to you. It’s like ordering a package from Amazon.
Thanks for reading my Blog and I hope you get something out of it. I hope you contact me prior to ordering from one of the diet in a box companies on the market. I hope you live a happy and healthy life.
Take Care,
Darren
Harmony Shift 